Super 30 founder also gets strange requests!

Image
Press Trust of India New Delhi
Last Updated : Jun 19 2016 | 3:22 PM IST

Don't want to miss the best from Business Standard?

Anand Kumar, the founder of Super 30 which has been helping underprivileged students prepare for IIT JEE, often gets strange requests like action against a wife-beating man or saving someone wrongfully convicted of a crime.
"Almost every day, no less than 10 people come to Anand with requests of varying natures - someone's husband hits them, someone wants their children to be educated, someone has been wrongfully convicted of a crime," writes Biju Mathew in the book "Super 30: Changing the World 30 Students at a Time."
They all think Anand can help him but he is helpless. Everywhere Anand goes, youths in great number come out to hear him; to be part of the revolution in education.
"Some people think Anand is a big personality and often some poor woman would come to Anand begging him to teach her nine-year-old son. There have been also cases when a woman whose family was harassing her for dowry turned to Anand for help," Mathew writes.
The book, published by Penguin Books India, tells the story of Anand, a mathematics teacher who defied all challenges to set up one of the most successful and innovative initiatives in the world -Super 30.
Born in Gaudiya Math in Patna, Anand secured a place at Cambridge University, but couldn't attend because he had no money and sold papads in the evenings instead. He dealt with his own disappointment by setting up the innovative school in 2002 to prepare underprivileged students for the IIT JEE examination.
Super 30 has an astonishing success rate and, on average, 27 to 28 of the 30 students crack the exam every year.
After making up his mind on doing something for underprivileged children, he decided to hold an entrance exam to test their potential. Out of these, he would pick the top 30 students and prepare them for the IIT JEE free of cost. And he would house the students nearby and provide them food cooked by his mother.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jun 19 2016 | 3:22 PM IST

Next Story