Anand Kumar

Anand Kumar is a mathematics teacher from Patna who founded Super 30, a programme that gives students from poor families free coaching, food and lodging while they prepare for entrance exams to top institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2023 in the field of literature and education, from Bihar ^[1].

A door that closed, and one he opened

Kumar was born in Patna on 1 January 1973 and studied mathematics at BN College, Patna University ^[2]. Money troubles in his youth kept him from going on to higher studies, and that experience led him to build a way for others in the same position to get ahead ^[2]. Over two decades, Super 30 has helped many such students reach the institutions they hoped for ^[2].

A story that travelled

The programme drew attention well beyond Bihar. A book called Super 30 appeared in English, Hindi and several regional languages, and a Hindi feature film on his life was released in 2019, which eight states exempted from entertainment tax ^[2]. Discovery Channel and Japan’s NHK made documentaries on his work ^[2].

Time magazine included Super 30 in its Best of Asia list in 2010, and Newsweek named it that year among four of the most innovative schools in the world ^[2]. The British magazine Monocle listed him in 2011 among 20 pioneering teachers worldwide ^[2]. He has spoken about his work at universities including MIT, Harvard, Stanford and the University of Tokyo ^[2].

Awards

Kumar received the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Shiksha Puraskar from Bihar in 2010, the Maharishi Ved Vyas National Award in 2015 and the Rashtriya Bal Kalyan Award in 2017 ^[2]. The National Institute of Technology, Delhi, gave him an honorary doctorate ^[2].