Japanese magazine President features Anand Kumar and his Super Infinity maths initiative

Many children panic at the mention of mathematics, but explained in an easy way, the subject can become fun. Anand Kumar, founder of Super 30, is working with this thinking. Talk of his digital initiative, Super Infinity, has now reached Japan.

Japan's well-known magazine PRESIDENT has published a two-part article on Anand Kumar's life and his work in education. It describes how a boy whose dream could not be fulfilled for lack of money went on to change the lives of thousands of children through his own hard work. The magazine has not called Super Infinity merely a means of online study, but an initiative that connects children across the world with mathematics. According to it, Anand Kumar's aim is not just to teach children mathematics. He wants children to also develop the habit of thinking, asking questions and finding answers with understanding.

Anand Kumar was born on January 1, 1973, in Patna, the capital of Bihar. His father, Rajendra Prasad, was a clerk in the postal department. The family's financial condition was not good, but his father considered education the greatest way to change one's life. Anand had loved mathematics since childhood. This talent showed him a dream of moving ahead, but because of financial hardship he could not fulfil his dream of studying at Cambridge University. This difficulty did not turn him back from his goal. He devoted his knowledge and his way of teaching to helping other children move forward.

His childhood in Patna was spent in very modest circumstances. The family lived in a small house near a railway line, with the sound of trains all around at all times. Even so, Anand remained absorbed in his studies. Even in difficult conditions, his attention stayed fixed on mathematics, and this dedication later became his identity.

Across the country, Anand Kumar became known through his Super 30 programme. Through it, he helped talented children from economically weak families prepare for JEE, the entrance examination for the IITs. Admission to an IIT is the dream of lakhs of students, but the fees of good coaching become a big problem for many families. Super 30 gave a chance to study to children who had few resources but a determination to move ahead. The Japanese magazine has also praised this initiative. To explain the importance of the IIT to Japanese readers, the article compares it with the University of Tokyo.

A special feature of Anand Kumar's teaching is that he uses stories and imaginary characters to make difficult problems easy. His characters such as "Bholu" and "Ricky" help children understand mathematics. In this way children do not memorise answers but try to understand the logic behind them. This raises their confidence, and instead of fearing difficult problems, they try to solve them. For children who find mathematics hard, or who do not get the resources needed for study, this approach can be very useful.

The aim of Super Infinity is to take this way of teaching to as many children as possible. Through free digital education, an effort is being made to make mathematics easy and interesting. The magazine has mentioned a plan under this initiative to make the educational videos available in Japanese as well. This would let children in Japan also learn from these videos in their own language. The strength of the online medium is that education can reach children for whom good coaching or experienced teachers are hard to access. However, the real impact will depend on how much benefit children get from these resources.