Super 30 founder is Europe magazine's global personality

Patna: Anand Kumar, who founded Super 30, Bihar's free coaching centre which helps economically backward students crack the IIT-JEE, has been selected by Europe's famous magazine 'Focus' as one of the global personalities who have the ability to shape exceptionally talented people.

He is the only Indian named in the list.

"This gives me a feel that honest and sincere efforts get noticed, no matter where they are being made. I will carry on with my pursuit of educating poor children," Anand Kumar told the sources here.

Focus is published by Italy's biggest publishing house Arnoldo Mondadori Editore. Apart from Anand Kumar, the article also mentions Iwano Brugneti (athlete).

Earlier, Time magazine had described Super 30 as the 'best of Asia'.

Discovery channel made an hour-long documentary on Anand Kumar, while a film made by a British producer won the 'Viewers' Choice Award' in the Los Angeles film Fest.

Anand Kumar, who could not go to the Cambridge University for higher studies due to extreme financial constraint after the death of his father, started the Ramanujam School of Mathematics in 1992 and founded the Super 30 in 2002.

Super 30 provides free food, stay and rigorous coaching for nearly a year to 30 poor and talented students selected through a two-tier examination process. Most of the successful candidates have come from the most underprivileged sections of society.

In the last eight years, the novel initiative has helped 212 students clear the IIT entrance test. During each of the last three years, all the 30 students of the institute made it to the IITs, drawing worldwide attention.

The students have to pass a competitive test to get into Super 30 and then commit themselves to a year of 16-hour study each day, Anand Kumar said.

Japanese channel NHK and Al Jazeera also made documentaries on Super 30. In 2007, industrialist Mukesh Ambani honored him with the 'Real Hero Award'.

During his visit last year, US President Barack Obama's envoy Rashad Hussain described Super 30 as the "best in India". IANS