Super 30 founder Anand Kumar moots reality show on Mathematics

PATNA: Noted mathematician and Super 30 founder Anand Kumar today mooted a reality show on mathematics to create interest among youngsters about mathematics.

"In this era of reality shows, something could be planned on numbers to make children play with it. Mathematics can boost students' logical and analytical power," Kumar said addressing a function on the occasion of 128th birth anniversary of mathematics legend Srinivas Ramanujan.

Kumar, who has named his academy in the name of Ramanujan, said there was a growing need to develop interest in mathematics among young students so that they enjoyed studying it.

"It is not a subject to be afraid of, especially in the land of Ramanujan. Perhaps, there is some problem which we need to address," he added.

Kumar, who could not go to Cambridge due to poverty and has undertaken a mission to help others like him not to miss an opportunity in life out of shortage of resources and humble background, said he has always been inspired by Ramanujan.

Maintaining that Ramanujan was special and such legends were always rare, Anand said it was high time India drew inspiration from his legacy to produce more like him.

"And the process has to start early - from childhood. May be, our present education system is not able to identify and preserve talent. We are too engrossed with who qualifies for IIT or other exams and don't look forward, like America, Russia or China," he added.

Kumar said growing use of computers and calculators from primary school level was also affecting children's creativity.

"Technology can make life easy, but it also tends to nip creativity. Certain things of the past need to be revived to make mathematics to the students", he said.

Kumar's Super 30 has been doing a commendable job of preparing students from poor section of the society crack top engineering institution like IITs. Since its inception in 2002, more than 350 students, including wards of rickshaw puller, daily labourer and housemaid, have made it to IITs.