Cool Bihari: Bihari Talents shine again

Past few weeks have been really encouraging to see the way Bihari students have charted new success stories and this will definitely inspire and set examples for many aspiring ones.

It was hearting to see once again a Bihari talent securing the top notch rank in the IIT-JEE merit list. This article aptly titled” Bihar scripts name in golden letters in IIT” goes a long way in re establishing the brand Bihar and its inherent uniqueness which few recognize otherwise. Shashikanth the lad from Patna marked the Bihari No 1 stamp by securing the 1st rank in the IIT-JEE merit list. His success and humility is very reassuring as Biharis over the year have been cracking one of the world’s most competitive exams with ease.

He said he was sure to be figured out in top 10, but never thought of achieving first position. “It was all of the blessings of his parents, elders, friends and most of all his teachers and his restless hard work,” he said.A brilliant student has always been fond of Physics and Mathematics as well and can spend all the time with studying physics. “I never get bore of studying physics,” he said. The same is with maths, he added.

While Shashikant made it all alone, his friends from Super 30 were not lagging behind. It was a perfect 100% for this super bunch of jubilant students when they cracked the entrance test with ease. Anand Kumar and his team have just made it a habit of ensuring success for these super heroes. Their resounding and repeated proven success exemplifies how merit and diligence always pays. This year students of Super 30 truly represent the social fabric of India, students from very backward and minority communities have also been part of the successful batch this year.

Till last year students from backward castes, extreme backward castes and Dalits cracked IIT-JEE through Super 30. "But this year some students of minority community succeeded in IIT-JEE," said Abhyanand. He said the success of Super 30 lies in hard work and proper guidance for achieving excellent result. He said that in 2007, 28 of the students made it through ITT-JEE and two others were selected for preparatory. In 2006 too, 28 students of the Super 30 had made it to the IITs. "We were sure of positive results as we teach them to eat, sleep, walk and talk only IIT," reiterated Anand.

Anand, who also runs the Ramanujam School of Mathematics, said Super 30 is supported by the income generated from the mathematics school, which has students who can afford to pay fees. Super 30 took shape five years ago. Eighteen of its students cracked the IIT-JEE that first year, 2003. The number rose to 22 in 2004 and 26 in 2005.

IIT is not the end of the story ,Bihari lads have also come out with flying colours in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) results announced recently. The story of the two clerks from Bihar who finally made it to the top ranks in IAS is truly amazing. Keshbendra Kumar sold tickets at West Bengal's Seuri railway station. He is ranked 45th in the IAS results. Ravi Kant sold tickets at Ukhra railway station in Burdwan district. He is ranked 77th in the list of successful candidates.

The two clerks-turned-bureaucrats have lots in common. Both are from Bihar. Kumar and Kant arrived in Bengal for their Higher Secondary education after passing out of schools in Bihar's Aara and Sitamarhi distrits respectively. Both enrolled at Barrackpore's Bholanand School.Both graduated from the Indira Gandhi Open University. While Kumar did History (Honours), Kant did Hindi (Honours). Both found jobs as railways booking clerks — without paying bribes! Subsequently, they also made it to the defence forces but preferred their railway jobs.

Neither of them could afford civil service coaching centres. Their homes do not have television sets. All they could afford was a newspaper and couple of magazines to keep track of India and the world. Kumar says that he couldn't even afford a wrist watch. “I wrote my IAS exams without a watch.“I would have fared better if had a watch for time management in the examination centre”, Kumar said.

Kudos to the achievements of these young talent from Bihar and we surely wish many more get inspired by the success of these students and chart out new stories of diligence, perseverance and merit.