look news india
The day of honoring teachers i.e. Teacher’s Day brings a special hope and inspiration in our society every year, but when it comes to a person who, along with holding a law book and a rifle in his hands, has been distributing books to improve the future of slums and poor children, then the story becomes amazing in itself. We are talking about former Director General of Police (DGP) of Bihar and well-known educationist Abhayanand, who is not only recognized as a tough IPS officer but also as the godfather of countless engineers and doctors who once spent their lives in poverty. The way he, as a uniformed officer, spread education to the lowest rung of society proved that knowledge is the light that can illuminate every dark corner.
For a high-ranking Indian Police Service (IPS) officer to take out time from his busy schedule and teach complex equations of mathematics and physics seems no less than a miracle, but Abhayanand had made this seemingly impossible task the main objective of his life. While he was busy throughout the day in catching criminals and reviewing law and order, his evenings were dedicated to those promising and poor children who did not have even a single penny to pay the fees of expensive coaching institutes. His unique style of teaching Physics and his ability to clear the concepts forever removed the fear of science from the minds of the students. He proved that talent is not someone’s inheritance, it just needs the right guidance and a unique opportunity which he gave to thousands of children through his classes.
The influence of his family in the life of any person determines the foundation of his future and this is completely true in the case of Abhayanand. His early environment was very rich intellectually and ideologically, where education was considered the greatest wealth. The environment of his home was always such where discussions between books were common and the values of discipline and social service inherited from his father had instilled in him a deep sense of social responsibility since childhood. These early lessons from his family taught him that serving the public by holding an administrative post is a duty in its own right, but donating knowledge is the greatest virtue to raise the intellectual level of the society. This was the reason why he made spreading education his unofficial mission while balancing his family and professional responsibilities.
Abhayanand’s name is taken with utmost respect among the early founders of the revolutionary educational initiative that originated from the soil of Bihar, which the whole world knows today as ‘Super 30’. Together with mathematician Anand Kumar, he started selecting 30 brilliant children from the poorest sections of the society who dreamed of preparing for the world’s toughest engineering entrance exam like IIT, but had to step back due to financial constraints. Abhayanand started teaching these children from his residence and limited resources and with his unique strategic thinking proved that if hard work is done in the right direction, lack of resources can never come in the way of success. When these children achieved historic success in their very first attempt, the attention of the country and the world was attracted towards this unique experiment and a new revolution was initiated in the world of education.
With time, even though there were some ideological differences and parting of ways in the initial institutional partnerships, the flame of education burning within Abhayanand became brighter. He chose his own path and headed to rural areas where access to education was still a dream. In Masauri, a small rural area of Barh subdivision near Patna, and other remote villages, he started initiatives like ‘Anand Shiksha Niketan’, where he directly linked the children of the most backward sections of the society and castes like Musahar with education. He ensured that not only the children of the urban and elite class, but also the children of families working in the fields and laboring in brick kilns, learned to hold a pen and write the script of their own future.
After retiring from the top post of the police department, when people usually choose their family and a life of relaxation, Abhayanand further expanded his educational movement. Even today, he is seen teaching the youth with full concentration in his classes and his dedication is proof that a true teacher never retires. Today, the students taught by him are serving the country in renowned technical institutes, scientific research centers and administrative posts in the country and the world, which is the banyan tree form of the seeds sown by him. On this auspicious occasion of Teacher’s Day, this story of his reminds us that to bring change in the society, it is not necessary to have only positions, but to share knowledge with true intentions, determination and selflessness.