Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Mr. Anand Kumar
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
Many Indian mathematical awards are named after the legendary mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. One such honour, the Ramanujan Mathematics Award at the National Mathematical Convention, recognises individuals who have popularised mathematics or contributed significantly to mathematics education and research. This question specifically refers to the Eighth National Mathematical Convention held on 28 January 2014 and asks which personality received that award. It checks both factual recall and your awareness of prominent figures in Indian mathematics education.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
To solve this, you should connect the award with the person whose work matches the spirit of Ramanujan inspired mathematics promotion. Anand Kumar is famous as the founder of the Super 30 program in Bihar, which trains underprivileged students for entrance exams to the Indian Institutes of Technology. His work has been widely appreciated because many students from financially weak backgrounds have succeeded in highly competitive exams through his coaching. This strong link with mathematics education and public recognition makes Anand Kumar the natural recipient of such an award. The other names listed are not as widely connected to this particular honour in popular current affairs sources.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the core details: Ramanujan Mathematics Award, Eighth National Mathematical Convention, and the date 28 January 2014.
Step 2: Recall which of the listed individuals is most prominently associated with mathematics education and has been publicly honoured with awards and recognition.
Step 3: Recognise that Anand Kumar gained national and international attention for the Super 30 initiative, which helped many students from poor families enter top engineering institutes.
Step 4: Remember that he has received several awards and recognitions from different academic and public bodies, including this Ramanujan Mathematics Award at the convention mentioned in the question.
Step 5: Based on this association, select Mr. Anand Kumar as the correct answer.
Verification / Alternative check:
As an additional check, notice that questions on awards often link the name of the award with a person whose work is widely known. In teaching materials and news archives, the combination of Ramanujan Mathematics Award and Anand Kumar appears frequently. The other listed names do not have the same level of public association with a famous mathematics award connected to Ramanujan. Therefore, the probability that Mr. Anand Kumar is the correct answer is very high compared with the other options.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Mr. Sushanta Kumar: This name does not have a well known and widely documented link with the Ramanujan Mathematics Award in 2014.
Mr. Vinod Kumar Singh: Similarly, there is no strong public record connecting him to this specific award at the Eighth National Mathematical Convention.
None of the above: This option is incorrect because credible sources do identify Anand Kumar as the recipient, so it is not a trick question in which no option is correct.
Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to treat awards questions as guesswork when you do not recall the fact clearly. Aspirants might be tempted to choose None of the above if they feel uncertain. Another error is to mix up different Ramanujan themed awards, such as the SASTRA Ramanujan Prize and the Ramanujan Mathematics Award, and then wrongly assume that some international research mathematician must be the recipient. Remember that this particular award focuses strongly on mathematics education and outreach within India, which points directly to Anand Kumar and his Super 30 program.
Final Answer:
At the Eighth National Mathematical Convention held on 28 January 2014, the Ramanujan Mathematics Award was presented to Mr. Anand Kumar for his contribution to mathematics education.
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