Bhanzu: Taking the menace out of maths

(From left): Bhanzu co-founders Jonnalagadda Sai Krishnakanth, Devulapalli Lakshmi Prachotan, Neelakantha Bhanu and Alluru Uday Kiran Image: Selvaprakash Lakshmanan for Forbes India; Directed By: Kapil Kashyap

Neelakantha Bhanu started competing in maths championships when he was 10 or 11, and holds several world records in the subject. By the time he was 17 or 18, he was being invited to schools, colleges and companies to talk about how people can strengthen their maths skills. He conducted around 500 stage shows over three to four years across 23 countries in which he “used to present how quickly maths can be done or how mathematical skill can really be developed in an individual”, says Bhanu. Part of his efforts were also aimed at spreading the word on how maths can be fun, or be part of pop culture, and dispel the fears around the subject.  

One of the projects he worked on was for the Government of Telangana to build a numeracy development project called Infinity, which has now been rebranded to Bhanzu. Starting with 30 government schools in the first year, the project expanded to 3,000 to 5,000 schools in the second and third years respectively, in which, through a network of volunteers, the team aimed to teach maths in the best possible ways. 

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“Three out of four children around the world are scared of mathematics, because of lack of relatability and confidence, and that has repercussions in the career the child chooses,” he says. The government programme was successful, with classes being streamed online during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Despite his deep involvement with maths from a very young age, Bhanu says, “I knew that I want to get into education policy, government work at some point of time.” After completing his bachelor’s degree, he got offers to directly join a PhD programme to continue research in maths and job offers from other sectors as well. However, it was during the pandemic that he realised the best way to create an impact was through education.