Mentoring Success !
NiIkhil Ballal & Juili Kulkarni
He has been a part of academics for three and a half decades, but Mahesh Sir at 55 (yes, that is his age) seems to be drinking straight from the fountain of youth. Born with a dream to join the defense, Mahesh Sir’s journey that detoured from defense and arrived at academics, has been nothing less than incredible.
After graduating from Ramnarain Ruia College (Mumbai) in 1984, Mahesh Sir was all set to appear for the Officer’s Training School Exam. The three-four month break that he had between the exam and his graduation completion day played an instrumental role in the foundation of MT Educare Limited (MTEL).
Making the optimum use of the break, the B.Sc. (Mathematics-Statistics) graduate decided to teach. He landed in Shetty’s Academy in Mulund (Mumbai) and taught Mathematics. The dynamic academician reminisced that he was a uniquemix of a strict and popular teacher. “I used to be in classroom for lectures from dawn to dusk. My office peon once compelled me to see the setting sun and took me out on the street. And what do I see? On the other side of the road, there were around 15-20 college girls warmly waving at me. It was during my stint at Shetty’s Academy that I realized my uncanny admiration”, described Mahesh Sir.
Looking at his innate teaching ability and wealth of knowledge, one might get carried away and say that ‘Mahesh Sir was a born Mathematician’. However, that’s not true. Back in his school days, Mahesh Sir recollected, “I had scored a zero in the first Mathematics test of Std. X. My teacher Br. Lobo informed my mother about this letdown. My mother simply said that Mahesh will come first in the next exam”. The words of his mother touched his heart, and in the final exam, the ‘Mathematics Wizard’ as he was fondly called by his friends scored 149/150. Mahesh Sir’s journey from 0 to 149 unequivocally defines his prodigious ability to vanquish challenges.
“When I am teaching I always think the child in front of me is Mahesh, who does not understand Mathematics. A teacher should always empathize with the child, teach her/him with the same compassion as a mother would and never give up come hell or high water”, averred the B.Sc. (Mathematics-Statistics) graduate for whom learning never ends. After completing his B.Sc., Mahesh Sir further completed his B.Ed. & M.B.A. and is now on his way to complete his Doctorate in Philosophy (Ph.D.) specialized in Education Management.
After an illustrious four year stint at Shetty’s Academy, Mahesh Sir set out on his own exciting expedition as he laid the foundation stone of Mahesh Tutorials (MT). Started with the dual objective of creating passionate teachers and successful students since 1988, MT has been cruising and spreading its wings across India. Currently, MTEL group is present in 13 states and has over 275 branches across the country coaching & training almost 1,00,000+ students annually. This Education conglomerate (under its popular brands like Mahesh Tutorials, Lakshya, CPLC, Mahesh PU College, Sri Gayatri Academy, Robomate+) coaches / trains students for CBSE, ICSE & State Board in School Section (Class VIII, IX, X), Science (Class XI & XII), Engineering & Medical Entrance (JEE Mains & Advanced, NEET & AIIMS), Commerce (Class XI, XII), Chartered Accountancy (Foundation, Intermediate & Final), MBA Entrance & various Skill Development courses at its centres spread across the country from Kutch to Kamrup. MTEL’s rich repertoire makes it one of the best in the industry. High quality teaching, state of the art infrastructure and use of advanced technology sets MTEL group apart from its peers.
Turning point in Mahesh Sir’s career happened when MT was corporatized in 2007. The founder of MTEL explicated, “The ardent need to corporatize was felt when we lost Mr. Atul Daga (at the age of 36), an accountant, who worked with me for close to a decade. Mr. Daga’s demise left our finance department in a quandary. This incident made me realize that I cannot leave my people in state of uncertainty in my absence”.
After garnering considerable success, Mahesh Tutorials went public in 2012 and has been listed on the stock exchange (BSE & NSE) as MT Educare Ltd. MTEL has always exuded confidence among the investors which is evident from the fact that country’s first Private Equity (PE) investment in coaching class sector was done by ‘Helix Investments’ in Mahesh Tutorials way back in 2007. Over the recent years, marque investors like Avendus, Ashmore UK, Birla Sunlife, Banyan Tree, Edelweiss, Grandeur Peak, India Max, Kitara Capital, Merill Lynch, Nomura, and many others had invested in MTEL along-with prominent HNIs of our country to the likes of Kedar Shivanand Mankikar & family, Ashish Kacholia, Amitabh Sonthalia, Madhusudan Kela & group and Dharamshi securities. The journey of MTEL in transforming our country’s education is now set to witness the next leap with the advent of the prestigious Zee Group who has acquired a controlling stake last year.
Mahesh Sir is an epitome of bringing about innovation in the field of academics. He is undoubtedly not afraid of throwing his hat in the ring. In 2008, MT introduced TAT (Technology Aided Teaching) tools that beautifully converted the black and white board in classrooms to colorful ways of learning. “Colours help in better retention and they have the ability to immediately capture students’ attention”, stated Mahesh Sir. Next up, as the wave of technology was getting stronger; Mahesh Tutorials under the able aegis of its founder developed audio-video recording studios for educational needs (for the first time in the country) where the lectures are being recorded with constant up-gradation from time to time.
“The intention behind recording lectures was that the students can get access to classroom teaching even at their homes. This innovation proved to be a big hit among the students”, exclaimed Mahesh Sir. Another fantastic change that has been incorporated in the teaching at MTEL was the introduction of ‘My R+ Book’. The Founder of MTEL explained, “My R+ Book is a systematically arranged book that contains the day-wise planning according to the textbook, questions for practice and graphs. Every question has a teacher who will explain the sum to bridge the gap between the students and solutions. The students can scan the given QR codes which will directly take them to the teacher. My R+ Book is a one stop shop where the students can learn and practice at the same place. Thus, the hassle and burden of carrying separate books is reduced courtesy My R+ Book”.
Mahesh Sir added, “We understand that today’s students are busy and not lazy. Therefore, we always strive to make education look attractive and find a way to squeeze into their busy schedule”.
Mahesh Tutorials is taking gigantic strides in the field of academics and everytime when the technology or competition looks to jeopardize the status quo, Mahesh Sir with his uncanny ability to pull a rabbit out of the hat comes up with something spectacular. Having embarked on a journey three and a half decades ago Mahesh Sir has created many a milestones which only improved the road to a better education for the youth of our country.
