The Most Revolutionary Ideas Stem From a Curious Mind

The sprawling greens, the snow-capped peaks in the horizon, the call of a hundred different species of birds and a serene air that smells of heaven. Labeeb ur Rahman Mir refers to his hometown, Srinagar, as “Paradise on Earth”. A 10th grader from Tyndale Biscoe School, Srinagar, Labeeb’s family have been in Kashmir over several generations, keeping alive the rich cultural and historical memoirs of their family over the years. A proactive and optimistic teenager, we first got in touch with Labeeb after his personal chat with his favourite teacher and idol.

Team Storyweavers was greeted with an astonishingly confident boy, requesting them to fulfill his singular wish of getting to talk to Byju Raveendran, Founder and CEO of BYJU’S. His reason being – Byju sir had over the past one year become his idol, revamping Labeeb’s learning style and helping him look into the beauty of subjects like Math and Science. Eager to know more about his story and about life and education in the northernmost corner of the country, we got in touch for a candid session with Labeeb; Who narrated to us his gripping story of dreaming big and how one revolutionary study buddy, changed his attitude towards education and its purpose.

Q1. Tell us about your hometown and the role the city has played in shaping you as a person

A1. With stunning gardens, meadows, waterfronts and rivers flowing through the city, Srinagar, I believe is the abode for peaceful souls. Despite Kashmir being an internationally popular tourist spot, the charm and poise of the community has not changed over the years with friendly people walking down the narrow lanes, always ready to help you on your way or to share a smile. As a student there is a lot I have learnt which I think students from other parts of the country may not always get exposure to. I have grown in a closely knit community among beautiful people which offered me a unique atmosphere to balance my growth as a student in perfect unison with the environment of tranquility.

Q2. What has been your long-standing dream as a child?

A2. I have always been the inquisitive one. My dream since childhood has been to learn more and more, to gain as much knowledge as the world has to offer me and never stop being ‘curious’. I have always been a believer of bombarding my teachers with questions as the most revolutionary ideas stem from the most curious minds. A few decades from now, I hope to see myself serving my people as an IAS officer, innovating and bringing new ideas to life.

Q3. What are a few things you are passionate about?

A3. I spend my time away from academics cycling, practicing my flute and playing football. But debating and reading are my favourites. Debating is a common practice in schools and colleges and I feel, participating in these increases my knowledge base as well as improve my analytical skills and confidence level. I feel my confidence growing every time I take a step into the debating ring.

The national title holder, was one of the winners of the IIMUN Srinagar Championship conference, 2017. Some of his favourite reads are

1. The funny and lighthearted outlook on physicist Richard Feynman – Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman
2. Mindset, The Psychology of Success – Which covers groundbreaking ideas on achievement and success
3. The Endless Universe – Which explores the universe after the Big Bang

Q4. Share one life incident with us which greatly influenced your way of thinking

A4. The one incident that changed my way of thinking greatly was being introduced to the BYJU’S app. My experience with BYJU’S was one filled with excitement, full of fun and inspiration. It is true that I idolize Byju Sir himself, but that is only because he had in his mind an idea that can revolutionize education across the globe. The app changed my entire perspective of looking at subjects and core concepts. As the generic thought goes – the more time you spend on books, the more you understand. But BYJU’S has done a wonderful job where they explain the concepts and make them applicable practically. BYJU’S has helped me score well and gain  mastery over  concepts at the same time.

Q5. Any favourite subjects and teachers?

A5. Math and Physics transformed into my favourite subjects after I started using the app and though I enjoy the teaching style of all teachers my favourite teacher is Byju sir. His style of explaining topics is unlike anything I have come across before and most importantly he made me fall in love with Math .He aspires and accomplishes . His zeal and enthusiasm is unmatched. He has the power of inspiring others to work with the same enthusiasm as he works himself to achieve their goals.

Q6. How do you think you have benefited from an audio-visual and gamified style of learning?

A6. It is a very new learning style and a lot more immersive. I can sum it up into three main impacts : It has helped me understand concepts better and ensure longer retention; Concepts are explained in a more concrete and simpler style; The visuals, experiments and games etc make it a lot more fun and interesting

Following a life motto of “Life is all about creating yourself” Labeeb hopes to inspire his friends and future generations into becoming better learners. He also hopes to make his parents Mr. Shuhab-ul-Rehman Mir ( an engineer) and Mrs. Amtul Raouf (a teacher) proud by helping in the development of the nation and we at BYJU’S are proud to have assisted him during his journey towards better learning.

We would like to thank Labeeb’s mentors Austin Julian and Pallavi Bhardwaj for her constant support and guidance and for instilling in Labeeb the love for learning transforming him into a life-long learner

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