An alumnus of Kolkata’s St. Xavier’s College and Calcutta University, Nilanjan Dey has emerged as a new force in preschool and primary-secondary education in Kolkata. Three years ago under licence from the SIP Academy Chennai, he promoted SIP Academy, Kolkata as an independent maths learning centre, teaching the subject under the ancient Chinese abacus system. More recently, he established an abacus maths centre in South City International School, a new age school of Kolkata (estb.  2009). These centres which have enrolled over 100 students (tuition fee: Rs.550 per month), have been funded by Wishlist Capital Advisors Pvt. Ltd (WCAPL), a private equity firm of which Dey is a promoter-director.

Newspeg. Early this year, WCAPL launched Purple Petals, a Montessori preschool that admitted its first batch of 13 tiny tots in January. A year ago, the firm promoted the Integrated Montessori Forum (IMF) — a training academy for Montessori teachers — which celebrated its first-anniversary last month. The first batch of 12 trained Montessori graduates has been snapped up by reputed preschools in the city. According to Dey, both Purple Petals and IMF will be rolled out in West Bengal under the franchise model.

History. A certified financial planner, Dey worked in the business media for 14 years and served with Dateline Business, Business Standard and Hindu Business Line. In 2007, he quit the media scene to work with the Bangalore-based Wealth Management Co. for 18 months before co-promoting WCAPL in 2008.

Direct talk. ”I became interested in the abacus system of maths learning because it helps left and right brain development. A child’s data and picture memories get a boost which is evident from the rapidity with which arithmetical problems are solved. More importantly for modern-day students, abacus practice sharpens memory and concentration skills,” says Dey.

Future plans. WCAPL intends to gradually cover the entire education spectrum with a special focus on West Bengal and eastern India. “In the future, I would like to promote more joint venture institutions of learning with experienced partners. The idea is to eventually move up the value chain into professional and vocational education, to develop the skills of millions of children who drop out of the school system every year,” says Dey.

Wind beneath your wings!

Baishali Mukherjee (Kolkata)