A name on the tip of the tongue of every medical, engineering, or science student, Physics Wallah–Alakh Pandey has taken physics coaching to the next level. As a student, this great man faced financial hassles and hence got motivated to influence and coach young aspiring minds. Physics is often deemed difficult and many students fail in this subject. Alakh Pandey shot to fame amongst students from his YouTube channel – Physics Wallah. He has a very different and engaging method of teaching this subject which is loved by students. This blog today is dedicated to this master coach and beloved YouTube teacher. Here is a rundown of his early life, education, and career.
Early Life and Education
Alakh Pandey was born on 2nd October 1991 in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. His parents are Satish and Rajat Pandey and he has a sister named Aditi Pandey. He completed his schooling at Bishop Johnson School and graduated in mechanical engineering from Harcourt Butler Technical Institute, Kanpur.
Alakh Pandey left his engineering college when he was 22 years old and returned to his hometown of Allahabad to teach physics. He once received 5,000 each month. Alakh Pandey reportedly received a $75 million offer to join Unacademy. To educate India’s underprivileged population, he turned down the offer. He hopes that through PhysicsWallah, anyone can dream of educating their child to become a doctor, including rickshaw drivers, newspaper vendors, and washermen.
Career
He began Physics Wallah – his online YouTube channel with a very affordable fee in 2017. Initially, he used to teach physics, mathematics, and chemistry for classes 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th. Later, he shifted to teaching physics only as he was excellent in this subject.
Now he teaches physics for classes 9 to 12 in for the preparation for JEE exams. He has a Gold Play Button on YouTube after he hit 1 million subscribers.
Alakh Pandey used to make $5,000 per month, but his ed-tech business PhysicsWallah has since become India’s 101st unicorn and the country’s first ed-tech venture to receive series A funding. Westbridge and GSV Ventures invested $100 million (roughly 777 crores) in Pandey’s business, giving it a $1.1 billion valuation.
Students associate the PW channel as an emotion and not as an institute, such is the magnitude of his fan-following. He has recently opened a private institute in Kota for coaching students.
His teaching platform is not only online, but they have opened up more than 20 hybrid learning centers called Paathshala in different cities across India. They also have pure offline centers called Vidyapeeth in Kota, Pune, Delhi, and Kolkata. Today, this ed-tech giant is ruling the JEE and NEET coaching industry in India.
Interesting Tidbits from his Life
- The man who is worth around 8000 crores today is as grounded to his feet as possible. When he recently opened his coaching institute in Kota, he commuted to the center in an autorickshaw even though he could easily afford fancy transport.
- On being asked the secret behind the crazy fan-following he feels that the love is mutual. He reveals that students have been on his side when he has faced issues and vice versa.
- He got the Emerging Edtech Startup of the Year Award in 2022, and he credits his students and his team as real entrepreneurs and the reason for the award.
Mentoring and coaching young minds, Alakh Pandey has contributed significantly to the education of students. He teaches with a very unique style that is easily understood and loved by all. Alakh Pandey is a true inspiration for students and he also motivates them with his inspirational videos.
