Hi, I’m Ajay Anand
Civil Engineer · Excel trainer · Runner
I make Excel simple for people who use it at work, in English and in Malayalam. I’m also a passionate runner.
- Microsoft Excel MVP since 2020
- 500K+ YouTube subscribers
- Teaching Excel since 2018
- Based in Alappuzha, Kerala
From highway design to teaching Excel
I studied Civil Engineering and worked in highway design for about ten years. In 2018 I started XL n CAD to share what I had learned about Excel and AutoCAD. It grew into two YouTube channels, video courses on Udemy, and this website of free tutorials and tools.
- 2007 – 2017Highway design engineer
- 2018Started XL n CAD and the YouTube channels, in English and Malayalam
- June 2019Ran a five-day Excel workshop for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Geneva
- 2020Received my first Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award for Excel
- 2026Seventh year in the Microsoft MVP program
- Today500,000+ YouTube subscribers, Udemy courses in English and Malayalam, and xlncad.com
Free tutorials, videos and courses
Learn with me, step by step
MalayalamMicrosoft Excel: Beginner to Professional
Learn Excel step by step, from the basics to formulas, PivotTables and dashboards.
View on Udemy
EnglishExcel: Beginner to Confident User
The English edition, taught the same way as my videos, in short lessons.
View on UdemyLearn Microsoft Word in Malayalam
Format documents, tables and reports quickly and professionally in Word.
View on UdemyRunning
Apart from Excel, running is what I’m most passionate about.
From June 2025 to May 2026 I took on The Running Project: one run in every Indian state and Union Territory, 51 runs in a year. Most were half marathons: 17 were official race events and 34 were solo runs.
- June 2025First run of the project, in Chandigarh
- January 2026Tata Mumbai Marathon, the 31st run and the longest of the year (42.2 km)
- May 202651st run, completing all 28 states and 8 Union Territories
- 51runs
- 36states and UTs
- ~1,269km
- 12months
