Students from unprivileged backgrounds continue to make it to the top in India

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Nirish Rajput (wearing the garland)
Nirish Rajput (wearing the garland)

The story of Raju and Brijesh's success is not an exception. A few years back Govind Jaiswal, a rikshaw puller's son, made headlines for achieving 48th rank in the civil services results.

By Sadiq Shaban

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Published: Sat 15 Aug 2015, 11:11 AM

Last updated: Sat 15 Aug 2015, 1:13 PM

It is not uncommon to come across stories in which students from not-so-privileged backgrounds in India make it to the best universities and colleges, or crack the coveted civil services exams. Such news has become routine. Recently two brothers Raju and Brijesh, sons of a daily wager from UP, cracked the elite Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) entrance test. The duo cleared the tough IIT Advanced examination with ranks 167 and 410 respectively. India's leading newspapers carried front-page news titled -'JEE result brings cheers to daily wager, two sons make it to IIT'.
The story of Raju and Brijesh's success is not an exception. A few years back Govind Jaiswal, a rikshaw puller's son, made headlines for achieving 48th rank in the civil services results. Spending his childhood in a rented, congested room with three sisters and his parents, with no scope of time or the right setting for study at all, Govind was determined to reach the stars. He aspired to become an Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer and his determination saw him achieve the feat.
While previously such feats were few and far between, the trend seems to have caught up in recent years. Poverty and lack of resources are no longer considered obstacles in the quest to make it to the top. Nirish Rajput, son of a tailor from the Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh, had failed the civil service examination three times but never lost heart. Overcoming huge odds, he emerged successful in the Civil Services examinations, proving that poverty is not an impediment to success. In his fourth attempt, he got rank 370 in the civil service exam. For someone who grew up in a little shanty and worked odd jobs (as a newspaper hawker), it is indeed a remarkable feat.
Inspiration, it is said, is a key ingredient of success. Sometimes it can come from a TV serial. Sandeep Kaur, a poor peon's daughter from Punjab, cracked the civil services exam after drawing inspiration from a TV programme (Udaan) in which a girl rises to the top, despite all odds, and becomes a top police officer. Kaur didn't let her poverty deter her. She persevered for years and bagged the 138th rank in the All India Civil Services Examination.


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