Against all odds: Newspaper hawker’s son is now a proud IITian

If you have discipline, drive and determination, nothing is impossible. Proving the saying right was a newspaper hawker’s son, Abhishek Ranjan, who beat the odds to clinch the 18th position in the persons with disability (PWD) category and 16,095 in the general category in the IIT-JEE (Advanced) exam, the results for which were declared on Wednesday night.

Surrounded by happy relatives, Ranjan said he aspires to become a civil servant one day.

“IIT was a dream and now the dream has come true. I’m grateful to my parents and relatives who have supported me at every step and this is the fruit of their blessings that I have achieved my goal,” said Ranjan, a resident of Sarovar Nagar, Ratu Road.

The counselling for IIT is scheduled to begin from June 25 and Ranjan is looking to opt for computer science. A student of DAV Hehal, Ranjan had scored 82% in Class 12.

However, things haven’t always been this good for the young topper. In September 2009, he had been in an accident and was hospitalised with an injured leg. The wound, he said, got infected due to the carelessness of the doctors and amputation was a very real threat.

“That moment I broke down in tears because I could not imagine my future. My parents and relatives had spent lakhs on my treatment,” he said.

However, to the relief of Ranjan and his parents, things improved. “I finally joined school from February 15. My family, especially my brother and the doctors motivated me to study hard and today, I have made them proud,” he said.

His mother’s eyes still well up with tears as she recalls the painful time in her son’s life. But now, she is proud of her son having overcome all hurdles in his way to achieve his goal. His father, the newspaper hawker who made sure his son had a better shot at the world than he did, couldn’t be prouder.

“I can’t express how happy I feel. I am just a newspaper hawker but I always wanted my son to study well and become an honorable citizen of the society. Today, I see my dreams taking shape,” Ranjan’s father Pramod Kumar Thakur said.