Daily wage labourer’s son cracks JEE Advanced

Abhay, a daily wager’s son from Gorakhpur, secured an All India Rank of 3,372 in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced 2016, the results of which was announced on Sunday.

Updated on: Jun 13, 2016, 12:16:45 IST

Hindustan Times, Lucknow | By Rajeev Mullick

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For days, Abhay Verma slept on an empty stomach and spent years with just two sets of clothes. But on Sunday, he was all smiles.

Abhay, a daily wager's son from Gorakhpur, secured an All India Rank of 3,372 in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced 2016. (HT photo)

Abhay, a daily wager’s son from Gorakhpur, secured an All India Rank of 3,372 in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced 2016, the results of which was announced on Sunday.

“My father is the sole bread earner in the family and earns less than Rs 500 a day by fixing tiles in Punjab,” Abhay, who wants to pursue mechanical engineering, said.

“We are two brothers and two sisters. All of us go to school. My father is barely able to pay for all our fees and manage our living expenses,” the 18-year-old added.

However, the youngster could not stop thanking his lucky stars as he cracked JEE Advanced 2016 with ease.

Hard work and supervision under the watchful eyes of Anand Kumar, founder of Super 30, helped Abhay cross the bridge. Last year, Abhay cleared UP board intermediate examinations with 81% marks.

“It was his determination and hard work that helped him crack JEE Advanced. He studied late in the night and got up early morning to revise and practice mathematics,” Anand Kumar said.

“With his father’s meagre income, it was always a struggle for the family to even arrange for two square meals a day,” Anand, who handpicked the boy after noticing his interest in studies, added.

Last year, two brothers from Pratapgarh were in the news after they cracked JEE. Brijesh, the elder brother, secured 410th rank and Raju, the younger one, bagged 167th rank.

The Union human resource development ministry announced that the admission fees for the two brothers will be waived and they will get scholarships to cover tuition, mess and other charges.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rajeev Mullick
Rajeev Mullick, Assistant Editor, is a Lucknow-based journalist with over 26 years of experience covering governance, public policy and administration in Uttar Pradesh. His reporting focuses on the district administration, the Divisional Commissioner's Office, the Regional Meteorological Centre, and government policies relating to technical, higher, secondary and primary education. Known for impactful public-interest journalism, his investigations have led to significant policy attention, including a report on deficiencies in a state-run school footwear distribution scheme that prompted widespread national coverage and High Court intervention. He broke the story on the Uttar Pradesh government's One District One Cuisine initiative, highlighting the inclusion of sweets and the exclusion of non-vegetarian dishes, triggering widespread public debate. He covered Mahakumbh 2025 at Prayagraj, reports on the event's administrative, logistical and civic dimensions. From 2012 to 2024, he headed the Lucknow City Bureau, leading coverage of the state's administrative and civic developments while mentoring young reporters. He loves to travel, listen to music. He is fond of eating good food both veg and non veg. He has travelled to several states like West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Family Nadu, Kerela, Bihar, Jharkhand and home state UP.Read More