It’s Mumbai for IIT-JEE toppers

The last year was all work, no play for Punjab boy Achin Bansal and Mumbai girl Ankita Sharma. Their lives revolved around books, coaching classes, report Jaya Shroff and Snehal Rebello.

The last year was all work, no play for Punjab boy Achin Bansal and Mumbai girl Ankita Sharma. Their lives revolved around books, coaching classes and cramming till all hours of the night. Today, their hard work has paid off and how. The IIT-Joint Entrance Exams (IIT-JEE) results are out and Achin has emerged the topper among boys and Ankita among girls.

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Achin, who hails from a small town called Kot Kapura in Punjab, is the son of a medical practioner. He told the Press Trust of India over telephone that he intended to do a computer science course from IIT-Bombay.

“The feeling has yet to sink in,” said Ankita. “I didn't expect a rank. So I am very excited.” The 17-year-old, who dropped an academic year and headed for coaching classes in Rajasthan to prepare for the exam, is also headed for IIT-Bombay. But she is yet to decide between computer science and electrical engineering.

With three IITians in the family, the Sharmas are more than happy with another addition.

It has also been a very good year for the Delhi zone — which includes Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and the National Capital Region. Approximately 46,000 candidates appeared for the IIT-JEE from this zone; 1,398 of them made it.
Right behind Achin on the rank list is Nitish Shrivastava, a student of Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram. “It was his sincerity and hard work that worked. He never took any additional coaching,” said his principal Dr Shyama Chona.

jaya.shroff@hindustantimes.com, snehal.rebello@hindustantimes.com