The Slumdog Engineer : IIM Kashipur

Few days passed. And on the night of 13th Feb at 11:59 pm he kneeled before me and proposed me. At 12:01 am on Valentine's Day he gave me a gift. I had bought two red velvet pastries, which had the initials of both of us written on it . He insisted me to open the gift there itself. When I was tearing the wrapper in excitement, he was just watching me with a smile. I opened the box and saw the exact same shirt of Pantaloons which I liked the other day. A drop of tear slowly rolled down on my chicks. It was not just about getting a shirt, it was about love. Without saying anything he listened so many things. Since then I have kept that shirt as a souvenir of our relationship.

Part B: How you overcame challenges to achieve your ambitions in life so far?

Being born and brought up in a slum of Mumbai, we have struggled a lot for a living. My father was an auto driver. So fulfilling our family's daily needs was a big task for us. We had to take financial help from other relatives for my sister's and my educational purposes. During my school days, I used to sell newspapers. Those days I dreamt of being a very successful Engineer. I started working toward my goals. But due to failure in JEE, I had to do my engineering from Mumbai University. But I didn’t stop aspiring to be in IIT.

As time passed in engineering college, my aspiration to be in IIT for my further studies grew. To get admission in post-graduation I had to clear one of the toughest exams in India which are known as GATE. So I started preparing for GATE on my own because of our financial condition. Though the slum environment was not feasible to study and grow, I worked hard towards it. I risked my placement in college just to study for GATE. I used to study until 3 A.M. in the morning. I approached my friends and professors for any unclear topic from syllabus. Eventually, after so many hurdles I got into IIT Bombay. In this entire journey, my family stood by my side. Their constant support and faith in me made me confident enough to crack this exam.

When I look back in the past, I wonder how I got through this voyage of life. Maybe the love of family and friends gave me strength to excel in the life. And maybe for the same reason, I could also accomplish my second goal of being in an IIM.