How a Rajasthan Labourer’s Son Beat the Odds to Crack NEET
You know how people say education is the great equalizer? Well, 19-year-old Shrawan Kumar just proved it—but man, the road wasn’t easy. This kid, whose parents work menial jobs in rural Rajasthan, somehow aced the NEET exam against all odds. And get this—he prepped using a beat-up smartphone while working shifts at a local factory. Makes you think, doesn’t it? Talent’s everywhere, but chances? Not so much.
Starting With Nothing But Dreams
Let me paint you a picture. Shrawan’s family lives in a mud house where electricity comes and goes like a bad cell signal. His parents? They’d take any work they could find—washing dishes, hauling bricks, you name it—just to put food on the table. Textbooks? Forget about it. “I’d camp out under streetlights when the power died,” Shrawan told me. But here’s the crazy part: even as a kid, he was dead set on becoming a doctor. Why? “Seeing people suffer without proper care—that got to me,” he says. That right there? That’s what kept him going.
When a Cracked Smartphone Changed Everything
Here’s where it gets interesting. During lockdown, while rich kids were complaining about Zoom classes, Shrawan struck gold—a secondhand phone and free online coaching. I mean, we’re talking about a tiny 4-inch screen here. “YouTube was my classroom,” he laughs now. Some local NGOs pitched in with mock tests—which was huge, because proper coaching centers might as well have been on Mars for someone like him. Funny how life works sometimes. What should’ve been a disadvantage—the whole digital divide thing—actually became his secret weapon.
The Grind That Would Break Most People
Now brace yourself for his daily routine: Up at 4 AM to study, then a 10-hour shift at the factory, then more studying till midnight. His dad—who makes maybe ₹200 on a good day—once skipped meals for a week just to buy him a scientific calculator. “We knew this was his only shot,” his mom told me, voice shaking. And Shrawan? He admits there were nights he’d cry himself to sleep. But quit? Not a chance.
Why This Story Hits Different
Shrawan’s rank isn’t just some feel-good headline. It’s a slap in the face to how messed up our system is. Check this out:
- Nearly half of last year’s NEET qualifiers came from cushy city schools (yeah, the NTA confirmed it).
- One in five village kids can’t even get online to study (ASER report backs this up).
But here’s the kicker—Shrawan proved that with the right support, kids from nowhere can make it big. “Don’t let where you’re from tell you where you’re going,” he says. And his dad? For once, he’s not scrubbing dishes but standing tall: “That boy’s made us proud.”
So What Now?
Let’s be real—stories like Shrawan’s are rare because the deck’s stacked against them. But they show what’s possible if we actually fix the system. While politicians argue about NEET reforms, I can’t help but wonder—how many geniuses are we missing out there? Shrawan’s win shouldn’t be some miracle. It should be normal. Otherwise, we’re basically judging fish on how well they climb trees. And that’s just stupid.
Got your own take on this? Or maybe a similar story? Drop it in the comments—I read every one.
Source: Times of India – Main
