“Born into a remote town in Bihar, my surrounding was conservative with a narrow outlook on life.
Children were raised to become either doctors, engineers or small-time business owners for a living. There weren’t many outlets to pursue one’s interests. I vividly remember a time when I had painted a few sketches as a hobby, and people immediately said that I should start painting walls for a living. I haven’t painted since then. But it made me realize how big my dreams were and that education was my only way to achieve them. Luckily I had a rock-solid mom who supported my vision throughout. She was the sole breadwinner, after my father stopped working, and had struggled so much in order to give me a good education. Seeing her work round the clock to manage both the household and her teaching career with very little time to even sleep, gave me the vigour to hustle.
She borrowed some money and sent me to Kota to enroll into JEE MAINS coaching right after my tenth. It was a struggle to live alone, manage my expenses and study all day, but I did. However, things were disappointing when the IIT entrance slipped by a whisker. It felt like the worlds were crashing. Nevertheless, I was able to get into NIT Rourkela after that and experience the four best years of my life. The campus had everything- the exposure, infrastructure, and the facilities! To many, that might seem basic, but to a boy hailing from a small town, that campus was literally heaven. Since then it has only been ticking off all my wishes, right from getting placed in a well-reputed firm, settling my student loans, to even getting into the IIMs. Today, my mom is very proud of all that I’ve achieved, even though she doesn’t show it often. As for me, I’m happy that she can finally relax. Now our entire community appreciates her for her perseverance. In fact, looking at us many parents have now become more encouraging of sending their children to study elsewhere. Hopefully, this small-town boy works to bring in more pride in the future.”
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