Beating all odds, girl from T.N. govt. school gets into IIT Bombay

The Hindu

15-06-2025

Against all odds, a girl from the Government Higher Secondary School at Padanthal near Virudhunagar has secured a high rank in JEE (Advanced) and realised her dream of pursuing aerospace engineering at IIT Bombay.
Though Yogeshwari Selvam had been only an 'above average' student, she developed a passion for aerospace engineering during Class VII.
'Somehow, I developed an interest in this discipline,' she said. And this helped her overcome all obstacles, including the poor economic condition of her family.
Her father works in a tea stall, and her mother is an employee of a fireworks unit. Notwithstanding financial difficulties, the couple ensured that their two sons completed college, while also educating their daughter.
Yogeshwari had never heard of JEE till she attended the Kalloori Kanavu vertical under the Naan Mudhalvan scheme while in Class XII. 'Only during this session did I come to know about the examination to get into IIT,' she said.
'We were told that working a little harder would help us give wings to our dreams. Getting into larger institutions like IIT would be a big leap towards realising those dreams,' she said.
She also drew motivation from attending the 'Coffee with Collector' programme, in which Virudhunagar Collector V.P. Jeyaseelan interacted with students.
Yogeshwari secured a top rank in JEE (Advanced) without any private coaching. She was one of the 230 students from government schools who were selected for special coaching under Naan Mudhalvan, the Collector said.
An education expert appointed under Virudhunagar Educational Trust shortlisted her as she was good at Mathematics.
'Initially, my parents were hesitant to send me away from home for the training. However, they subsequently mustered the courage to send me to Erode as it would make me successful,' she said.
The 40-day training in Erode after her Plus-Two exam was the only coaching she could get to take one of the toughest entrance exams in the country.
Though she had been learning all subjects with Tamil as the medium of instruction, she picked up English words during the training, which helped her crack JEE (Advanced) on her first attempt.
Virudhunagar Collector V.P. Jeyaseelan honoured Yogeshwari for securing the 75th rank in the differently-abled category under the non-creamy layer of the Other Backward Classes community. He also gave her ₹5,000 in assistance from the Collector's discretionary funds. 'The Collector said the State government would take care of my educational expenses at IIT,' she said.
Yogeshwari is confident of joining the Indian Space Research Organisation after graduation.