Son of a panipuri vendor from Kalyan secures seat in IIT Roorkee

Indian Express

03-07-2025

Harsh Gupta, a young boy from Kalyan whose father is a panipuri vendor, made it to the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Roorkee. While for many, this achievement marks the beginning of a positive change for the six-member Gupta family living in two rented rooms in a chawl, his journey towards this exemplary success stands as a great example of resilience, determination, and diligence.
Coming from a modest family background, the road was significantly tougher for Harsh than for many others preparing for the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) – Main, the nationwide engineering entrance test that serves as a stepping stone to the JEE-Advanced, the gateway to IITs.
Unlike most JEE aspirants who begin preparations during school, Harsh learned about the exam only after Class 10, where he scored above 90 per cent. Realising his passion for mathematics, Harsh decided to pursue engineering and joined Motion Education, a JEE coaching institute in Kota, Rajasthan.
His first major setback came when he failed Class 11. 'I failed because I could not appear for a few papers due to my health condition,' said Harsh, who suffers from rectal prolapse—a painful and recurring medical condition that severely disrupted his studies, requiring frequent hospital visits and extended rest periods.
Without getting demotivated, he continued his efforts and eventually passed Classes 11 and 12. 'Last year, I appeared for JEE-Main immediately after Class 12, but I did not qualify for JEE-Advanced. I was getting admission to a prestigious NIT, but my dream was different. I decided to take a gap year and prepare again,' said the 19-year-old who considered it only a small setback.
This year, Harsh qualified for JEE-Advanced. His rank was 16,155 in the general category and 4,089 in the OBC category. He has now secured a seat in the Geotechnical Engineering branch at IIT Roorkee. However, in the upcoming admission round, he is hoping to secure a seat in Geophysical Engineering at the same institute, as he is more inclined towards that field.
The decision to prepare for the exam, which included staying in Kota for nearly two and a half years, was solely taken by Harsh. 'It was impossible for anyone from my family to accompany me there. I stayed in the residential facility provided by the coaching institute,' said Harsh, adding that his dream to secure a seat in an IIT kept him going even during stressful times.
'Many students come to Kota with the same dream, but for a lot of them, it's not their own. They come with expectations from family and then feel pressured. I had no such pressure, which made it possible for me to pursue my dream, despite the challenges,' said Harsh, the eldest among three brothers.
Both his younger brothers are focused on their studies. One, who is now in Class 12, hopes to follow in Harsh's footsteps, while the youngest, who just passed Class 10, is taking time to decide his path. Their parents run a panipuri stall in Kalyan, while their grandmother stays at home.