From arts aspirant to NEET 2025 topper: Hanumangarh boy's remarkable journey inspires Rajasthan
JAIPUR: Days after a boy from Kota topped the IIT entrance exams, another student from Rajasthan has brought pride to the state, this time in the medical field. Mahesh Keshwani from Hanumangarh district has emerged as the national topper in NEET UG 2025, securing All India Rank 1 with a score of 686 out of 720, as per the results declared by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Saturday.
Of the 20.08 lakh students who appeared for the examination, 12.36 lakh candidates qualified, making Mahesh's feat all the more remarkable.
'After Class 10, I wanted to take up Arts and prepare for the UPSC Civil Services Exam,' Mahesh said. 'But one of my teachers convinced me to choose Science instead. That decision changed everything and set me on the path to NEET.'
His parents, Ramesh Keshwani and Hemlata Keshwani, are both government teachers currently posted in Hanumangarh. Mahesh spent his early years in Nohar, a small town in the district, where he studied up to Class 9.
'He has worked hard for three years, studying eight to ten hours a day. Even when he had chicken pox, he didn't stop studying. We are hopeful he'll get admission to AIIMS Delhi. There's a wave of happiness in our entire family. Both Mahesh's mother and I are government teachers, so there has always been a learning atmosphere at home. He has been academically inclined since the beginning. We're proud of his rank and hope he becomes a good doctor and serves the country and society,' said his proud father.
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