Latest news with #JEE-Advanced
Mint
03-07-2025
- General
- Mint
Mumbai panipuri seller's son who failed in Class 11, is now an IITian
Maharashtra's 19-year-old boy, Harsh Gupta, who hailed his Class 11 exams, retook the exams, cleared Class 12, and earned a place at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), reported Hindustan Times. The report added that Harsh Gupta is the son of a small pani puri stall owner in Kalyan, which is one of the founding cities of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Gupta enrolled at a coaching institute in in Rajasthan's Kota and secured a seat at IIT Roorkee in Uttarakhand. Now he aims to enter the civil services. The report added that Harsh Gupta scored 98.59 per cent in JEE-Mains and qualified for JEE-Advanced. This is engineering entrance exams for admission to colleges including IITs. But he missed to secure admission to the college of his choice. Following this, he tried again and earned a seat on his second attempt. 'Don't let failure define you. Never give up. After failing the Class 11 exams, I decided to go to Kota. My family supported me in my decision... I always dreamt of clearing IIT and securing a seat in either IIT Mumbai or Roorkee,' the report quoted him as saying. Stating that his father always encouraged him to keep studying, Harsh said, "He said, 'couldn't study, but you should pursue your dreams'. My message for other aspirants is that don't let failure define you. I never gave up, even though I failed in Class 12. I am the first IITian in my family, and my school." Harsh said his classmates teased him and doubted his potential after he failed Class 11. However, Harsh ignored all these taunts and focused on his studies. "But, I didn't pay much heed. I worked hard,' he said. Expressing pride, Harsh's father Santosh said, 'I may be a pani puri vendor, but I'll go to any extent to support my children's dreams. I am very happy. He has always been good at studies, but we had financial constraints." Santosh also arranged funds by withdrawing from his savings. 'I also want my two other sons, Shubham and Shivam, to pursue higher education,' he said.
Indian Express
03-07-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Son of a panipuri vendor from Kalyan secures seat in IIT Roorkee
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.
India.com
02-07-2025
- General
- India.com
Success Story: Meet Boy Who Failed In Class 11, His Father Sells Panipuri In Mumbai, Now Secures Admission In IIT...
Harsh Gupta, a 19-year-old whose father runs a small panipuri stall in Mumbai, has achieved the unimaginable. Even after failing his Class 11 exams, Harsh secured a seat at IIT Roorkee in Uttarakhand and now aims to become a civil servant. Harsh, who had failed his Class 11 exam, chose not to give up and, with concentrated effort and support from his family, cleared Class 11 and 12 and enrolled at a coaching institute in Kota, Rajasthan. Harsh scored 98.59 percent marks in JEE-Mains in his first attempt and qualified for JEE-Advanced. However, he did not get admission to the college of his choice. With determined effort, he was able to earn an IIT seat on his second attempt. 'After failing the Class 11 exams, I decided to go to Kota. My family supported me in my decision... I always dreamt of clearing IIT and securing a seat in either IIT Mumbai or Roorkee,' NDTV reported, quoting him as saying. Harsh, who is the first IITian in his family, has a message for other aspirants: don't let failure define you. 'My message for other aspirants is that you shouldn't let failure define you. I never gave up, even though I failed in Class 12. I am the first IITian in my family and my school,' he added. His journey to securing an IIT seat was not easy. Harsh said that after he failed in Class 11, his classmates mocked him and doubted his ability, saying the son of a 'pani puri' vendor cannot clear IIT. He ignored all negativity and focused on his studies, studying for 10-12 hours a day, including coaching and self-study. 'But I didn't pay much heed. I worked hard,' he said, thanking his family and friends 'for always supporting' him. His father, Santosh Gupta, expressed his joy at his son's achievement and said, 'I may be a pani puri vendor, but I will go to any extent to support my children's dreams.' Despite limited income, he arranged funds from his savings for his son Harsh's studies. Santosh Gupta, who has two more sons, also wants his other two sons, Shubham and Shivam, to pursue higher education. 'I also want my two other sons, Shubham and Shivam, to pursue higher education,' he said.
NDTV
02-07-2025
- General
- NDTV
Mumbai Panipuri Seller's Son Once Failed Class 11, Now Has A Seat In IIT
Mumbai: He failed his Class 11 exams. But he refused to give up on his dreams. Harsh Gupta, from Maharashtra, worked tirelessly with unwavering dedication. He retook the exams and cleared them, and also scored good marks in Class 12. His hard work truly paid off when he turned his aspiration into reality, securing a seat at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). His message for students: "Don't let failure define you. Never give up". The 19-year-old, whose father runs a humble pani puri stall in Kalyan (one of the founding cities of the Metropolitan region of Mumbai) to make ends meet, enrolled at a coaching institute in Rajasthan's Kota and eventually secured a seat at IIT Roorkee in Uttarakhand. He says he is now aiming for the civil services. He scored 98.59% in JEE-Mains and qualified for JEE-Advanced (Joint Entrance Examination is an engineering entrance assessment conducted for admission to engineering colleges. It comprises two different examinations: the JEE-Main and the JEE-Advanced). But, he didn't get the college of his choice. He was aiming for IIT. So, he tried again and got the desired seat in his second attempt. "After failing the Class 11 exams. I decided to go to Kota. My family supported me in my decision... I always dreamt of clearing IIT and securing a seat in either IIT Mumbai or Roorkee," he said. Harsh Gupta said that his father always encouraged him to study. "He said, 'couldn't study, but you should pursue your dreams'". "My message for other aspirants is that don't let failure define you. I never gave up, even though I failed in Class 12. I am the first IITian in my family, and my school," he said. Throughout his journey, said Harsh Gupta, his classmates teased him and doubted his potential when he couldn't clear class 11, saying a panipuri vendor's son couldn't crack IIT. But he ignored the naysayers and focused on his studies, dedicating 10-12 hours a day to coaching and self-study. "But, I didn't pay much heed. I worked hard," he said, thanking his family and friends "for always supporting" him. His father, Santosh Gupta, beaming with pride, said, "I may be a panipuri vendor, but I'll go to any extent to support my children's dreams." Harsh's achievement is a testament to the power of determination and hard work, inspiring countless others to chase their aspirations. "I am very happy. He has always been good at studies, but we had financial constraints," said Mr Gupta. He Gupta said even though he doesn't earn much, he arranged money by withdrawing from his savings. "I also want my two other sons, Shubham and Shivam, to pursue higher education," he said.
Hindustan Times
02-07-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Failed Class 11, now has an IIT seat: Mumbai panipuri seller's son says, ‘don't let failure define you'
Harsh Gupta, a 19-year-old from Maharashtra, failed his Class 11 exams but chose not to give up. With steady effort and the backing of his family, he retook the exams, cleared Class 12, and earned a place at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). Harsh Gupta, whose father runs a pani puri stall, has cracked IIT.(Videograb ) Gupta, whose father runs a small pani puri stall in Kalyan, one of the founding cities of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, enrolled at a coaching institute in Kota, Rajasthan, and eventually secured a seat at IIT Roorkee in Uttarakhand. He now aims to enter the civil services, NDTV reported. Harsh scored 98.59 per cent in JEE-Mains and qualified for JEE-Advanced, the engineering entrance exams for admission to colleges including IITs. However, he did not secure admission to the college of his choice. Determined to join IIT, he tried again and earned a seat on his second attempt. His message to students is clear: 'Don't let failure define you. Never give up.' 'After failing the Class 11 exams, I decided to go to Kota. My family supported me in my decision... I always dreamt of clearing IIT and securing a seat in either IIT Mumbai or Roorkee,' the report quoted him as saying. Harsh said his father always encouraged him to keep studying. 'He said, 'couldn't study, but you should pursue your dreams'.' 'My message for other aspirants is that don't let failure define you. I never gave up, even though I failed in Class 12. I am the first IITian in my family, and my school,' he added. Harsh recalls classmates' taunts after Class 11 failure Throughout his journey, Harsh said his classmates teased him and doubted his potential after he failed Class 11, saying a 'pani puri' vendor's son could not crack IIT. But he ignored the naysayers and focused on his studies, dedicating 10-12 hours a day to coaching and self-study. 'But, I didn't pay much heed. I worked hard,' he said, thanking his family and friends 'for always supporting' him. His father, Santosh Gupta, expressed pride, saying, 'I may be a pani puri vendor, but I'll go to any extent to support my children's dreams.' 'I am very happy. He has always been good at studies, but we had financial constraints,' Gupta added. Despite limited earnings, he arranged funds by withdrawing from his savings. 'I also want my two other sons, Shubham and Shivam, to pursue higher education,' he said.
