Shoeshine boy shines in IIT entrance examination

He helps his father,a cobbler,mend shoes in his spare time while his mother stitches rags to support the family,but financial hardships have not stopped Abhishek Kumar Bhartiya from passing the IIT entrance exam with flying colours.

He helps his father,a cobbler,mend shoes in his spare time while his mother stitches rags to support the family,but financial hardships have not stopped Abhishek Kumar Bhartiya from passing the IIT entrance exam with flying colours. Abhishek,who secured rank 154 in the SC category,now wants to propel his dreams by pursuing aerospace engineering at IIT-Kanpur.

His father earns Rs 60-70 daily and mother mends old clothes to earn money,but this has never held them back from facilitating our education, Abhishek said,dedicating his success to his parents.

Abhishek,contributes by polishing shoes at his fathers shop,has three younger brothers and the family of six lives together. We have just one small room where all six of us live and that too without electricity. So,he used to study under the lantern for five-six hours at night, said his father Rajendra Prasad. The family could not even consider providing coaching to Abhishek,but by Gods grace,a teacher in a coaching insitute helped him out, said his father.

Even in such a time of happiness,poverty ha-unts the family. I am worried about the fees. From where can I manage the amount? This question is troubling me but even if I have to sell myself,I am ready, Prasad said. With relatives flocking to their house,the father says he has not been able to open his shop since the results were declared yesterday. We are very happy. He is the first person from our family to be selected to the IITs, says his uncle Manoj Kumar.

Abhishek says he wants to support his siblings education and help them get into prestigious institutes as well.

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