Mumbai Panipuri Seller's Son Once Failed Class 11, Now Has A Seat In IIT

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.