Sky's the limit for ragpicker¡¯s son in Madhya Pradesh who has cleared AIIMS entrance despite facing financial adversity. Asharam Choudhary, 20, a resident of Vijayganj Mandi belongs to Dewas district who scored 707, All India rank and 141 rank in the OBC category.
Asharam even secured ?2,763 All India rank in the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) held in May this year. The 20-year-old aspired to become a doctor since he was just 10 years old. He tells The Hindu, that once studying in class V, he visited a ¡®Jhola chaap¡¯ (an unqualified practitioner) with his father. The quack prescribed a couple of medicines and earned Rs 50 in no time.
That incident left a deep impact on the then child and he wondered what his father earns less than Rs 50 per day despite working round the clock by collecting scraps and other discarded material.
Perhaps, Asharam had determination, patience and a good mentor who could help him realise his dreams. He received coaching and guidance from Dakshana Foundation, a coaching centre in Pune that trains students from impoverished families from rural India for various engineering and medical courses.
Photo Credits: The Hindu
The medical student lives under a dilapidated roof which acts as a tap for running rainwater. A fragile shack as his house and crumbling walls didn¡¯t shake Asharam¡¯s faith and hard work. He tells The Hindu, ¡°The adversities have never deterred me from continuing my studies. This was my first attempt [in AIIMS entrance test] and my teachers at Navodaya Vidyalaya, especially Amit sir [his Biology teacher], guided me in clearing the exam.¡±