Inspiration
Disability and poverty no match for Bihar brothers as they crack IITJEE
Basant (18) has been carrying his elder brother, polio stricken Krishan on his shoulders to attend school since childhood. The brothers have cleared the IITJEE with high ranks on the dint of sheer hard work and determination.
Where there is a will, there is way. This proverb has been doubly proved by 2 brothers from Samastipur, Bihar. Krishan (19) and Basant (18) have cracked the IITJEE entrance test overcoming Krishan’s polio and the extreme and abject poverty of the family.
For many years now, the brothers have ensured that they continue studying with Basant Kumar Pandit carrying his physically challenged elder brother on his shoulders to school and later to the coaching institute.
It is a matter of great pride for the family that Krishan has landed in IIT with 38th All India Rank in OBC, disabled quota in the JEE advanced results declared recently while Basant has achieved 3675 rank in OBC category.
The boys’ family is engaged in agriculture as their father Madan Pandit owns 5 ‘bigas’ of land in Paroriya village in Samastipur and their mother is a housewife.
Krishan lost his legs at the age of only 6 months to polio. Later, the younger Basant took upon himself to take Krishan on his shoulders to school. With dreams of becoming engineers someday, the brothers reached Kota 3 years ago and took admission in a coaching institute to prepare for the IIT entrance test.
Like always, Basant would carry his brother to the coaching classes in Kota as well and the 2 would study together. “When I left the village for coaching 3 years ago, people in the village suspected my abilities and whether we would be able to continue like this,” Krishan said.
Krishan considers his younger sibling much more than his “legs” and gets overwhelmed while talking about him especially as the 2 brothers, who have been inseparable until now, will have to study in separate colleges.
“Basant does everything for me. I feel very sad when I think about living without him in the engineering college,” said Krishan.
Basant admits to being overjoyed with the brothers’ achievement however, the taste of success is soured by the forthcoming separation.
Recalling their school days, Basant reminisces. “Once while we were in class V, I participated in a residential camp for disabled in the village as my brother Krishan could not live there without me,” he said.
There dream almost remained unfulfilled when they didn’t make it in the first attempt and their father asked them to return home. However, their 2 elder brothers stepped in and assured them financial assistance encouraging them to not stop trying. Krishnan is thankful to the management of the institute who also exempted 75% of the fees for them and also granted scholarship.
“Basant aspires to join civil services after completing his engineering, while I want to be a computer engineer,” Krishan said.