JEE-Mains: For these exam toppers, self-study was the key

In times when most aspirants want to join high-profile JEE coaching classes for success, both Sakala and Roy focused on self-study. Both are now preparing for JEE-Advanced which will be their ticket to the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). Maheshwari’s love for maths and science has seen him excel in Olympiads since childhood.

Sakala, a student of Maharshi Public School, wants to pursue Computer Science Engineering and getting into IIT Bombay will be a dream fulfilled. Son of a farmer and green-trader, Sakala was always interested in mathematics and believes, “Computer Science allows application of mathematics that can help make significant contribution to real world.”

Now his sister Shreya too is preparing for JEE while in class XI. Both joined a local coaching institute for JEE preparation as they believe that it allows them to do self-study. “High-profile JEE coaching classes have a rigid system. There is no liberty to study on your own,” said Sakala who enjoys watching shows on OTT platforms, especially those which are adaptations of science-fiction books which he loves to read. “There was much uncertainty, due to the pandemic which led to online learning and changes in pattern of board examinations. But JEE preparation helped in strengthening CBSE concepts too,” said Sakala, a resident of Navsari area in Amravati.

However, the online mode of learning worked for Jahnabi Roy as this resident of Mira Road would have otherwise spent an hour or so daily in her commute to school in Kandivali. Student of Ryan International School, Roy took JEE coaching from multiple places but focused more on self-study. Roy topped the state in the JEE-Main session I result was declared in July. Considering that both her parents are from engineering background, it was a natural choice for her. She aspires to join IIT Bombay for Computer science and will be focusing on JEE-Advanced now. “I can work more on my concepts and their applications etc. as JEE-Advanced demands more thorough understanding of the subjects, unlike JEE-Main which is more about speed and theoretical knowledge,” said the17-year-old who found enough time to indulge in her favourite timepass – Karate. “It helps me get refreshed,” said Roy who is a trained Kathak dancer and a Hindustani classical singer.

Andheri resident Maheshwari lost his sense of hearing between six to seven years of age. A year later, he discovered his love for maths and science. With help from his mother Pooja, who is an Olympiad teacher, Maheshwari started entering various Olympiads, maths and science exhibitions, and competitions from the age of 8. Today his collection of medals and trophies is so huge, his mother complains of having to buy a new almirah to accommodate them.

“People think I may be a nerd because I love studies, especially mathematics and physics. But those who know me closely, know that I love socialising and going out on dinners with friends and I love football,” said the student of Narayana Junior College where he trained for the competitive exams, studying for over 10 hours a day.

While he doesn’t talk much about his disability — a 70 per cent hearing loss in both ears –Maheshwari does admit it created hurdles in learning, especially during the pandemic. “I try to avoid asking someone to repeat things I can’t hear so I learnt to lip-read. But once offline classes started post-lockdown, lip-reading wasn’t possible since everyone was wearing masks. A lot of times I had to request teachers to take their masks off while teaching,” he said.

“I would love to start my own company, design an innovative solution for some problem,” he said.

JEE-Main was held in two sessions, one in June and the other in July. Result of session I was declared in July and this is the final JEE-Main result. A total of 7,69,604 candidates appeared for session I and 5,40,242 appeared for session II, exclusively whereas 4,04,256 candidates had registered for both attempts. As many as 24 candidates across India have scored a 100 percentile.

(With Inputs from Alifiya Khan)