Radheshyam, son of a labourer in Surat who lost his left eye as a boy, was advised by his well wishers not to waste time in studies but use his mellifluous voice to sing and beg on trains to eke out a living.
The youth, however, pursued his dream to crack the prestigious IIT joint entrance examination (JEE).
Born in a family based in the Basti district of Uttar Pradesh, Radheshyam’s mother Leelavati faced immense difficulties in raising her two children, especially after her husband lost his job. At the age of nine, Radheshyam lost one eye.
He was on his way to school when he fell and a sharp wood piece injured his left eye. He was rushed to a government hospital where the doctors referred him to Allahabad. But Radheshyam’s family could not get him proper treatment due to penury, resulting in the boy losing his left eye.
That did not deter the teenager from pursuing his dream. His friends made fun of him knowing that he still wanted to make it to the IIT despite his problems.
In June 2012, Radheshyam completed his Class X but did not know how to move forward to attain his aim. It was then that someone suggested him about Patna-based Super 30, the coaching institute which helped underprivileged students crack the prestigious IIT exam. He came to Patna and met Super 30 founder Anand.
“After talking to him, I realised the boy had the mettle. I groomed him and regularly asked him if he faced any difficulty in solving the problems. He would solve questions in more than one method. After the classes, he would sing Bhajans, entertaining other students with his melodious voice. Eventually, in 2014, he cracked the JEE-IIT and is now pursuing electrical engineering from IIT-Roorkee,” Anand told Deccan Herald.