Vessel cleaning boy from Karnataka shines in IIT exam

He helped her mother, a daily wage earner and washed vessels in a hotel in his spare time while he was studying, but financial hardship did not stop Manjunath from clearing the tough Joint Admission Test for MSc (JAM).

Manjunath of Sullia taluk near Mangalore will now pursue his six-year joint MSc-PhD at IIT Bhubaneswar after clearing JAM. "I am leaving to Bhubaneswar on July 13 from Mangalore and join the premier institution on July 22," he told PTI here.

His mother could not meet the expenses of his education as she had to educate her daughters Nethravati and Rajeshwari, who completed PUC and BSc Nursing respectively.

"Life became a hardship for us after my father left my mother and married another woman. She started to work as a coolie to support us. Most part of her earnings were spent for educating my sisters and hence decided to earn for myself and the family. I used to wash vessels in a hotel when I was studying at Yenekallu Government School," Manjunath said.

Manjunath said he had a burning ambition to be an IAS officer and preparation for it came in handy to pass JAM.

"After passing JAM I have an inclination towards it for now. I do not know I may take IAS exam in future. However, stories of political interference and corruption surrounding IAS officers puts me off. I would rather prefer a job where I can perform my duties freely, without any interference," he said.

To meet his requirements to pursue higher studies, he worked for caterers on weekends and holidays earning around Rs 300 per assignment.

Manjunath is getting financial help from philanthropists to pursue his dream at IIT Bhubaneswar. He said he needed Rs 43,000 to complete his admission at IIT Bhubneswar.