Study Tips from Abhishek: Cobbler’s Son studying at IIT Kanpur

Abhishek Bhartiya had no family background that could predict his unprecedented success in IIT JEE 2010. Now as a student of IIT Kanpur, Abhishek readily shares how he prepared for the engineering entrance exam without the help of famous IIT JEE coaching institutes.

Family Background of Abhishek

A bit about his family first. Abhishek’s father is a cobbler who mends shoes and his mother stitches and mends clothes.  His family lived in a neglected area of Kanpur. Abhishek was a bright student but he had to do more than 100% to get one of the top ranks in IIT JEE.

His Preparation Journey

Abhishek was lucky to have parents who were supportive and understood that education was important for their children. They bought him the necessary study material and stationery for him and provided him support in whatever they could. Abhishek too helped his mother and father in their respective jobs during the day and studied for 5-6 hours during the night – during his JEE preparation.

Society too contributed to Abhishek’s success. A coaching class near his home allowed him to attend classes for free. Due to his hard work and belief in himself, Abhishek attracted right kind of mentors too. A certain Bansal Sir offered free guidance and counselling to him while one of his teachers Mahesh Singh Chauhan taught Abhishek Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics for free.

But in the end, it was the deep –rooted confidence of Abhishek that helped him crack IIT JEE.

Success Tips from Abhishek

• Ask for Help: The world it seems is not that bad after all. There were some teachers and even a private coaching institute that happily gave Abhishek a helping hand to a bright but poort to help him reach his dream goal. So, if necessary, ask for help.
• Don’t make excuses, make efforts instead: Abhishek shares, “All the excuses like there is not enough space in your room or a proper place to study for you or you don’t have enough time to study or there are frequent power-cuts in your area – are just excuses. I have braved them all and more. I used to mend shoes with my father, stitch clothes with my mother, and had to fulfill other family duties too. But still I could squeeze in 5-6 hours of study daily as I really wanted to get into the IIT. So, forget your pains and focus on your goals when it comes to JEE exam preparation. Not everybody can get into IITs or IIMs but if you make sincere efforts, you will be able to carve your own success path.”
• Single-minded Dedication: What we would consider a lack of means became a boon for Abhishek. He had no TV, Internet or mobile phone to waste his time. Even the time he took out to study was a luxury for him. It was this single-minded devotion that helped him make it to an IIT.
• Support of Family: Abhishek’s family might have been illiterate but they did support him in his pursuits in whatever way they could. So, parents, please be involved with your children if you want them to do well in life.