Mumbai Sunshine Story: Taxi driver's son on the road to IIT

Anish Chaurasiya with his family. Pic/Sneha Kharabe

For Vakola's Durga chawl resident Anish Chaurasiya, the day he received his Joint Entrance Examination - Main results, was the best of one his life. Having successfully cleared the examination with a score of 224/360, this 18-year-old has proved once again that there is no substitute for hard work. The son of a taxi driver, Anish is now determined to clear the JEE - Advanced examination and take admission to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), for which he has been preparing for the past two years.

A life of struggle
Speaking to mid-day, Anish said that before he took admission at Abhaynand Super 30 - a coaching institute for JEE that trains underprivileged students - for a long time he had studied with the help of Youtube videos, as it was impossible for his father to afford the fees of private coaching centres.

"This was my second attempt at JEE. I appeared for it the first time in 2017, after clearing my Std XII examination. I had prepared for it by going through Youtube videos and with help from my college teachers. But, the main reason behind my success is the training I underwent at the institute in Thane," he said.

Mukundlal Chaurasiya, Anish's father, said, "We came to know about the coaching centre, which offers free JEE training to deserving students, through pamphlets being handed out at a petrol pump in Matunga. We immediately approached the centre and Anish appeared for an entrance test. Since then he has been focusing on both his JEE Main and Advanced preparations, and the outcome has been great."

Speaking about the struggle of his family, whose only source of income is the taxi that he drives for almost 12 hours a day, Mukundlal said, "I used to work as a personal driver earlier. Once I was called for a job at Ballar Pier, but they refused to hire me, as I didn't know English. That is when I decided that I would do all that it takes to give my children a good education."

An achiever
"Anish has always been an achiever. Not only in academics but in extra-curricular activities, too. As we were aware of his abilities, we allowed him to appear for JEE the second time. His friends have already taken admission in engineering colleges," said Anish's mother Aasha. Anish said, "I thank all those who have helped me in my training and scholarships. I will continue this chain of goodwill once I start earning."