A tea-seller from Bajali district in Assam has cleared the NEET exam in his first attempt. Rahul Das, 24, used to sell tea at his mother’s shop in the Patacharkuchi Chowk area while studying in between serving customers. He is set to take admission at AIIMS, Delhi. The state government has announced, it will bear the expense of Das’s studies in Delhi.
A Journey Full of Hindrances
The journey has not been an easy one for Das. His family was abandoned by his father some eleven years ago. Since then, his mother has toiled hard to fend for her two sons.
Poverty forced Das to quit his studies after passing high school in 2015. However, zeal for higher studies led him to pursue a diploma in plastic engineering at the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology in 2017. After completing the course in three years with distinction, Rahul got a job in 2020. He began working as a ‘quality engineer’ for a multinational company in Guwahati.
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Perseverance Pays Off
“There was no job satisfaction at all,” says Das.
He had always dreamt of becoming a doctor. One of his cousins is a dental surgeon. This always inspired Das. He decided to leave his job and began preparing for the coveted exam. However, due to a lack of resources, he could not buy books. Hence, he depended on whatever resources he could find online.
His hard work has finally paid off. Das secured a 12,068 ranking in the exams. His Scheduled Caste (SC) and Person with Disabilities (PWD) certificates helped him get through AIIMS. One of his hands has burn injuries.
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“I Made it a Point to Help her,” Das on Selling Tea with Mother
Talking about selling tea at his mother’s shop, Das says, “I have seen my mother toil hard for us. We couldn’t afford a helper at the shop. Since school, I have made it a point to help her in some way or another… I made tea and sold it too. And as and when it was possible, I would sit down to study at the shop.”
“I owe it to my mother,” the grateful son exclaims and adds, “I can never repay her back.”
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Many Helping Hands Stood with the Family
Das expressed gratitude to many people who helped him and his family during all the hardships. He thanked Manta Kumar Sharma, the landowner of the place where his mother’s shop sits. He never took rent from them and has, now, booked his tickets to Delhi.
The Deputy Commissioner, Bharat Bhushan Dev Choudhury, helped them in many ways.
Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa has announced that all educational expenses of Das will be borne by the state government.
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