Sushanth, who once fixed bikes with his father, earns a seat in IIT after topping SSLC and winning a national innovation award.
Sushanth- a Mechanic’s Son, studied in a government school up to SSLC. He helped his father fix motorbikes in the garage when he was a schoolboy, which gave him an understanding of how motorcycles operate and his father’s struggles to provide for the family of five.
He started working with me at a very young age. “He is skilled at minor repairs and can handle engines,” Mr. Narasimhamurthy Prabhu added. “We always wanted our children to do well in school, live independently, and contribute to society,” Ms. Sujatha, who for many years supported the family by sewing garments, said.
Sushanth was unaware about IIT or NIT until he arrived at SSLC. He created a novel “self-chain adjustment system” for bicycles in 2022. His proposal was chosen for the Inspire Awards-Manak, a national exhibition and competition run by the Department of Science and Technology’s National Innovation Foundation. He was mentored by his teacher, Raghavendra A. Bhat.
In May 2022, they traveled to Suratkal, Dakshina Kannada, to attend the competition’s mentoring workshop at the National Institute of Technology (NIT). I had informed Sushanth during our tour of NIT Suratkal that he could get a place there provided he did his homework. The site and the institute greatly pleased him. He was serious about it. Mr. Bhat, who currently works at the government high school in Guddekoppa, Tirthahalli taluk, expressed his happiness that his student had been chosen to attend the IIT.
Sushanth believes that his desire to attend an IIT was ignited by the trip to Suratkal. “My teacher discussed IIT-JEE and the value of studying at IITs that day. He remarked, “He wanted me to see it as a challenge to secure a seat.”
With a score of 620 out of 625, he passed the SSLC. He enrolled in a residential school in Bengaluru run by Rashtrotthana Parishat after passing the rigorous screening process. For deserving students from rural areas, the institute provides free PU instruction along with IIT-JEE tutoring. After performing well on the entrance exam, he was given a seat in the first round of seat allocation for the BTech program in chemical engineering. “I intend to work before starting my own business. In addition, I intend to study for the civil service exams,” Sushanth stated.
Also Read: Can new collar gig jobs be a game-changer for fresh graduates – The Hindu