Sandi Acharya, who appeared for the police constable test
When Sandip Acharya started running at a stadium in Rajasthan on March 26, all he hoped for was to qualify as a police constable. By the time he crossed the finishing line, he had almost scored a new national record and left all his inspectors spell-bound.
The 24-year-old was among the many other aspirants taking a physical test for recruitment of police constables in Sriganganagar. He needed to cover 10 km in one hour, but completed the course in almost half the time - 33 minutes - falling short of the national record by just 2 minutes.
Sandip, who comes from a family of farmers living in Kihanpura Uttarada village in Hanumangarh, around 400 km from capital Jaipur, didn't realise how close he was to a record. He has never been professionally trained.
"I just need a job really badly, so I cleared the written exams and started preparing for the fitness run. I work as a farmer on the fields and just wanted to qualify. I did not realise I would complete it in 33 minutes," he says.
Police officers conducting the fitness test were stunned, especially as Sandip ran without the help of proper sports gear.
"If this boy receives proper training he can be an asset to the country," said Mahendra Singh, an inspector.
Sandip now hopes to make it to the police services.