Though Abhyas expected a rank under 50, he is happy with his JEE-Advanced result.
In another tale of perseverance, the 17-year-old son of a samosa maker from Hyderabad has reserved the 64th place in this year's Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced. A few weeks ago, Vabilisetti Mohan Abhyas was declared the all-India sixth ranker in JEE-Mains 2017.
Abhyas helped his father in dishing out piping hot samosas and delivering them in nearby areas. But he made sure that his studies didn't get affected. On Sunday, when the Jee Advanced results were declared, he acknowledged the role his parents and teachers played in his success story.
"After all the hard work they have done, they deserve it," he said.
As he aspires to become a scientist "just like his hero Dr APJ Abdul Kalam", he is happy that he can now study at IIT Madras and turn his dream into reality.
Abhyas, who also topped the Andhra Pradesh Engineering Agricultural and Medical Common Entrance Test (EAMCET) and holds the fifth rank in Telangana State Engineering, Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test, said, "I expected to get a rank under 50... Initially, I was a bit disappointed, but now I feel satisfied with my performance."
With the family's annual income, that rarely goes beyond Rs 1 lakh, it is a challenge to make ends meet. But education remains their priority. The family moved to Hyderabad from a small village about 13 years ago as Subba Rao, Abhyas' father, dreamed of a different life for his son and daughter.
Mr Rao said, "We have worked very hard for our son's studies. I am proud of what he has achieved. My daily income is Rs 500 and we have to manage everything in that. But we never let that discourage us."
The IITs offer admission to undergraduate courses on the basis of JEE-Advanced, while JEE-Mains is for admission to National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), Centrally Funded Technical Institutes (CFTIs).
(With inputs from agencies)