Mud hut of labourer becomes village center of happiness after NEET achievement

Shrawan Kumar, 19, of Balotra in Rajasthan who works in a factory and studies while his parents do dishes at village weddings to fund life in a two-room thatched mud hut, has passed this year's NEET.

Shrawan was working in his factory at Balotra when he got news that he attained a stunning 4071 rank in OBC category. His score is expected to get him a place in three to four government medical colleges in Rajasthan.

With only more than 55,688 MBBS seats in government colleges across the country, Shrawan's achievement is remarkable.

The sole means of livelihood for his family is washing utensils during weddings and ceremonies and MGNREGS occasionally. Shrawan never lost sight of education in spite of extreme financial crunch and finished both Class 10 and 12 from a government school with 97% and 88% marks, respectively.

Saturday's NEET results left Shrawan's mud hut between sand dunes in Balotra's Khattoo village in the limelight. Neighbors came to celebrate and social media influencers descended upon the location, congratulating the teenager and his parents.

The fanfare was a long way removed from the times after his childhood when Shrawan assisted his dad in scrubbing utensils at village functions and raising livestock to sustain the family. While a good student during school life, he never dreamed about doing anything other than Class 12, until his life took a drastic turn during the last three years.

Receiving electricity late in 2022 and a free phone with three years of internet, under a earlier state government initiative, totally transformed his life. "It prolonged my study time & internet made me aware of outside world," he explained to TOI. Shrawan got free coaching for NEET from government physicians in Barmer, who guide poor children.