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When A Rajeshwari, a tribal girl, steps on the sacred floors of an Indian Institute of Technology in the near future, she will be pursuing her own dream, and one that her father cherished in his heart until he lost his battle against cancer a year ago.

A Aundi, her father who was a member of the Malayali (Scheduled Tribe) people of Karumandurai village, a 65km village from Salem in the Kalvarayan Hills where there was a 90% population of tribals, was able to learn only till Class 8 because of poverty and seasonal migration.

Convinced that his four children must have a different fate, Aundi learned the art of tailoring and worked diligently to ensure them a secure education, fully assisted by his wife Kavitha. He managed to make his first two children undergraduates, which in itself is no small achievement.

Had he lived till 2024, Aundi would have not only seen the proudest moment of his life but also the start of a revolution in the lives of his family as his third child Rajeshwari will become the first tribal student of a Government Tribal Residential School managed by the state government to enter into an IIT, most probably IIT-Madras.

The student from Government Tribal Residential Higher Secondary School in Karumandurai, has attained an all-India ranking of 417 in the Scheduled Tribes quota in the JEE Advanced results released on Monday.

Rajeshwari stands a good opportunity to secure IIT-M seat

With the final ST rank for the admission into IIT-Madras in 2024 being 1,691, the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare (ADTW) Department officers and her school teachers believe that Rajeshwari, a tribal girl student from Tamil Nadu, has a bright chance of getting admission into the premier institute. But admissions to the Computer Science or Electrical Engineering streams can be tough.

Due to the efforts of the Tamil Nadu government in training students from far-flung tribal areas, some students from the 28 Government Tribal Residential (GTR) schools have gained admission to National Institutes of Technology in recent times. Rajeshwari is the first of them to crack JEE Advanced and be eligible to get into an IIT.

Coming from a poor tribal background, Rajeshwari attributed her teachers for helping her navigate the competitive exam ordeal. "My siblings were studious but were unaware of JEE. My teachers helped me," she narrated. Her father, who was education-minded, died while she was in school. Her elder brother Sriganesh became a tailorman to eke out a living for the family, while her mother is still employed as a daily wager. Rajeshwari had scored 438/500 at Class 10 and 521/600 at Class 12. She opted for the Maths-Biology stream to keep professional avenues open.

"Right from her school days, she has had a great aptitude, particularly in Chemistry and Maths," stated D Vijayan, headmaster of her school. Her teachers gave special tuition and made her conversant with the JEE pattern. For JEE Advanced, she went to a government-run residential coaching camp at Perundurai, Erode district. Rajeshwari is now undergoing a preparatory programme at Eklavya Model Residential School, Kumizhi, for training in spoken English and soft skills to ease her entry into an IIT setup.

Vijayan attributed the ADTW department's ongoing efforts — such as counselling parents, exempting application fees, and securing coaching — to make this success possible. "This success will encourage more tribal students to dream big," Rajeshwari said.

Nine-year-old Binita Chetry of Assam made history for herself as she has just been announced as the second runner-up on 'Britain's Got Talent.' Binita belongs to a remote hill village of Talbalijan in Karbi Anglong. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma congratulated the young dancing star girl on her amazing feat.

Who is Assam's Binita Chetry, who impressed all at Britain's Got Talent?

"Dancing her way to triumph. Congratulations to our own #BinitaChetry for achieving 3rd rank at #BGTFinal," he tweeted on X.

"Her acts have mesmerized people from Brahmaputra to Thames and proud us all," Sarma added, wishing her all the best for all her forthcoming activities.

Binita secured the second runner-up position in the Saturday night finale, and her family observed she is possibly the first Indian to reach the final stage of the show. 

The show ended with British magician Harry Moulding as the overall winner, while LED dance group 'The Blackouts' secured the second spot.

Binita, in a video uploaded on the social media accounts of BGT, thanked her fans, especially the UK fans, for their vote of faith and support. She also thanked fans from across India, Nepal, Bhutan, and other regions of Asia for believing in her and providing her with the confidence to perform at the international level.

Binita thanked Chief Minister Sarma for his encouragement and mentioned that she was eager to meet him herself and thank him personally.

She also thanked Tuliram Ronghang, Chief Executive Member of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, who contributed Rs 5 lakh towards preparation of her finale and MLA and Assam Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker Numal Momin.

Her dad Amar Chetry, a proprietor of a small broiler chicken farm and a community worker, detected her talent at a young age and arranged for her training first in Guwahati and later in Jaipur under her aunt Amrita Devi and choreographer Hardik Rawat, said Nanda Kirati Dewan, coordinator of the BGT Binita Chetry Support Group.

Binita's habits were not only sports-related, but technical skills-based and included such actions as backflips. Binita consistently impressed both the judges and the audience throughout her stay on the show.

In a touching saga of grit and determination, 18-year-old Atushi Mishra of Gopalpur village under the far-flung Patamda block of Jamshedpur has earned tremendous pride for her family, school, and the district as a whole by achieving a remarkable 94.8% in the Jharkhand Academic Council's (JAC) 2025 Class 12 exam — the highest in the East Singhbhum district.

The results were declared earlier this week, and since then, Atushi’s modest home in Gopalpur has seen a steady stream of well-wishers, neighbours, and schoolmates congratulating the humble girl who has now become a beacon of inspiration for thousands of rural students.

Atushi hails from humble origins. Her dad, Indrajit Mishra, toils in the fields as a small-scale farmer, and her mom, Kalpana Mishra, stays home as a homemaker. Though impoverished, education was given topmost priority. Atushi attended school at the Plus Two Adivasi School, Bangurda, where she had previously scored 94.8% in her Class 10 board exams — a clear pointer to her talent as a scholar.

Atushi attributed her achievements to hard work every day, diligence in studies, and the never-fading encouragement of her family and teachers. "I used to study 4–5 hours daily after school and tuition. I think there is no difference between city and village students if one is dedicated. Hard work is the sole key to success," she declared with sparkling eyes of unobtrusive confidence.

Atushi’s subject-wise performance in Class 12 showcases her balanced grasp across disciplines: English – 88, Physics – 95, Chemistry – 95, Mathematics – 95, IT – 99 and Hindi – 85.

Her educational interests are inclined heavily in the direction of technology and science, and she now wants to study Computer Science at the elite Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. "I hope to be a computer scientist and contribute positively to the nation in the technology domain," she stated.

Her parents look back at a heartwarming change. "Atushi was a child who did not like going to school very much," remembers her mother Kalpana with a smile. "But over a period of time, she took an interest and now she sits down to study by herself, without reminders."

Indrajit, her father, chimes in with feeling, "We did the best that we could, in spite of our circumstances, to ensure our daughter could study. Her success today is like the greatest achievement of our lives."

Atushi’s story stands as a powerful reminder that talent and determination know no boundaries. Her journey from the fields of Gopalpur to the top of the district merit list exemplifies the spirit of new India — where rural children, if given the right opportunities, can outshine even the best of urban institutions.

Plus Two Adivasi School teachers are thrilled about their student's achievement. "Atushi has always been hardworking, punctual, and inquisitive. She is focused and humble. She is a role model for our whole school," said one of her teachers.

Aside from studies, Atushi likes to listen to music as a way of relaxing from stress. She also thinks that maintaining a balanced schedule and emotional stability are also key to success. Her achievement is not solely hers; it belongs to every parent who aspires to educate the child, every educator who develops rural genius, and every young woman who refuses to dream small despite limitations.

This success is another achievement for Adivasi Plus Two High School, Bangurda. In the previous results released on Tuesday, Bhumika Mishra and Shubham Kumar Patra from the same institution tied for the fifth rank in the state and were first in Kolhan division. The school is elated with the back-to-back achievements of its pupils, attributing them to their diligent efforts and the mentorship of committed instructors.

Ayushi Verma, a 33-year-old ex-Lieutenant Commander with the Indian Navy, is currently pursuing a one-year MBA at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA). Postgraduate in naval architecture and civil engineering from IIT Delhi, Ayushi had a background of project management and leadership while serving with the Indian Navy for over a decade. She was involved in the commissioning of INS Vikrant, the first indigenous aircraft carrier of India, and was leading teams of over 300 individuals, the majority of whom were senior in age and experience.

Her sea-going professional career involved progression through significant assignments, including Deputy Director at Naval Headquarters, Visakhapatnam Trials Officer with responsibility for vital underwater hull inspection of ships and submarines, and Deputy Manager assignments in outfitting and fabrication. These positions involved her working on more than one project simultaneously, coordinating with over 60 dockyard centers, integrating timely procurement and demand forecasting, and coordinating groups of over 100 employees with a focus on safety and quality, having a zero-accident record in the period she served as inspector.

After her retirement from the Navy in June 2024, Ayushi was employed as a short-term Human Resources Manager with the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), where she utilized her leadership skills in the civilian domain before pursuing MBA studies.

Being a mother of a toddler now, Ayushi has the twin task of balancing motherhood and the rigorous study schedule at IIMA. Her child is left behind in Delhi with her husband, an employee of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and mother-in-law, while she studies in Ahmedabad.

Based on the Indian Express, she spoke about her tenacity and attitude gained through her defense career, stating she would want her son to be inspired by her story of perseverance. Ayushi described her Navy days and continuing studies: "I have learnt incredibly from the ten-year tenure at sea in the Navy where I also belonged to the INS Vikrant crew for two-and-a-half years.". Being with and heading a team of more than 300, most of whom were twice my age was an experience in itself. Now here at IIMA as well, the learning we are undergoing each and every hour of the day is an experience, which I feel will remain with me."

She is eagerly waiting for the end of the first half of the academic year in June to spend time with her family for nearly two months.

IIMA's Post Graduate Programme in Management (MBA-PGPX) 20th batch, including 158 business managers from various industries like defense, IT, consultancy, banking, infrastructure, FMCG, etc,.

Along with Ayushi is Akshata Kamath, 30, who is a chartered accountant with over eight years' corporate finance experience, including high-management roles at TCS Mumbai. Similar to Ayushi, she is balancing motherhood and rigorous studies away from her toddler son, who remains behind in Mumbai along with her husband and in-laws.

Akshata said, "While academic rigor is very high at IIMA, it becomes tougher with the constraints of not being with family and having a two-and-half-year-old son. Thankfully, with my husband's and in-laws' support I was able to make this decision and stay true to my passion of widening my horizon because I always felt there is much more to an organisation than numbers.".

She is always in contact with her son through video calls every other day and looks forward to a short family reunion during the next school holiday.

Science and maths have been my tea ever since my school days. My mother also encouraged my fondness for maths by teaching me some additional concepts in maths. My mother was educating me in Class 8 and Class 9 mathematics while I was doing my Class 6 and Class 7. My mother is a professionally qualified electrical engineer and now a retired government servant. My father, being a mechanical engineer, is a scientist in DRDO. I understood the significance of the JEE exams and how Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) decide the career of a student, so I began a step-by-step preparation.

Following cracking of JEE Advanced in 2023, I secured admission to BTech Electrical Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur). I had also applied for IIT Madras electrical engineering, IIT Kanpur electrical engineering, IIT Kanpur mathematics and computing, IIT Guwahati mathematics and computing, and IIT Hyderabad mathematics and computing as well. I was also appearing for JEE Main for the first time and JEE Advanced.

JEE Main and Advanced Preparation

I had joined the competition quite early, from Class 8. I was doing science and maths olympiads and NTSE-based in Class 8. I did a three-day week, evening coaching course in Classes 8-10. I joined Class 11 and 12 in the same school after getting a good scholarship from the institute.

I got admitted in an integrated course where I was taught along with the school syllabus and was given coaching for JEE. I did not complain as I was anyway interested in maths and science and problem-solving was always a puzzle which interested me.

Early Days at IIT Kanpur

I entered IIT Kanpur in August 2023. I was away from home and was solo for the first time. In joining IIT Kanpur, the biggest load was that I felt I missed my parents, and due to this, it was hard to accommodate the new way of living. It took a very long time to get adjusted.

IIT Kanpur orientation lasts for nine days. In that, I made many new friends. IIT Kanpur wing culture also helped me make friends overnight.

Two-three students belong to the same wing. There was work assigned to the wings in orientation and students had to complete it.

Institute orientation acclimatized me with all the IIT Kanpur culture and made the transition easy.

Adopted Emphatically Communal Dining, Explored the Campus

During the first few months, the mess food at IIT Kanpur was simply fantastic but after some time, the quality of food was not satisfactory. I therefore started searching for some other alternative like the canteen and the neighborhood shops outside the campus. I used to have my meals having an open mind towards getting accustomed to this aspect of campus life. Second, mobility within the campus and outside campus also helped a great deal in my process of acclimatization.

Clubs, Societies

IIT Kanpur has clubs which are divided into three types – science and technology, media and cultural, and sports.

Although I play badminton as a hobby, I am not a member of the sports club. I have more interest in photography and hence I joined the photography club of the media and cultural club. I also joined the fresher's photography competition. It was there when we had to show our snaps to the jury for a four-day non-stop competition. I was chosen for the second round where I ranked second.

In tech and science, I belong to the electronic club. The electronic club conducts winter camps during December in the first 10 days of winter vacation. A screening test was conducted wherein I was chosen out of 20 students.

10 days actually were quite busy. We would leave for the camp at 10 am and return at 7 pm. I gained a lot of knowledge regarding concepts of electronics and allied sciences from the camp. I also visited IIT Kanpur's robotics club.

Approach Focused on Strategically Balancing Studies with Other Activities

In order to schedule my extracurricular life along with academic life, I followed a strategical time management and prioritization strategy. I scheduled my time punctually, breaking down the work into smaller and manageable portions and setting suitable goals and deadlines.

If we go to the classes regularly, it is not that tough prior to the exam. We also go to the tutorial classes on Saturdays and Sundays. The tutors guide us in the tutorial classes for solving the problems. Even though we miss some of the classes and go to the tutorials strictly, quiz and exam preparation is not tough.

The syllabus is not so tough if we do not try to cover everything on the last date. A good mark requires, however, 10 days of preparation for mid-semester tests and for quizzes, study for seven days is okay.

I think we should be sensible enough not to waste time on games and cell phones. IIT Kanpur is a wonderful college where we get a wonderful return on time invested. As a student of IIT Kanpur, spending time with friends in Kanpur offers ample scope to learn and enjoy – watch a film, visit canteens, and wander around campus.

Exposure at IIT

I have grown a great deal after joining IIT. Exposure here is irreplaceable with money. I was also a Product Inventor at Invention Factory 2024, which was conducted by the Maker Bhavan Foundation (MBF) at IIT Bombay. This six-week-long innovation program aimed to make students like me innovation-capable, prototyping-capable, and patent-filing-capable with the help of professors, industry mentors, and patent lawyers.

I met various students from various IITs there. The professors from IIT Bombay taught us product designing, product tuning, and product modeling. I am lucky that I selected IIT Kanpur over another one near my home base Hyderabad.

What After BTech

I still do not have an idea of what I would do after BTech. I have not even closed the door on planning to do a PhD as well. All the electrical courses are still pending in my second year. Depending upon how much I become interested in them, I want to decide. I may also pursue a doctorate. I may also pursue software engineering. I am keeping everything open right now.

It was the first day she had taken charge as the director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi. Dr Sneh Bhargava's appointment letter to become the first lady director of the world-renowned hospital and medical college was being signed. She was on the cusp of making history. She was in her radiology department, going over a new case with her colleagues.

Just then, a radiographer burst in.

"The prime minister has arrived," she declared.

Bhargava was surprised. “How can the prime minister come unannounced? It cannot be, there is something amiss.”

She was correct. Bhargava assumed AIIMS on 31 October 1984, the day when Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her bodyguards. Becoming woman chief of AIIMS was historic, but memories of the first day are a part of the national tragedy as well. Today, this flashbulb memory is also imprinted in her brand-new autobiography, The Woman Who Ran AIIMS—a tour de force of her life, the times, the trials and the triumphs.

Sneh Bhargava, today 95, was the first and, and indeed, the last woman director at AIIMS, leading it for six years, between 1984 and 1990. It had been established through the AIIMS Act, 1956 by then health minister Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, who had fantasized about an institute which would give excellent medical training so "our young men and women could have their postgraduate education in their own country." Six years down the line, after its establishment, Bhargava joined AIIMS as a radiographer and made it her life's work to fulfill that dream.

A photograph from Sneh Bhargava's autobiography 'The Woman Who Ran AIIMS', a 1952 students' union photo with Rajkumari Amrit Kaur and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

The years have not dimmed her recollections.

"When I inquired about Mrs Gandhi, the staff indicated a trolley. I discovered her covered in a blood-stained saffron sari," she recounted, with a shiver in her otherwise firm voice. The first thing that came to my mind after seeing Mrs Gandhi was to keep her in a safe location. I called up the director who was signing my appointment letter, and requested the medical superintendent to move Mrs Gandhi to the operation theatre." Bhargava was among the doctors who wheeled the prime minister to the operation theatre.

A few days later, rumours swirled again in AIIMS and government corridors. Could a woman run AIIMS? Would she still be director after Indira Gandhi’s assassination?

"My colleagues and friends requested me to address Rajiv Gandhi. But I opposed it. Why should I go? Everyone said, 'How can a woman administer AIIMS?' If Mrs Gandhi can administer the country as a woman, I can administer AIIMS as a woman," Bhargava said.

An eye on the future

Her four feet 11 inches of height hides her assertive demeanor. She moves quickly to the inner patio of her large two-storey house in New Friends Colony. Yoga, she explains. Sitting on the shelf is a framed picture of her in vrikshasana, or tree pose. "I like this photo," she smiles. 

Bhargava, whose husband passed away at 77, lives alone on the ground floor. Her daughter and son-in-law live upstairs.

She began her professional life at AIIMS in 1961, and rose to be the head of radiology department. Following her MBBS from Lady Hardinge Medical College, it was a specialisation that selected her in a manner when she proceeded to postgraduate training at Westminster Medical School in London, which is now part of Imperial College.

"After MBBS, I was unsure which department to join. I did self-analysis, visited every department. In the process somehow, I was approached to join radiology, so I joined radiology. When I joined, radiology was a all-girls gang, but as soon as CT scan and other innovations occurred, men began joining the department," she said.

Sneh Bhargava’s home is filled with mementos of a long career, including a framed photo of her receiving the Padma Shri in 1991 | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

Bhargava argues in favor of the power of human instinct and intuition, but is not a traditionalist. She is an eloquent advocate for X-rays as an amazing "second eye" for medical analysis and is open to the application of AI in healthcare.

"I've seen just a bit because AI did not arrive when I was clinically practicing, but I am aware that you will be able to diagnose a bit more than your eyes can," she added. "You may have AI in some cases, but not as an routine."

Interest in the new, the novel, and the now is the foundation of her personality. She asks questions when she spots a selfie stick: "Is this a tripod? What's the difference between a tripod and a selfie stick?"

Students, colleagues and patients paint a picture of Bhargava as a super-skilled doctor. But being a super-doctor and a understanding teacher is not sufficient to run one of India's biggest hospitals. A director has to be as diplomatic as a seasoned diplomat, have the vision of a leader and have the tenacity of an army chief.

Trials by fire

She displayed her mettle by standing firm in the anti-Sikh riots that broke out after Indira Gandhi was assassinated. When Bhargava was director of AIIMS, there was a need to protect her Sikh students and employees, so she asked the inspector general of police to send a contingent on campus to provide protection. She also invited two Sikh professors to stay with her if they were not feeling secure.

As the violence intensified across Delhi, casualties increased, and not everyone could make it to AIIMS or local hospitals.

"I appointed a few clinical heads of department from AIIMS to conduct OPDs in the schools closest to where they lived. In a crowded school that I went to, there was no room. I had to stand on a desk in the center and promise all the victims that we would conduct health OPDs every morning if only they were sheltered in the school," she states in her book.

She writes in it that she had put off writing for years. She never maintained a diary or journal—just a notebook in which she noted errors so they wouldn't be repeated.

Under Dr Bhargava, the AIIMS radiology department changed. Along with other doctors, she convinced the health ministry to approve a new CT scanner. She then lobbied for an ultrasound machine. She even helped set up a blood storage facility and a fertility clinic. Gradually, she strengthened the department and groomed the next generation of physicians.

During her three-decade career, she supervised the establishment of some new departments: neuroradiology, cardiovascular radiology, oncoradiology, paediatric radiology, and interventional radiology. She facilitated the installation of the Medical Education and Technology Center to educate students in teaching and was on the team that established The National Medical Journal of India. In 1991, she was awarded the Padma Shri for her service to medicine.

But pressures also existed. Being a part of India's top medical facility, she witnessed India's notorious VIP culture in full, unapologetic bloom on a daily basis. "More VIPs than outsiders would come in. All 544 Lok Sabha MPs and 245 Upper House members insisted on our services being made available to them at once whenever they required the same. The faculty was forced to cater to them apart from their regular tasks," mentioned Bhargava.

Former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi used to visit regularly. So did Sonia, Rahul, and Priyanka Gandhi. Politicians from the state, usually recommended by Indira Gandhi, would also end up for treatment, as VIP patients from neighbouring states like Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Bhargava remembers one MP who threatened her after she requested security to evict his family from a faculty house where they were squatting without permission.

If you throw out my family members, I will shatter the walls of the hospital," she remembered him stating. Unperturbed, Bhargava remained firm.

"Sir, the walls of the Institute and my shoulders are not so feeble that you can attempt to shake them. You are in the wrong side of the rules, and till I am here sitting, you cannot violate the rules and still escape," she says in her book.