A Mumbai student who once had to climb onto his home terrace to access a neighbour’s Wi-Fi has now earned a seat at IIT Delhi after clearing JEE Advanced earlier this year. Abhishek Sujit Sharma, who achieved an All India Rank of 2,456, has reached the prestigious institute despite growing up without many of the basic resources often available to students preparing for competitive exams.
Sharma is from Harad Chawl in Lokmanya Tilak Nagar, Mumbai, where his family of four lived in a rented room costing Rs 3,000 per month. His father worked as a labourer at a steel fabrication company, and the family faced financial constraints while also living without a private bathroom.
Preparing for one of India’s most challenging entrance examinations under these conditions brought difficulties that extended beyond academics. The family had limited space, leaving Sharma with little of the quiet and personal room that many students seek while studying for competitive tests.
Access to the internet was another challenge.
Whenever the mobile data on his phone ran out, Sharma would make his way to the terrace and connect to a neighbour’s Wi-Fi. Surrounded by the sounds of the neighbourhood and studying in the open, he would continue watching lessons and accessing his study material.
For a period, the terrace effectively became his classroom.
While many JEE aspirants rely on expensive coaching programmes and dedicated study spaces, Sharma opted for online education, making structured learning more affordable for his family. He hoped to pursue science and eventually build a career focused on physics.
His parents also made sacrifices to support his education. To give their son a more comfortable place to study and sleep, they would sleep on the floor and allow him to use the bed. These everyday sacrifices became part of the environment in which Sharma continued his preparation.
Sharma ultimately scored 199 marks in JEE Advanced and secured an OBC-NCL rank of 415. His admission to IIT Delhi became a major achievement for his family and community, as he emerged as the first IITian from his slum neighbourhood.
His experience offers a different perspective on what preparing for a highly competitive examination can look like. There were no expensive facilities, private study rooms or, at times, even enough internet data. Instead, his preparation involved a terrace, a borrowed Wi-Fi connection and a determination to continue working towards his goal.
His journey from a cramped rented room in Mumbai to IIT Delhi reflects how students can continue pursuing education even when the resources available to them are limited.
