Common in their difficult journey, is a passion which has kept these bright young people going, while they wore old, used clothes, studied from borrowed books and sold papad to run the household. This they braved, because for them education was their only hope for a better life.

But their struggles also bring to the fore an imperfect education system that while on one hand gives poor students a chance to change their lives, on the other leaves them with bruised self-confidence. Because as with most, their journey starts from government schools – some even without roofs or good teachers -that teach in Hindi or a regional language. So, when they come to big cities for higher studies, their poor English or communication skills create a social divide between them and the others. As though getting into the country’s top institutes wasn’t enough, now they have to prove that they are equally good, all over again.

Nevertheless, their personal journeys have burnished and tempered them so much, that today no problem frightens or scares them. Writing about these young men and women has been a humbling experience, as one learns from them, that much can be achieved with very little.

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