Jalandhar (Punjab)-based Aditi (17, who doesn’t use a surname) was the top-ranked girl in the all-India joint entrance examination (JEE) 2014 for admission into the country’s 17 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the results of which were declared in June. This student of the Swami Sant Dass Public School, Jalandhar, who averaged 95.4 percent in CBSE’s class XII school-leaving examination, was ranked #7 among the 520,000 students who wrote the two-tier JEE in April.
The younger of two siblings of Pratap Singh and Geeta Pratap, professors of civil engineering and mathematics respectively at the National Institute of Technology (Jalandhar), Aditi ascribes her success to the unstinted support of her school teachers and parents “apart from consistent hard work”. “I expected a high rank, but never thought I would be among the Top 10. I am grateful to my teachers, parents and older brother in particular, for their constant encouragement while preparing for the country’s toughest examination,” she acknowledges.
Aditi began to plan her “mission IIT” in class IX when her interest in science and technology, and tech innovations transformed into a passion. “While in class X, I signed up with Delhi’s reputed Vidyamandir coaching classes which has a VSAT (very small aperture terminal)-powered centre in Jalandhar,” she recalls. “Despite this, I made it a practice to visit Delhi every month for one-to-one sessions with my mentor Prof. Sanjiv Varma, in addition to following a study regimen of eight-10 hours per day. To avoid exam stress, I listened to soft music and played badminton,” says Aditi, explaining the secret of her success.
Currently enrolled in a B.Tech (computer science) degree programme at IIT-Delhi, and intent on a career in the civil services after graduation, Aditi offers valuable advice to young IIT aspirants. “There are no short cuts to success. Stay focused, work hard and develop the willpower to excel!”
Wind in your sails!
Autar Nehru (Delhi)
Swapnil Kumar
A class XII student of the CBSE-affiliated L’ecole du Monde, Lucknow, Swapnil Kumar (17) is back home with a haul of gold and bronze medals in the ‘weapon’ and ‘full contact’ categories of the 3D World Kung Fu Championship, staged by the European Kung Fu Federation in Beijing between July 25-30. Swapnil’s achievement is specially notable because he began formal training in martial arts only last year — and that too as a therapy for a spinal cord dislocation.
“Not in my wildest dreams did I imagine winning a gold medal in this prescribed sport,” says Swapnil, who fought his way to the top of a heap of contestants from 88 countries around the world. However it’s an indicator of the speed with which the precocious teen has taken to this martial sport that last November — only seven months after he started coaching under G.P. Tripathi, secretary general of the Indian Kung Fu Union — he bagged two gold medals in the 8th National Kung Fu Championship.
The only child of poultry farm owner Vijay and homemaker mother Madhu, Swapnil ascribes his meteoric success to his support team. “My parents played a crucial role and encouraged me to dedicate myself to Kung Fu. I am also thankful to my teachers for making up for lost classes after school hours,” he says gratefully.
Despite his natural genius and aptitude for this ancient Chinese martial art, Swapnil practices six hours every day of the week. “To develop strong reflexes and agility, my workout sessions begin with warm-ups, sprints, stretching and conditioning exercises followed by core training,” he says.
Swapnil is now focused on striking a balance between his scholastic and sporting ambitions. “After completing class XII, I am keen on a career in biological research. But I will continue to train and compete in Kung Fu tournaments as the sport has helped me regain my life,” he says.
Way to go, bro!
Puja Awasthi (Lucknow)