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Congress President Rahul Gandhi congratulated Asharam Choudhary, the son of a ragpicker in Madhya Pradesh, who cracked the entrance exam for All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in his first attempt.
In a letter to the teenager from Dewas in Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi hoped that Asharam would contribute to nation-building and inspire many in the future the same way he was motivated by his village doctor.
I congratulate you on clearing the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) entrance test in your first attempt and getting selected at Jodhpur AIIMS to pursue Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)... I extend my best wishes to you and hope you will contribute to nation-building.Rahul Gandhi wrote in a the letter, as quoted by PTI.
"I am aware that despite all challenges you were able to secure good rank. It is a testament to their dedication and your hard work that you have performed so well," he said.
‘Was Difficult to Explain What I Had Achieved to my Father’
When the 18-year-old secured a seat in AIIMS Jodhpur , little did his father, Ranjit, a rag picker understand what his son had achieved.
“It took some time to explain,” Asharam told Times of India (TOI).
He cleared the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), conducted on 6 May, bagging the 803rd rank in the OBC category and 2,763 overall. He secured AIR 707 as overall ranking and AIR 141 in OBC category for the AIIMS entrance.
According to TOI, Asharam, was one of the 75 students selected by Dakshina Foundation for scholarship and residential classes at Pune.
Eldest of three siblings, Asharam pursued higher secondary studies with Dakshina Foundation in Pune after clearing 10th standard.
Financial Crisis
Asharam’s house never had electricity or a toilet, reported PTI. His father Ranjit, was a rag picker and also took up odd jobs to make ends meet. Asharam, was exempted from paying college fees due to his ranks, but was yet to pay the fees for the mess and books.
“They told me that I am eligible only for college fee, which is zero for me because of the ranks I scored. But I have to pay Rs 36,000 for mess and around Rs 8,000 for books,” Asharam told TOI.
He somehow arranged to pay for the books, but mess fees was what worried him.
Twitterati Alerts CM
After Asharam’s story went viral on social media, Twitter users approached the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to help the teenager.
Chouhan personally replied to the tweet saying he will look into the matter.
Chouhan also tweeted that the family was in need of a house along with electricity and toilet and will ensure it gets the same. “Who says social media spreads only hate? It also spreads love and happiness in the lives of people,” Chouhan tweeted.
“Owe Success to My Father”
Thanking his father, Asharam said that he could not have achieved success without his support. “He has toiled hard to give me good education. He got me whatever I needed… books, stationary,” he told TOI.
Choudhary’s story of travails and triumphs has a hero – Durga Shanker Kumawat, a doctor in his village, who inspired him to dream big.
He said Kumawat patted him on the back when he got 93 percent marks in the Class X final exams and asked him to work hard to become a doctor.
"His pep talk and guidance helped me a lot," Choudhary said.
“Will Return To My Village to Serve the Poor”
With only one doctor in the vicinity of 10km of his village, Asharam wishes to become a doctor and return to his village.
“I want to return to my village and practice medicine.There is not a single qualified doctor here. Poor villagers can’t afford to travel far and raise money for the fees of qualified consultants,” he told TOI.
“I want to set up a hospital there so that no one is deprived of medical facilities,” he told PTI.
Asharam left for Jodhpur on Sunday, 22 July to pursue MBBS at AIIMS.
Just before boarding a bus for Jodhpur, he told PTI over the phone that the bus ticket was bought by Dewas District Collector Shrikant Pandey and the administration had also sent a state government official to accompany him to Rajasthan.
I am so happy that I cannot express myself. My next goal is to become a neurosurgeon. After MBBS, I want to do a Master of Surgery (MS) in Neurology,Asharam Choudhary
(With input from TOI and PTI)
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