VIRUDHUNAGAR: Emotions run high in 17-year-old C Parthasarathy’s household, as his dreams, and that of his father, are set to take flight. With nearly a month left for classes to begin at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT M), Parthasarathy is set to embark on a new journey and pursue B Tech in Aerospace Engineering.
Hailing from a scheduled caste (SC) community, Parthasarathy, a resident of Ganapathi Sundara Nachiyapuram near Rajapalayam, studied at the Government Adi Dravidar Welfare (ADW) Higher Secondary School in Sundararajapuram.
Parthasarathy’s father N Chandrabose (47), an autorickshaw driver, beams with joy when talking about his son’s achievement. “Despite being a school topper in Class 10, I had to drop out and become an autorickshaw driver due to financial constraints. However, I did not want poverty to be a barrier for my children’s education. I tried my best to ensure that all three of my children are well educated. I used to listen to my passengers talk about IIT and the benefits of pursuing higher education there. When Parthasarathy was in Class 11, I asked him to attempt the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) after Class 12. However, I learnt that he was already attending coaching classes at his school.”
Parthasarathy never went to private coaching classes, and relied entirely on the coaching classes at his school, which commenced in Class 11. After clearing JEE Mains, the qualified students were trained at the Government Model School in Saidapet for two months.
“Growing up in a village, surrounded by family and friends, it was a baffling experience when I shifted to Chennai for the first time. However, the teachers there were very supportive and I put in a lot of efforts to prepare for JEE- Advanced,” Parthasarathy said.
Recalling the time when his son used a portion of the house’s wall to practice for the exam, Chandrabose said, “My wife and I jointly earn around `3,000 per week and have to manage the expenses of the entire family. Initially, I admitted my son to a private school in kindergarten. Subsequently, we shifted him to the ADW school in Class 1. I had to borrow money when he was preparing for the engineering entrance exams as some of the books cost around Rs2,000 each. All the pain and hard work have paid off now, and my son is all set to mould his future at IIT.
“I am very excited for what the future has in store for me,” said Parthasarathy, before signing off.