Uttarakhand students shine in JEE Advanced

DEHRADUN: Seventeen-year-old Atharv Kumar from Roorkee secured All-India Rank (AIR) of 2048 in JEE Advanced, with a category rank of 358 in the OBC list. The results were announced by IIT Kanpur.Of the 1,80,422 students who appeared for the exam on May 18, a total of 54,378 qualified. From the IIT Roorkee zone, which includes Uttarakhand, 5,445 candidates cleared the exam, with six securing ranks in the top 100.Atharv, the only child of a single mother, says he always had a strong affinity for mathematics. “But Physics is also one of my favourite subjects,” added the shy teenager, who hopes to pursue Computational Mathematics.

He scored 87.4% in his Class 12 board exams.Despite a packed schedule that included school, 5-6 hours of coaching, and several hours of self-study, Atharv says he made it a point to get at least seven hours of sleep each night. “In my downtime, I would catch up with friends or just go out for walks to relax,” he said.He added that he was never bothered about chasing a rank. “I focused on getting my concepts clear and retaining everything I studied,” he said.

Another student from the region, 16-year-old Abhinav Hansraj from Miyanwala in Dehradun, also cleared the exam with flying colours. He secured an AIR of 1146 in the SC category and scored 81% in his board exams. His father is a govt schoolteacher currently posted in Kalsi.“There has to be a balance between academics and downtime; otherwise, your focus starts to slip,” said Abhinav, who is an avid trekker and aspires to study Computer Science.