Nestled amidst the lush green hills of Kashmir’s Pulwama district, the quaint little village of Jagi gam didn’t get much attention from the world until recently.
A native of the village, 19-year-old Umar Ahmad Ghani cleared the NEET (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test) with 601 marks out of 720, becoming a beacon of inspiration for children in his neighborhood.
This year, more than 18 lakh students registered for NEET, considered one of the toughest exams in the country. So for Umar, who also bears the responsibility of earning the family, preparing for the medical entrance exam was more challenging than for many.
A childhood full of struggles
Living in a family of five with his parents and three siblings, Umar saw the worst form of poverty from an early age. When he turned 16, Omar and his brother started working to support the family.
“The financial situation of the family was never good but as my father grew older, they got worse. Now he is constantly sick and unable to work. My brother and I do odd jobs to support the family,” he explained.
Always a bright boy in school, Umar was determined not to give up his studies even though he was forced to work. “I went to a government school in my village, but it only taught up to primary level. There was no higher secondary school in my village, so I joined a school in Pulwama. After completing high school, I decided to take up a day job and earn money for my family,” he says, adding that he wanted to support his brother with the extra income.
“Another reason I worked as a laborer was so that I could pay for my education. My family could not support me more due to the low income situation at home. I had to find a way to support myself,” he says.
Umar began working as a daily wage laborer, often working as a painter. He earned Rs 550 a day, from which he used to bring his books and food for his family.
Breaking the cycle of poverty
About his dreams and aspirations, Omar comments, “Ab hai griabi se bahar niklana hai.” (I want to break this cycle of poverty).
He further says, “When you are young, you dream of different things without knowing the circumstances that life may throw at you. When I was younger, I dreamed of becoming an IAS officer. But when I grew up, I realized how much money it would cost me. For starters , I need a bachelor’s degree!”
“So, if you ask me what I want to be now, I would just say that I want to break this cycle of poverty. Generations of my family have suffered and will continue to suffer until someone comes out and something changes,” he says.
The idea of becoming a doctor came to Umar when he was in high school. He wants to help poor people and earn a steady income for his household. “I would spend most of my time thinking of ways to get out of this difficult life of extreme manual labor. This motivated me to work hard towards my goals every day,” she says.
Umar would wake up at 3am to start his day while the whole village slept. “After school and work, I used to come back at 7 pm. Once I get home, I don’t waste a minute. I used to study till midnight, then I would sleep for a couple of hours, then I would get up and read a little,’ he says.
“I followed the routine strictly because I knew that if I wasn’t consistent, I wouldn’t clear the exam and would have to wait for another year,” he adds.
Talking about his routine and his motivation, he says, “The routine was very exhausting, and I sometimes couldn’t get enough rest. But I had to! I kept believing in myself and my hard work would pay off. It was time for me and my family to get out of poverty. Keep painting…without worrying about money.”
‘Learn, revise and repeat’
To crack the NEET exam, most of the candidates turn to coaching and private help. But that was not an option for Omar. “I could not take up coaching for two reasons. One, I couldn’t afford them, and two, I couldn’t make time to attend extra classes while juggling school and labor. Instead, I used the internet and NCERT to crack the paper,” he says.
While he was looking for online resources, he found some useful lectures on YouTube. “I also got a free online lecture by Physics Wallah and then decided to take up that course. That was for Rs 3,500, which I could afford. It also helped me a lot,’ he says.
Omar shares these tips for future aspirants:
“The most important thing that every aspirant should keep in mind is to learn everything that the NCERT books have to offer. Many a times, aspirants only focus on the notes they get from the coaching class, but that doesn’t cover everything,” he says. “Focus on the NCERT syllabus, and you’ll score well easily.”
He also advises them to revise everything. “Make good notes and bullet points. Then keep revising them so everything stays fresh in your head.
He admits that exam preparation can be stressful. “It is one of the toughest exams and preparing for it can make you nervous. However, I always tried to keep myself calm and focus on the content rather than the result. My parents always said, ‘If you put in 100 percent effort, you will get good results’, and I had full faith in that,’ he says.
Finally, Umar asks everyone to look at previous years’ papers and think about how the current paper could be. “I solved the exam papers from 2013 to 2022, which gave me really valuable insight,” he says.
As Umar anxiously waits for the counseling to begin, he says there is a long road ahead but he is ready for it.
His exceptional performance earned him a financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh from ed-tech startup Physics Wallah, which was enough to cover his consultancy fees and college expenses.
“Financial barriers often prevent minority but deserving students from succeeding. Umar used to sleep only four hours a day and also earn for his family. The struggle he endured to change his family’s situation is inspiring,” says Alakh Pandey, founder and CEO of Bhautik Wallah.
He continues, “I have faced challenges in the past, but after learning about Omar’s hardships, I realized that what I went through was not as difficult as his experiences. The support I gave to Omar felt like the least I could do. His story has inspired others to learn and live their lives. It will inspire positive change.”
Reflecting on his journey so far, Umar says, “My parents and siblings have been very supportive in this process. And when the results finally came, they were more excited than I was. Their faith in me is what keeps me going, and I hope that I will soon be able to earn a stable income for my family.”
Edited by Pranita Bhat