Faisal Raza and (below) the Indian Institute of Technology, Patna. Telegraph pictures

Patna, May 26: The declaration of the IIT-JEE results yesterday gave the passport to a bright future to hundreds of successful aspirants in the form of impressive ranks in one of the most competitive examinations in the country. Aspirants from Bihar also formed a major chunk of the achievers’ bandwagon.

While it was celebrations galore for the successful candidates, it was a moment of a lifetime for a few among them, whose humble beginning on the road to victory ultimately concluded as a triumph well earned.

Faisal Raza, the son of a farmer, is ecstatic about his newfound status of an IITian. Clearing the exams with a rank of 7185, Faisal always dreamt of a better future. “With a monthly family income of Rs 3,000, it had always been a difficult task for my father to make both ends meet. Nonetheless instead of making limited finances an excuse for not pursuing my goals, I chose to make it the prime reason behind striving for my aim relentlessly. I wanted to rise above the penury and with the continuous support of my eldest brother, I think I have climbed the first rung of the success ladder,” gushed a confident Raza.

Amid all odds, quality school education also proved a big challenge for this dreamer. “In my village, schooling was not of satisfactory standards. We hardly used to have classes and so I used to study all the subjects on my own at home. When my brothers came home for their vacations, I used to get some useful guidance from them,” added Faisal.

Hailing from Moulanadih village of Nawada, this achiever is the youngest in his family of eight siblings. And today riding high on their sincerity and laborious nature, all the five brothers are successfully pursuing their dream professions. The other three siblings, the sisters are also graduating in subjects of their choice. And to a great extent, all the siblings extend their gratitude to the eldest brother and to their uncle.

“We look up to our eldest brother for any kind of guidance because he was the one who made it possible for the rest of us to pursue a career in engineering. He is a self-made man who faced many hardships in the initial days just to ensure that our dreams for a better life did not die a premature death,” said Tasfeen Raza, the third brother, who is presently studying in MIT, Muzaffarpur.

Talking about the journey, Mohsin Raza, the eldest among the brothers, reminisces his days of struggle. “A monthly scholarship amount of Rs 2,000 during college days wasn’t enough. I had to give private tuitions to supplement my income because I had to finance my as well as the education of my other siblings. We often had to compromise on lot of things owing to our limited means but for the will power we sailed through tough times and today are in a much better position,” said Mohsin. An alumnus of NIT, Patna, Mohsin is presently working as a senior engineer with PowerGrid Corporation of India, Muzaffarpur.

“Today, it is very satisfying to see my youngest brother qualifying in the IIT-JEE exams and I am confident that he would go on to become an excellent engineer,” added the proud brother. For their passion towards the subject, all the brothers managed to earn scholarships during their college days.