Bhubaneswar, June 28: A rickshaw puller's son from Kendrapara town has cracked the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (Neet) for admission into medical colleges, scripting a success story amid acute poverty.

Seikh Sahajan Hossain, 24, whose father used to pull a rickshaw to support his family, has cleared the entrance test with an all-India rank of 8,642, paving way for admission into a government-run medical college in the state.

"Sahajan is the youngest of my three sons. I had a cycle repair shop in Kendrapara town. The shop was damaged in the 1999 cyclone. Finding no other alternative, I had to pull rickshaws to fend for my family. After auto-rickshaws came in and became the dominant mode of transport, I had to take up odd jobs to support my family. One of my sons is providing tuition to schoolchildren and we are surviving on a meagre income," said Seikh Abutalib, Sahajan's father.

"From a very early age, I had experienced the pangs of poverty. So, I had pledged to study well, so that I could provide a happy life to my parents in their old age," said Sahajan.

Given his poor background, Sahajan could not afford English medium education. He studied in government-run schools. He passed matriculation from Kendrapara Government High School and BSc from Kendrapara Autonomous College with first class honours in physics.

After graduation, he took up residence in Bhubaneswar to prepare for competitive examinations. Later, he had a change of heart and started preparing for the medical entrance test. "Sahajan has proved that hard work always pays dividends. His poor economic background did not deter him from cracking Neet," said Annada Pati, who taught him in Kendrapara Government High School.