Calcutta, Dec. 7: Orphaned at 10, Juman Ali washed dishes to keep himself afloat. At 17, he is sailing through one rowing championship after another.

The boy who left his home in Murshidabad and sneaked into a sand-laden truck has beaten all odds to emerge as a promising rower. Juman won The Telegraph Education Foundation Award for Excellence in Sports at The Telegraph School Awards for Excellence 2016, presented by IIHM.

Juman had arrived in Calcutta hungry and with little money. He found a home at Future Hope School. "A couple of my seniors used to go rowing at Lake Club. That is how I was introduced to the sport," the 5ft-9inches boy said.

Juman's first brush with rowing was disappointing. "We had to do a lot of physical exercise, starting with two rounds of the vast lake," he recalled.

Coach Tarun Mitra spotted a spark in Juman and gradually the boy took to the sport. When Mitra shifted to the Bengal Rowing Club a few years later, Juman and his friends followed him there.

The first major success came in 2013 when he won gold in the sub-junior double sculls and silver in the sub-junior boys' fours at the Bengal State Rowing Championship.

That year, Juman also won gold in the junior boys' fours at Bengal Rowing Club students' championship. "I had experienced sorrow, hunger, helplessness, frustration, gratitude. But I never knew how victory felt. It felt nice," Juman smiled.

Juman lost his father when he was just nine months old. His mother started washing dishes at a hotel to run the family. Once she fell ill, Juman had to leave school and wash dishes. When his mother passed away, Juman left home in search of a new beginning. He walked to the nearest highway and made a journey that changed his life forever. The next morning, he found himself in a place bustling with people and cars. He would later know that the place was Esplanade.

Juman spent the next few days at the Maidan, washing dishes at nearby eateries. A kind-hearted hotel owner sent the boy to a government school at Kalighat but the guard at the school gate told Juman admission would be tough since he neither had a guardian nor any papers. It is from him that Juman learned about Future Hope Foundation and got admitted to the school in 2010.

In 2014, Juman finished first in the state rowing championship in junior boys' single sculls and second in junior boys' double sculls. The following year he won the junior boys' doubles at the 43rd Mahindra All India Invitation Schools' Rowing Regatta. He also won gold in the junior boys' fours. Juman came first in the single sculls at the fifth Netaji Subhas State Games organised by the Bengal Olympic Association. His first success at the senior level came with a silver in single sculls in the inter-state national rowing championship in Chennai this year.

Coach Mitra finds Juman to be one of the most exciting young rowers around. "With hard work, he should go a long way," Mitra said. Hard work, in fact, is the secret of Juman's success. His day begins at 5am. He practises twice a day - before and after school - and spends an hour at the gym.

"The remarkable young man", as Tim Grandage, the founder of Future Hope, describes him, takes a keen interest in chess as well. His favourite subjects are math and physics and he dreams of a career in marine engineering.

And what does the award mean to Juman? "I have won medals but when a packed hall cheers for you, it feels different. For a few seconds, I felt like a star."

Does he miss having a family? "God has given me such a large family. I am happy," Juman said, pointing to his hostel mates before heading for a game of carrom.