Both Parents Sick, Barmer Boy Cracks NEET On First Try Thanks To Younger Brother’s Labours

Last Updated:June 16, 2025, 16:57 IST

Born to father Sheraram, an asthma patient, who could barely manage physical work and a mother battling mental illness, Tejendra’s dream of becoming a doctor seemed distant

In the rural village of Baytu Panji in Rajasthan’s Barmer district, where families struggle for two square meals a day, a young man has carved a path to the world of medicine through sheer grit and sacrifice. Tejendra Kumar Meghwal, a boy who once laboured at construction sites to afford books, has secured admission into a medical college after clearing the NEET exam on his very first attempt.

With an All India Rank of 73,788 and a category rank of 2,202 (SC), Tejendra’s achievement is not just a personal milestone but a testament to the unwavering spirit of a family that refused to give up, no matter how hostile the odds.

Born into a family where his father Sheraram, an asthma patient, could barely manage physical work and his mother has been battling mental illness for over two decades, Tejendra’s dream of becoming a doctor seemed distant. Their home, made of mud walls and dreams, echoed more with survival struggles than academic aspirations. There were days, Tejendra recalls, when affording a basic meal was a challenge.

In this harsh backdrop, his younger brother emerged as the silent force behind the miracle. Too young to shoulder such a burden, he began working as a daily wage labourer, often skipping meals himself, just to ensure his elder brother’s studies were not interrupted. Together, the two brothers toiled in the sun – one to earn, the other to learn.

Tejendra studied in the village government school, scoring 82.33% in Class 10. That was when the dream of wearing a white coat first took root. But dreams needed books and coaching, luxuries the Meghwal household couldn’t afford. Hope came when Tejendra was selected among 50 students from the village for a free support program. Armed with borrowed books, community faith, and fierce determination, he cracked NEET with a score of 483 out of 720.

“I owe this to my brother and the 50 villagers who believed in me more than I believed in myself,” Tejendra said, adding that on holidays, he worked with his brother at construction sites but every time he saw a doctor, he promised himself that he would wear that coat one day.

Now with a stethoscope in sight, Tejendra wants to serve rural communities like his own. His story is already inspiring a new generation in Baytu Panji, where children now speak of NEET and MBBS as freely as they once did about farming and labour work.

Location :

Barmer, India, India

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