If you were to read about the success stories of inspiring people, you would realise that there are things which remain constant in all of them – one being persistence. Some of the most successful people have been through a journey filled with thorns but they persisted towards their goal despite everything.
Same is the case with Uttar Pradesh’s 26-year-old Arvind Kumar. According to a The New Indian Express, Arvind is the son of a scrap dealer – a man who has faced humiliation for years by villagers for his profession and his unusual name, ‘Bhikhari’, which means “beggar”.
Arvind first appeared for the all-India medical exam, then known as All-India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) in 2011. However, his rank was not enough to get him into a medical college. But he didn’t give up.
He sat for the exam year after year, each time improving his rank. It was this year that he cracked NEET and secured an all-India rank of 11603, making him eligible to get admission into a good medical college.
Arvind’s family has had a difficult life. His father, Bhikhari, studied till class-5 and his mother never went to school. The villagers humiliated them and even threatened to file a criminal case against Arvind so he doesn’t get a government job.
Arvind was desperate to do well in the exam, so he decided to shift to an institute in Kota for coaching. But to pay for his son’s coaching, Bhikhari had to move to Tatanagar, Jamshedpur, and work for 12-15 hours a day to earn enough money.
“I worked for 12 to 15 hours daily to earn enough to meet educational expenses of my children and would visit the family, around 800-900 km away in Kushinagar, once in six months for a brief period,” said the father.
He added, “My son Arvind has proved his commitment to the goal. I am very proud of him.”
“I am happy and my family is proud of me that I am now going to be the first doctor in my village of around 1,500-1,600 people,” said Arvind, who wants to become an orthopaedic surgeon.
The road to success is never easy. There are bumps and potholes. One may trip and fall. But the key is to always get up and get going!