After two years, he is now home and dry

For Shubham Tulsiani, hard work and persistence has paid off. The 17-year-old resident of Jodhpur is the topper in the IIT Bombay zone and stands second in the all-India ranking.

“After class X, I had to shift to Kota, as we don't have good JEE coaching classes in Jodhpur. Kota was the obvious alternative since it was the nearest to my home,” he said. “Staying away from my parents was initially difficult, but once I settled in there (Kota), it was much easier,” Shubham said.

“His mother visited him in Kota frequently to give him moral support,” Shubham's father KL Tulsiani, a doctor with the Jodhpur Medical Hospital, said. “He has always been an intelligent student, and after class X he himself said he wanted to go to Kota.”

“It was difficult for me to remember everything in chemistry,” Shubham, who completed class XII from DAV school (CBSE) in Kota with 90.4% marks, said. “So, for JEE, I focused more on the subject.” He said he concentrated on application of knowledge crack the JEE. “Besides, I tried to avoid silly mistakes.”

Shubham wants to pursue computer science, but he is yet to zero in on any particular IIT. “My top three choices are IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur and IIT Delhi, but I haven't yet decided where to study,” he said.

Incidentally, Shubham's elder brother, Madhur Tulsiani, also ranked second in the state in the IIT JEE 2001. He had also shifted to Kota after class X to prepare for JEE. He did his computer science from IIT Kanpur. “He is currently studying in California. He is guiding me on the institute (IIT) to join,” Shubham said.

Having missed home for two years, he is now spending most of his time with his parents. He is also gearing up to represent India at the International Physics Olympiad at Mexico in July.