Secret to success

"Three hours of regular, concentrated study when I was in the IX and X class and five hours or more (excluding tutorials) during my XI and XII class in Hislop College,” is what 17-year-old Edul Mehernosh Patel of Nagpur attributes his outstanding academic performance to. "There is no other secret to success. It is hard work.”

Over three-and-a-half lakh students appeared for IIT-JEE (Indian Institute of Technology-Joint Exam, 2006). "Of these only 6,000 got admissions,” said Edul. He was in the top half of this number, being rated 2,543. "One of the boys who is going to be with me, cleared the exam in his sixth attempt!”

"Edul was one of only 850 students to pass the entrance exam in his first try,” beamed his proud mother, Yasmin.

Edul left for the lush green campus of IIT Powai in early August to work for his degree in Metallurgy and Material Sciences. He will be pursuing what is called a dual course, which means working for a BTech and MTech degree simultaneously both to be completed in five years.

Edul Patel: "concentrated study”

Edul studied at the St Francis De Sales School till his X class and passed his HSC from Hislop College, Nagpur. He always stood among the top three in class. But his hallmark of excellence did not stop at academics. He was captain of the Pelvat House, for his last three years at school, took part in elocutions and debates and along with a schoolmate, won the inter-school Discovery Channel Quiz Contest 2001, in Nagpur. Books and badminton are his other stress busters.

Edul was very appreciative of IIT-Home, the coaching class for his IIT-JEE exam. "The teachers, Medha Deshpande (maths), Nisha Kothari (physics) and Majumdar (chemistry), gave us hours of personal attention,” he said.

When asked if he aspires to move on to a US or other foreign university for his higher studies, Edul said emphatically "I have no US fixation. When the best technological study is available in India, IIT Powai being the foremost institution worldwide, why would I want to go anywhere else?”

Would he like to pick up some work experience outside India, after graduation? "Not necessarily,” was Edul’s prompt reply. "The best placement offer and stimulating workplace would be deciding factors. And there is no reason to suppose I won’t find them in India.”

When questioned if being a Zoroastrian meant anything special; if there was pride in his identity, he responded, "Definitely proud! We are so few but so significant in every walk of life.”

Edul is computer savvy and spends hours surfing the net and downloading software. When asked what his favorite TV program was, he said "Cartoon Network,” with disarming candor!

Dilnavaz E. Bhagwagar