Kota (Rajasthan): Piyush Goyal, an 18-year-old boy secured 453rd rank in the IIT entrance exam this year. But what makes him different from other engineering college aspirants is that he was preparing for it at the open jail in Kota.
According to an India Today report, For the past two years, he has been residing in the open jail along with his father Phool Chand Mina, who is a convict there.
The struggle that Piyush Goyal had to face during his preparations is quite obvious as the prevalent conditions in Indian jails are not unknown.
He, along with his father and mother, lived in an 8X8 cell, where the lights went out at 11 in the night. Also there was no money to buy new books or to study in a coaching institute.
However, Piyush, with his hardship and commitment, managed to cross these hurdles thereby ensuring entry into one of the top IITs of the country.
Piyush’s father Phool Chand hails from Dakiya village in Rajasathan where he was a school teacher. He was sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted in a murder case in 2007.
While he is close to finishing his jail sentence, he was allowed to live in an open jail because of his good behaviour. Soon after, Phool Chand called his wife and son to stay with him, in the jail.
Though Piyush work really hard, his father also deserves to be credited as he left no stone unturned to ensure that his son doesn’t get disturbed while studying.
With the little salary he earned, he managed to send his son for tuition as he could not afford the fees of a coaching centre.
Moreover, Phool Chand stayed and slept outside the room from 6 pm to 2 am to ensure that his son’s studies were not hindered.
A rejoiced Piyush said that it was his father who motivated him throughout these two years.
“I wanted to get into IIT for my father,” he told India Today.
“We didn't have enough money, so I thought taking coaching would be a waste. I joined tuition but when the initial results were not up to the mark, I got very upset. It was my father only who asked me to just concentrate on my studies and not take tension,” he further added.
Piyush said that he got full support from his father. He also told that his family did not meet any relatives or attended any functions for a year so that Piyush’s studies were not disturbed.
The-18-year-old aspirant said that the jail authorities also cooperated with him. Even the prison officials are singing praises of the boy.
“Piyush was always seen studying. Phool Chand wanted to give Piyush an identity other than that of a jail inmate's son, and he did it,” said Shankar Singh, Superintendent of Kota Central Jail.
