21-year-old cracks India medical exam while working as labourer
Sarfaraz lifted bricks for eight hours every day to earn a meagre income for family
Dubai: A young labourer’s journey from carrying bricks to securing a seat in medical school has captured hearts across India.
Sarfaraz, a 21-year-old from West Bengal, defied the odds to crack the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) with a score of 677 out of 720, all while battling financial hardships and working gruelling manual labour jobs.
For years, Sarfaraz worked alongside his father, lifting 200 to 400 bricks for eight hours a day, earning a meagre income to support his family.
Living in a house built under the PM Awas Yojana, his evenings were spent studying with a damaged smartphone that barely functioned. His mother’s love and sacrifices became his anchor — she would stay awake through the cold nights to ensure Sarfaraz stayed warm in their house without a proper roof.
Sarfaraz’s journey wasn’t without setbacks. His childhood dream of joining the National Defence Academy (NDA) was shattered after an accident halted his progress during the final interview. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he began preparing for NEET, inspired by free online lessons from Alakh Pandey, the founder of Physics Wallah.
In 2023, Sarfaraz cleared NEET and gained admission to a dental college but was forced to drop out due to financial constraints. Unwilling to give up, he worked hard and reappeared for NEET in 2024, securing admission to Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College in Kolkata.
Sarfaraz’s story caught the attention of Physics Wallah CEO Alakh Pandey, who visited his home and extended support. Moved by the family’s resilience, Pandey offered to cover Sarfaraz’s college fees, gifted him a new smartphone, and provided a Rs500,000 loan to ease his burden. However, Pandey encouraged Sarfaraz to pay it forward:
“This Rs 500,000 is not a gift but a loan. Repay it by helping another needy person like yourself in the future,” Pandey told him.