From Pathanwala village to IIT: E-rickshaw driver’s son from Rajasthan secures top JEE Advanced 2026 rank
Inderjeet comes from Pathanwala village, where access to basic facilities remains limited. His father earns a living by driving an e-rickshaw, while the family’s annual income is below ₹1 lakh
- Jun 6, 2026,
- Updated Jun 6, 2026 11:05 AM IST
In a remarkable story of determination and hard work, Inderjeet, the son of an e-rickshaw driver from Rajasthan’s Sriganganagar district, has cleared JEE Advanced 2026 and secured an OBC-NCL rank of 1,040 and a Common Rank List (CRL) rank of 4,861. His achievement has drawn attention as an example of how hard work and access to affordable online education can help students overcome financial barriers.
Inderjeet comes from Pathanwala village, where access to basic facilities remains limited. His father earns a living by driving an e-rickshaw, while the family’s annual income is below ₹1 lakh. Despite these challenges, the young aspirant remained focused on his goal of earning a seat at one of India’s premier engineering institutes.
READ THIS: Exam in 2005, letter in 2026: Kerala man receives PSC appointment after two decades
The IIT dream
According to Inderjeet, he first learned about the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) after overhearing senior students discussing IITs. Curious about the exam, he searched online to understand what IITs were and what opportunities they offered. However, the high cost of coaching in hubs such as Kota and Sikar initially seemed beyond his family’s reach. He eventually enrolled in an affordable online coaching programme and began preparing seriously for the examination.
The library turns into a coaching centre
Financial constraints continued to challenge him during his preparation. Limited mobile data, frequent electricity cuts and the lack of a dedicated study space often disrupted his learning. To overcome these difficulties, he studied at a library in a nearby village that offered free internet access and uninterrupted electricity. “His parents’ support was instrumental in helping him stay motivated throughout the journey,” Indrajeet said.
ALSO READ: Why PhysicsWallah believes it can beat OpenAI, Google in India's AI tutor race
Nothing is impossible
This was not Inderjeet’s first attempt at JEE Advanced. In 2025, he qualified with a rank of around 27,000 but chose to take a drop year to improve his performance. The decision paid off, as he significantly improved his rank in 2026 and is now aiming for admission to IIT Roorkee. He is particularly interested in Mathematics and Computing, as well as Artificial Intelligence and Data Science programmes.
His success comes in a year when JEE Advanced 2026 witnessed intense competition. IIT Roorkee, the organising institute, reported that 1,87,389 candidates registered for the examination, while 1,79,694 appeared. Of these, 56,880 candidates qualified, including 10,107 female candidates
In a remarkable story of determination and hard work, Inderjeet, the son of an e-rickshaw driver from Rajasthan’s Sriganganagar district, has cleared JEE Advanced 2026 and secured an OBC-NCL rank of 1,040 and a Common Rank List (CRL) rank of 4,861. His achievement has drawn attention as an example of how hard work and access to affordable online education can help students overcome financial barriers.
Inderjeet comes from Pathanwala village, where access to basic facilities remains limited. His father earns a living by driving an e-rickshaw, while the family’s annual income is below ₹1 lakh. Despite these challenges, the young aspirant remained focused on his goal of earning a seat at one of India’s premier engineering institutes.
READ THIS: Exam in 2005, letter in 2026: Kerala man receives PSC appointment after two decades
The IIT dream
According to Inderjeet, he first learned about the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) after overhearing senior students discussing IITs. Curious about the exam, he searched online to understand what IITs were and what opportunities they offered. However, the high cost of coaching in hubs such as Kota and Sikar initially seemed beyond his family’s reach. He eventually enrolled in an affordable online coaching programme and began preparing seriously for the examination.
The library turns into a coaching centre
Financial constraints continued to challenge him during his preparation. Limited mobile data, frequent electricity cuts and the lack of a dedicated study space often disrupted his learning. To overcome these difficulties, he studied at a library in a nearby village that offered free internet access and uninterrupted electricity. “His parents’ support was instrumental in helping him stay motivated throughout the journey,” Indrajeet said.
ALSO READ: Why PhysicsWallah believes it can beat OpenAI, Google in India's AI tutor race
Nothing is impossible
This was not Inderjeet’s first attempt at JEE Advanced. In 2025, he qualified with a rank of around 27,000 but chose to take a drop year to improve his performance. The decision paid off, as he significantly improved his rank in 2026 and is now aiming for admission to IIT Roorkee. He is particularly interested in Mathematics and Computing, as well as Artificial Intelligence and Data Science programmes.
His success comes in a year when JEE Advanced 2026 witnessed intense competition. IIT Roorkee, the organising institute, reported that 1,87,389 candidates registered for the examination, while 1,79,694 appeared. Of these, 56,880 candidates qualified, including 10,107 female candidates