When writing hurt too much, he typed his dreams: The journey of Lakhan Mahali, from rural Jharkhand to IIT Delhi

In a year when over 1.3 million students competed fiercely for a seat at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), one story has stood out, not just for academic brilliance, but for sheer resilience and unshakable resolve.

Lakhan Mahali, a young student from Rapcha village in Jharkhand, has secured admission to the prestigious Computer Science program at IIT Delhi, despite living with a severe locomotor disability in both hands.

His success is part of an inspiring update shared by American businessman and philanthropist Mohnish Pabrai on X (formerly Twitter), who wrote, “This year we prepared 33 severely disabled kids for the IIT entrance exam and 26 of them were accepted by the IITs – a 79% success rate!”

Lakhan ranked second in the country among tribals with disabilities admitted to IITs this year. Pabrai added, “Lakhan has extreme locomotor disability in both hands with an irregular bone structure. He cannot lift heavy objects. He can hold a pen and write only for a few minutes. After that, unbearable pain radiates from his fingers to his wrist and then on to his elbow, forcing him to drop his pen.”

Despite the debilitating nature of his condition, a genetic disorder that also affects his younger brother, Lakhan faced no issues with digital devices. Using a laptop, he powered through his preparation, aided by the Dakshana Foundation, an organisation focused on coaching gifted children from underprivileged backgrounds for competitive exams.

Lakhan’s home life paints a stark picture of hardship. His parents are unskilled labourers, each earning less than $1.50 a day. Their home, just 250 sq. ft, lacks indoor plumbing and reliable electricity. Surgery that might have helped Lakhan was never explored; it simply wasn't an option.

Yet, from these unforgiving circumstances, Lakhan emerged not just as an IIT admit but as a symbol of what can happen when talent meets support.

“In 2029, when he graduates from IIT Delhi, his family’s financial struggles will finally be over,” Pabrai wrote. “We at Dakshana are stoked about our small role in his journey.”

This year, 489 students trained by Dakshana appeared for the IIT entrance exam. Of them, 329 cleared, a staggering 67% success rate. It is numbers like these that prompted Bill Gates to once remark, “If there was only one university in the world I could hire from, it would be the IITs.”

But beyond numbers, it’s students like Lakhan who remind us what the IIT dream truly represents, the power of merit, determination, and the chance to rise.