
Tamil Nadu village school student overcomes odds to get IIT-Bombay aerospace seat
Yogeswari, a student from a government school in a village in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar district, has secured admission to Aerospace Engineering at IIT-Bombay,Her transformation from not knowing what Aerospace Engineering was to securing a seat at the prestigious institution reflects remarkable determination. Yogeshwari studies at Padanthal Government School in Sathur village, her father works in a tea stall while her mother works in a firecracker factory.advertisementFor her, the breakthrough came via Chief Minister MK Stalin's flagship programs 'Naan Mudhalvan' scheme and 'Kalluri Kanavu' scheme, which provide introductions to various college courses and guide students with applying and preparing for competitive exams. Yogeswari did not know what the JEE exam was until she attended these programs.
'When I attended a program, they told me about JEE and how to apply. I passed JEE Mains and then they took me for JEE Advance Coaching. At first it was a bit difficult as it was in English but with time I studied and cleared JEE Advance. I'm happy that I have got admission in Aerospace Engineering at IIT-Bombay,' Yogeswari said.She credited District Collector VP Jeyaseelan's for introducing her to higher education opportunities and JEE application processes. The programs provided crucial guidance on exam preparation that enabled her success. 'Naan Mudhalvan and Kalluri Kanavu programs were organised by District Collector Jeyaseelan and through that I got to know about higher education and how to apply for them. They helped me with applying for JEE and how to study for it because of which I was able to clear the exam.'advertisementShe thanked Chief Minister MK Stalin and District Collector Jeyaseelan, who has assured continued support for her higher education, calling these schemes a boon for children from poor economic backgrounds. 'I thank Chief Minister MK Stalin and District Collector Jeyaseelan who have assured to help me with my higher education,' she said.Hard work and perseverance were the only weapons Yogeswari had to pursue such a massive dream. She wants to achieve in aerospace technology like her role models Sunita Williams and Kalpana Chawla.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
When Dr Radhakrishnan gave away degrees under tent at IIT-Kanpur
Lucknow: When RBI governor, Sanjay Malhotra, returns to his alma mater, IIT-Kanpur, on June 23 to address the premier institute's 58th convocation at its sprawling auditorium, the event will mark the institute's memorable journey from its humble beginnings. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The institute's first convocation was held under a tent in 1965 and addressed by the then President of India, . The event saw 66 members of the institute's first graduating class conferred the BTech degrees. Dr PK Kelkar, founder director of IIT-K, presided over the function and gave a report on the growth and prospects of the institute. Among the many speeches on the occasion, Kelkar's was the most memorable. IIT-K has come a long way since its inception in 1959. From its humble beginnings in a borrowed room at Harcourt Butler Technological Institute, it has grown to become a premier institution, now situated on a sprawling 420-hectare campus located on the Grand Trunk Road, around 15km west of Kanpur city. Land for the institute was gifted by the govt of Uttar Pradesh in 1960 and, by March 1963, it had shifted to its current location. Today, IIT-Kanpur is renowned for its academic excellence, research, and innovation. A visit to the campus back then would have revealed a serene landscape featuring standing crops, acacia woods, a picturesque line of stately mango trees, flocks of peafowl roaming freely, and a quintessential Indian countryside scene. This idyllic setting made a perfect blend of natural beauty and rustic charm. The campus is designed with a focus on environmental freedom, featuring halls of residence, faculty and staff houses, and community buildings. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now All these are strategically arranged around the central academic area to facilitate flexibility in movement and easy communication. The institute's inaugural batch, the Class of 65, produced some illustrious technocrats and business honchos in the country like Abhay Bhushan, a computer scientist who has been a major contributor to the development of the internet TCP/IP architecture and is the author of the File Transfer Protocol, Suresh Pandey (former director, Bokaro Steel Plant), and Vinay Kumar Modi (Director of Modi Industries Limited). The batch members recall how they departed from the campus in May 1965 and were waiting to hear when the convocation would be held. Finally, they received invitations by India Post. By then many batchmates had left for studies abroad and some of the ones in India could not attend because of work or personal issues. A few of them, though, did make it to Kanpur to receive their degrees. IIT-K made arrangements for them to be picked up at the railway station and they were lodged at the Visitors' Hostel. Abhay Bhushan, chairman of Asquare Inc and part of IIT-K's 1965 batch, reminisces: "The convocation was planned for the afternoon, from 3pm to 5.30pm. We, the graduating students, were asked to arrive by 1.30pm to collect our gowns and caps and to get instructions on walking in the procession. In all, 67 BTech and 5 PhD degrees were awarded." "During the convocation, several speeches were given. Of note was Dr Kelkar's speech where he recalled what we, as the pioneer batch, had been through and how we were better educated to handle whatever our profession and life may have to offer. He said that the faith that they have shown in the future of the institute has been a real source of inspiration," Bhushan said. The Class of 1965 gifted IIT-K Rs 2.5 crore during its Diamond Jubilee Reunion celebrations in March. The batch pledged this amount towards creating a "Pioneering Research and Innovation Award" at the institute. Talking to TOI, the institute's present director, Professor Manindra Agrawal, said: "This year, we are celebrating the 58th convocation. Over the years, the institute has come a long way in contributing to the nation's technology and innovation landscape, as well as shaping bright minds. As an alumnus myself, every convocation here is nostalgic."


Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
IIT Guwahati develops mechanism to treat 1,000 litre contaminated water for Rs 20
New Delhi: Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, have developed a low-cost community scale water treatment system that removes fluoride and iron from groundwater and can treat up to 20,000 litre of contaminated water per day, officials said. The findings of the research have been published in the prestigious ACS ES&T Water journal. The researchers claimed the system was highly affordable and could treat 1,000 litre of water at a paltry Rs 20. According to Mihir Kumar Purkait, Professor at Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati , fluoride, a mineral generally used in dental care products, pesticides, fertilisers and some industrial processes, can enter groundwater either naturally or through human activities such as agriculture and manufacturing. "Consumption of water with excess fluoride presence can lead to skeletal-fluorosis, a serious health condition in which bones harden and joints become stiff, making physical movement difficult and painful. In India, states including Rajasthan, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, and Gujarat, among others, face high levels of fluoride in groundwater," Purkait said. The IIT Guwahati research team developed a four-step system that ensures a cost-effective and energy-efficient technology for contaminated water treatment. Purkait said the hydrogen and oxygen bubbles produced during electrolysis interact with air bubbles, assisting in lifting pollutant particles to the surface. The selection of electrode material depends on factors like low cost, low oxidation potential and high electro-positivity after dissolution. "Among available options, aluminum has proven highly effective, particularly in the removal of iron, arsenic, and fluoride under optimal operational conditions," he said. The research team tested the developed system under real-world conditions for 12 weeks and recorded consistent performance. The results have shown removal of 94 per cent iron and 89 per cent fluoride from the wastewater, bringing the levels within safe limits set by Indian standards. "A key feature of the developed system is its cost effectiveness, with Rs 20 per 1,000 liters of treated water, making it highly affordable. The developed technology requires minimal supervision and has a projected lifespan of 15 years with electrode replacement scheduled every six months," he said. The study proposes a method to estimate electrode life using a built-in safety factor to ensure timely maintenance. As a pilot project, in support with the Public Health Engineering Department of Assam, the developed technology has been successfully installed by Kakati Engineering Pvt Ltd in Changsari, Assam. "We are also exploring the use of solar or wind power to operate the unit and to utilise the hydrogen gas generated during electrocoagulation process . By integrating smart technologies such as real-time sensors and automated controls, we will be able to further reduce the need for manual intervention, making the system more effective for remote and underserved areas," he said. The research team also aims to combine the current system with other water treatment methods to enhance performance and provide a decentralised water treatment solution. PTI

The Hindu
6 hours ago
- The Hindu
Encourage students to choose core engineering courses: IIT-M Director
Students who wish to join engineering must be encouraged to choose core engineering programmes, said V. Kamakoti, Director of the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras. At an event organised by the Pan IIT Alumni Leadership Series here on Friday, Mr. Kamakoti said 99.9% of toppers in JEE (Advanced) had chosen computer science and engineering. 'We must see a significant number of students go into core engineering. If a topper chooses civil or mechanical engineering it should be because they like it. We must reach out to students in the core engineering departments and try to educate them on professions,' he said. Since autonomous colleges had the freedom to design their curriculum they could fine tune their syllabus to align their curriculum and research with the 17 sustainable development goals. Institutions must also consider introducing interdisciplinary programmes, he said. Students can go for dual degrees, take the GATE. Humanities could tweak their syllabi to encourage students to take up civil services as the country needed to have administrators who are tech-savvy policy makers for future India, he said. IIT-Tirupati director Kalidindi N. Satyanarayana recalled his early efforts of reaching out to engineering colleges to explain the importance of the discipline. The country had completed only half its requirement of infrastructure, he said, emphasising the need for more students to take up core engineering programmes. Directors from IITs in Dharwad, Hyderabad, and Bhubhaneshwar also shared their insights on engineering education at the PALS (Pan IIT Alumni Leadership Series) event. Vijayalakshmi Sankar, co-chair of PALS who presented the annual report said it had delivered 29 programmes reaching out to 23,600 students. It worked with around 50 engineering institutions in six States and Nepal. PALS is an initiative of the IIT alumni that conducts outreach programmes for engineering colleges, including management, faculty and students.