mumbai

Updated: Aug 06, 2019 10:52 IST

The Diwakars, headed by autorickshaw driver Anil, live in a one-room house in a narrow, noisy lane in Hanuman Nagar, Kandivli (East). In this household, books are treasured more than any other possession – one of the reasons Anil says his son, 18-year-old Nitin, managed to clear the Joint Entrance Examination-Advanced (JEE-Adv) making him eligible for a seat in one of the premier Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

“We can only do my work and provide them with a roof above their heads and food on their plates. Everything else is their hard work,” said Shakuntala, Nitin’s mother. Their eldest child — a daughter — finished her graduation and is married and settled in Raipur, the older son cleared his Chartered Accountancy (CA) in his first attempt and has found a job in the city and their younger daughter is pursuing her graduation at a Malad college. The youngest member’s entry into IIT is the latest educational achievement in this family.

While the Diwakar children are clearly motivated to do well, finding money to pursue their dream has been a problem. This is where Anil’s customers stepped in. “One of my customers, Anil Desai, helped us find the right coaching institute for our older son and also gave financial aid for Nitin’s education,” said Anil, who has returned most of the borrowed money by driving his autorickshaw for more than 12 hours a day.

Help also came from Rao Academy, a city-based coaching institute that agreed to coach Nitin for two years and prepare him for the IIT entrance exams. “It’s always very noisy and crowded in our one-room house, so the institute allowed me to stay in their boarding for the past year for free,” said Nitin, who now hopes to get through the Mechanical Engineering department of IIT-Bombay. “I’ve always been fascinated by machines and spent my childhood making small machines out of waste; I would love to make a career in this industry,” he said.

What next in store for the Diwakars? “While the IIT fee is a concern for us, I’m hoping to raise enough money to make sure he doesn’t suffer. My younger daughter wants to pursue IAS after graduation. I will keep doing my job till I can to help my family,” said Anil. But Nitin quickly quips in, “Our aim is to make sure he won’t be driving the autorickshaw for the rest of his life.”