Brijesh Saroj, who cracked the JEE, got into IIT-B in 2015 after help poured in from across the globe.

MUMBAI: Almost three years after he came to Mumbai to pursue his degree at the Indian Institute of Technology, Brijesh Saroj , the son of a daily wage worker in Uttar Pradesh, is doing his bit to give back to the society which opened its purse strings when he needed it the most.

A third year student of electronics at IIT-B, Saroj has raised over Rs 10 lakh for underprivileged students showing a keen interest in education.

After Brijesh and his brother Raju had got high ranks on the JEE merit list—167 and 410 respectively—in 2015, TOI had reported that the brothers were faced with the challenge of putting together the Rs 1 lakh they would be required to pay to get into IIT . Soon, help poured in from around the globe. Also, the Union human resource development ministry gave them a fee waiver, letting their dream come true. While Brijesh got into IIT-B, Raju is at IIT-Kharagpur.

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During his time in Mumbai, Brijesh found friends, along with whom he founded Samdarshi Foundation, an NGO that helps students from the slums secure admission in schools, makes them aware about their rights and tutors them to follow their academic dreams. “We have a classroom and a dedicated teacher in Kalyan where students, who cannot afford tuition, can receive personal attention. We are currently tutoring 15 students, but want to improve our base as much as possible,” Brijesh said. While he had started helping as part of volunteer groups since his time in Mumbai, the NGO was registered only this year.

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Brijesh is currently in his hometown Pratapgarh where he and Raju are preparing children for admission to Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya . “The school helped us pursue our IIT dream and we want to be able to make it possible for as many children as possible,” said Birje-sh, who is currently preparing for his civil service entrance exams. “I like what I am studying at IIT-B, but I always had my eyes set on the UPSC exams. I have been preparing for the exams along with my academics here. I will be skipping the placements at the institute,” he said.

