A student from West Bengal who once wanted to apply for the National Defense Academy (NDA) became the first doctor in the family of labourers. Hailing from Purba Mednipur district, West Bengal, Sheikh Sarfaraz chose not to be one and with full determination started to prepare for the defense recruitment examination.

His humble family background did not allow him to give complete time to focus on studies. With NEET UG preparation, the 21-year-old man started to work as a labourer where he used to lift bricks from 6 am to 2 pm. This way he could manage to earn Rs 400 per day.

He told indianexpress.com that he was often mocked by neighbours and other people when he shared his dreams of having a successful career.

“Although I cleared the first phase of NDA in 2022, unfortunately, an accident a month before the interview did not let me qualify for the medical round,” said Sarfaraz. In the Covid-pandemic, the financial constraints of his family increased and they moved back to their town, Egra. It was during this time that he focused towards cracking NEET.

“I wanted to crack NDA, but my mother wanted me to be a doctor. After the accident, I was led down, but then my mother stood with me and told me that I had another chance to improve our condition and that was by becoming a doctor,” said the man who scored 433 marks out of 500 in Class 12.

To prepare for NEET UG, he borrowed a broken screen phone from one of his teachers and used it to prepare for the exam.

Due to financial issues, he opted for online coaching from edtech platform Physics Wallah. “I followed the same NDA exam preparation routine — waking up at 6 am and go to work. To study, I used to return at 2 pm and after an hour of sleep, I used to watch online lectures, revise and solve previous year questions,” said Sarfaraz.

It was in 2024 when his hard work paid off and he cracked the paper. He got 677 out of 720 in the NEET UG 2024. He secured admission to Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College after getting financial support from his coaching founder.

After becoming a doctor, Sarfaraz wants to provide free healthcare treatment to those who cannot afford it. He also said that he wanted to financially support students from humble backgrounds.