Ludhiana: PAU prof couple’s son secures AIR 365 in JEE Advanced

In the results for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)- Advanced declared on Sunday, 18-year-old city resident Keshav Dharni secured All India Rank (AIR) 365.

Keshav, a student of Gujranwala Guru Nanak Public School, is the son of Khushdeep Dharni, a business management professor at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and Sonika Sharma, a food and nutrition professor at the same university.

“I was always passionate about Physics and Mathematics and was keen on learning new things about these subjects, which kept me going throughout my preparation,” said Keshav, who scored 267 marks out of 360.

Keshav is looking to pursue computer science at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee. “I would prefer IIT Roorkee but in case I do not get in, I would pursue Mathematics and computing at IIT, Delhi,” he said.

Keshav claimed that he devoted nearly 10 hours to studying every day and started preparing for the examination in Class 11.

He completed matriculation from DAV Public School with 98.6% and secured 95% in the Class 12 board examination. Keshav, a music and cricket enthusiast, highlighted the difference in preparation for boards and competitive examinations. “JEE was entirely objective whereas boards are subjective, so the preparation strategy for both is different,” he said.

Keshav said that consistency, hard work and being more productive in less time, can help one achieve heights.

Akemjot bags AIR 482

Akemjot Singh, who secured AIR 482, is a resident of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar and started preparing for the exam two years ago. He said that he believes coaching classes are necessary for a candidate, along with practising using National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) books.

His father Harmeet Singh is a businessman and mother Ranjeet Kaur is a kindergarten teacher. Akemjot wants to pursue electrical engineering at IIT, Bombay or Delhi. He said that if he does not get onto any of these, he would prefer computer science from any other institution.

“One should not count the hours while studying. Focus on smart work and try to be as productive as possible,” he said. He credited his family and teachers for their constant motivation and guidance throughout his preparation.

A student of DAV Public School, BRS Nagar, Akemjot said that refreshment of mind plays a crucial role in preparation. “I used to paint once in a while to refresh my mind while preparing for the boards and JEE,” he said.

Others who did well from Ludhiana include Aditya Sharma (AIR 1,026), Anshita Batra (AIR 1,236), Agrim Bhanot (AIR 1,405) and Akunth Jain (AIR 1,495).