Thousands of students move to Kota every year chasing a JEE seat, but Gunjan Kumar's journey from Sitamarhi in Bihar carries an unusual twist: when illness confined him to bed, his mother Gunja stepped in as his classmate, watching online classes and building notes herself so her son could crack JEE Advanced. That effort has now paid off, with Gunjan set to join the computer science branch at IIT Delhi.
An illness that threatened everything
Gunjan had spent two years in Kota preparing for JEE at Allen Career Institute. Just before the exam, his health took a turn. On October 5, 2025, he sat for a routine test at the institute, and the very next day he developed severe chest pain. Doctors found that lifting an excessively heavy load had put pressure on his left lung, causing it to collapse, a condition called pneumothorax. He then spent nearly three months on complete bed rest and could not attend a single class.
When his mother became his classmate
To make sure his preparation did not suffer, his mother Gunja stepped in. She showed Gunjan online video lectures and watched them herself, making detailed notes as she went. Gunja is a homemaker who has done a BEd, and she stayed with him in Kota, returning to serious study after many years for her son's sake. Those very notes later became crucial for Gunjan, helping him stay on track before the exam.
Big dreams despite weak eyesight
Gunjan has weak eyesight, with more than 70 percent of his eyesight impaired, and he wears glasses of power 9.5. Even so, he never let his weakness define him. He passed class 10 with 82.5 percent marks and class 12 with 70 percent marks. Before moving to Kota, he researched which coaching institute would be right for JEE preparation, and came across a 2021 video of Mridul Agarwal, an Allen student who was the All India Topper in JEE Main and Advanced that year. Inspired by that success, Gunjan decided he too would go to Kota, insisted to his parents, and finally moved there in 2023.
The result and what comes next
Gunjan scored a 91.8 percentile in JEE Main. In JEE Advanced, he secured rank 50 in the PWD OBC category, and his common PWD rank stands at 120. He is now set to take admission in the computer science branch at IIT Delhi, realising his dream of becoming an IITian. His father, Rajnarayan Prasad, works as an engineer with the Border Roads Organisation. Gunjan's younger brother is also currently in Kota preparing for JEE.
In their own words
After the result, Gunjan said circumstances are not always in our favour, and an exam tests not just study but also courage. He said the support his mother gave him during his illness proved invaluable ahead of the exam, and that the guidance of his faculty helped him succeed. He believes students should always stay positive and keep looking ahead.
His mother Gunja says her son's dream is her dream too. When Gunjan fell ill she was worried, but the two of them sat together watching videos while she made notes. She says it made her very happy when those notes later proved useful to him. She adds that Kota is a genuine source of motivation not just for students but for parents as well, since the city does not just prepare students to clear an exam, it also builds confidence and teaches them to face challenges.
