How UP youth moved to Karnataka's Bidar, cleared NEET

BENGALURU: A 23-year-old BSc graduate from Uttar Pradesh, son of a farmer, cleared NEET this year in his sixth attempt after he moved to Karnataka to prepare for the entrance examination at a PU college in Bidar.
Mohammed Anas did not let financial difficulties, repeated failure or lack of resources suppress his childhood dream of becoming a doctor.
After a friend told him in 2017 about Bidar’s Shaheen PU College conducting special NEET coaching for aspirants, Anas, a science graduate with three attempts at NEET by then, decided to shift from UP’s Muzaffarnagar to Karnataka without losing time.The college is part of Shaheen Group of Educational Institutions.
Anas comes from an economically disadvantaged family and he has four siblings. During school and college days, Anas realised he did not have resources or time to join a medical college.
Want to serve people who can’t afford treatment, says UP boy
After my 12th, I started appearing for entrance exams and never scored over 200 marks (out of 720),” Anas told TOI, adding he joined the college for a BSc degree in a big compromise of his dream.
Once in Bidar, Anas went back a few steps, attending I PU classes. “In 2017, I scored 333 of 720; in 2019, I scored 531, but couldn’t bag a seat in UP. This year, I have scored 663 and have a fair chance of landing a free government seat in a UP college,” Anas said.
How did the youngster stay motivated in the face of numerous roadblocks and the pandemic? “I knew the only way for a better future for me and my family was achieving this. I had to do this to give back to my family, and my society. I want to serve the people who can’t afford treatment,” he said.
At times, he felt demotivated and unsure about finding a decent rank. But he stayed focused on studies and timetable with zero distraction and support from his institution. “Our chairman visited us to keep us motivated. We had a support system among friends and teachers,” he said.
Abdul Qadeer, chairman, Shaheen Education Foundation, said when Anas came to his institute, they realised he was bright but his basics were weak. “We worked to strengthen his basics,” he said.