For many families, Rs.100 is a small amount. For Arjun Kumar Choudhary’s family, there was a time when even that was difficult to arrange.
When Arjun was in Class 5, he wanted to appear for the entrance examination for Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya. The registration fee was Rs.100, but his family was not in a position to pay it. A teacher stepped in and helped him. It was a small act of support, but one that opened a door at an important stage of his education.
Years later, Arjun’s journey has taken him from a village in Rajasthan to the campus of IIT Indore, where he is pursuing a B.Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering. The path between those two points has not been straightforward, but Arjun’s story is not simply about overcoming financial hardship. It is also about making the most of every opportunity that came his way.
Arjun grew up in Sayla, Rajasthan, in a family dependent mainly on farming. His father passed away when he was young, and his mother and brother have continued to support the family through farming on their own land. With limited financial resources, pursuing higher education and preparing for competitive examinations required both determination and support from others.
Academically, Arjun has always been a strong student, excelling especially in Mathematics. But academic ability alone does not always make opportunities accessible. When he wanted to join coaching to prepare for competitive examinations, his family could not afford the cost.
After completing Class 12, Arjun appeared for the Dakshana Foundation Entrance Test and was selected for one year of free JEE coaching at the Dakshana Pune Campus. That opportunity allowed him to prepare for one of India’s most competitive entrance examinations without adding further financial pressure on his family.
His hard work paid off. In 2025, Arjun took the JEE examinations, achieving a 99.74 percentile in JEE Main and securing a rank of 3153. He went on to join IIT Indore to pursue Computer Science and Engineering.
Getting into IIT Indore, however, did not mean that the financial challenges had disappeared. While Arjun’s tuition fee is waived, there were still other expenses to manage. To pay his first-year hostel fee, his family had to borrow money from a relative.
This is where the Lakshya Scholarship becomes especially meaningful for Arjun. For a student who has already seen how financial constraints can limit educational choices, continued support can help reduce some of the pressure that comes with pursuing higher education away from home.
Outside academics, Arjun is passionate about volleyball. He played at the regional level while in school and continues to play in college. He also volunteered during the Dakshana selection test as an invigilator, contributing his time to an organisation that had earlier supported his own educational journey.
Looking ahead, Arjun hopes to first work in a company to gain professional experience and financial stability. His longer-term ambition is to build his own start-up using Artificial Intelligence.
From a teacher helping him pay a Rs.100 registration fee, to receiving support from Dakshana, borrowing money for his hostel fee, and now receiving the Shiksha Sankalp Lakshya Scholarship, Arjun’s journey has been shaped by people and organisations that helped him move forward at critical moments.
Arjun’s journey is still at an early stage. There are many goals ahead and, undoubtedly, challenges too. For Shiksha Sankalp Society, supporting Arjun means supporting not only his education today, but also the possibilities that his education can create in the years ahead.
