The story of 17-year-old NDA topper Shivansh Joshi, who shunned a future of hefty salary packages and opted for a more challenging career in the Indian defence forces, has gone viral online.
In results announced on Sunday, Joshi emerged as the all-India topper with a 96.8% score, according to The Times of India. But more interestingly, he quit an engineering course at NIT Tiruchirappalli and chose the Indian Army.
According to The Indian Express, Joshi, who hails from Ramnagar in Uttarakhand and son of Sanjeev Joshi who works with LIC India, cracked the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) in his first attempt without joining any coaching centre.
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Joshi was preparing for his board exams, JEE and NDA — all at the same time.
“I always wanted to join the Indian Army as the kind of pride, respect, honour, discipline and adventure associated with it is not offered in any other profession. Joining defence forces is the best way you can serve your nation,” he told The Indian Express.
“The syllabus for class 12 exams and JEE is quite similar. NDA picks more generic topics. But I ensured three hours of preparation for the exams and two hours of football and other physical activities,” Joshi told the newspaper, adding that he stayed away from social media.
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While he does not have a defence background, he was inspired by stories on Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, national security advisor Ajit Kumar Doval and General Bipin Rawat, the Chief of Army staff. He also draws motivation from books like Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist and The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, the daily added.
Congratulating Joshi on his achievement, CM Trivendra Singh Rawat wished him all the best for the future. "Shivansh has achieved this success with his grit and determination. His achievement will be a source of inspiration for the state's youngsters," the CM said in a message, reported ToI.
