Ajay Chavan Family Background His father works at a print for medicine covers.

His mother is a house wife, while his brother, who is a year elder to him is preparing for the CET. They live in a single room chawl, with just the basic necessities. They understand and appreciate the importance of education. Ajay receives full support from his family, and they make sure he is not distracted in any way while studying. Accomplishments
y y y

He has consistently topped his class of around 300 students Secured 94 % in SSC boards Participates in inter school quizzes and Elocutions

Motivation Wants to become an engineer to provide for his family. He also likes maths and science. He wants to get into IIT as he hopes to get a good job.

Role Model APJ Abdul Kalam. In first person, He is from a poor background like mine. In spite of that, he is now a great scientist, and moreover, was Indias president. Career Specific Interests Automobile Engineer. He wants to build a cost efficient car, for the people who cant afford one right now. Ive pointed out that given the current scenario, up payment wont be a problem, fuelling it will be. Hobbies Plays cricket. Notes Before his first major test, I asked him to set a goal and prepare for the exam. I said I expected a rank in the top 20 in his class. He couldnt do it though he really worked hard. He calls me up to tell me this, and hes a nervous wreck. It takes a good deal of time to tell him that its not the destination thats important, but the journey, that shapes you. This simple episode has been one of retrospection for me, and possibly a very important lesson for Ajay. We know that he is going to go to all lengths to try and clear JEE.

Bipplab Samanta Family Background Father is a trader in natural stones. Mother is a housewife. His brother just gave the CET and is looking for admissions to various colleges. They have all the basic necessities in their home. Accomplishments
y y y

Is among the top 5 in his school. Secured 95 % marks in Math and Science in his SSC boards. He participates in quizzes in his school.

Motivation - He likes maths. He wants to become an engineer to get a nice job. His mother is a huge source of motivation. Not as in a figure, but a constant reminder of the task ahead of him, though not in a nagging manner. Role Model Pranav Mistry. In first person My role models Pranav Mistry . I double take. He then proceeds to tell me about sixth sense. Hes taken such a simple idea and implemented it wonderfully well. Id like to something like that myself too. Career Specific Interests Electronics and Communications engineering

Hobbies
y y

Computer games. Counter Strike enthusiast. Facebooking. Most of his friends on it are American. He says, hell improve his English speaking while talking to them.

Notes Bipplab is usually very hard to inspire. He knows that he is smart but does not want to put in much effort. He had to be constantly reminded to speak up as he is inherently very shy. But that has sort of changed after a particular incident. After a particularly monosyllabic conversation from his side, he hangs up the phone. The next morning, he messages informing of his test and the syllabus for it. He then calls up and discusses concepts at long with his mentor. He starts reading for 8 hours a day. A sea change has come over him. The resolve and mental strength, he showed, was exemplary. This more than anything else, is a great reason for us to believe that he has in him what it takes to be an Avanti fellow.

Name : Pratik Vilas More

Scores in SSC : 90.55%. ( Math : 145/150 , Science : 98/100 )

College : Kirti College ( Computer Science )

Family Background : He hails from quite a backward place in Worli Village. His father runs a small business while his mother is a house-wife. Pratik also has a younger brother who is in the 7th standard.

Interests and achievements:He loves cricket, storybooks and watching TV. He is an active participant in elocution and drawing competitions of his school. He won a scholarship from the school in 7th standard. He has also participated in Prerna Math Exam. Role Model His role model is Sachin Tendulkar. He believes so because of Sachins dedication, hardwork and humbleness.

Career interests He aspires to become an engineer. Notes A very sincere and hardworking fellow. He puts in a lot of effort in his studies. He is able to apply things well. Also he is very talkative and can talk at lengths on his favourite topics. This has by far been the greatest effect the Avanti program has had on him. He is very confident now, far from the relatively shy nature he possessed before. He is a dedicated chap and a great and supportive family. One touching incident that one of our mentors recall is recently when his parents called him up the day they got the news about food-poisoning. In his own words, Really moving, because his call came much before even my relatives could call me up. Not only this, his dad though facing difficult times in his business is a true and hardworking person. While he aims for the sky, surely he has his feet grounded.

Name: Ashish Anant Ghadge Name of School/College: I.E.S. English School,Bandra(E)[10th class] Family Background Ashishs father works at Prihans healthcare. His brother is in 6th standard and loves playing and his mother is a house wife. Distinctions y y Basic course in Information Technology Slight interest in drama

Who do you aspire to be like one day (*In first person): He considers his father to be his idol as his fathers life gives him live inspiration. He also considers his maternal uncle as an inspiration as he became an engineer in spite hailing from unfavoured poor background. Notes When he was inducted into our program, he appeared to have quite a few problems; his arrogance towards his parents and lack of class participation to name a few. There was never any doubt about the talent he possessed but somehow these shortcomings were coming in his way of performance. But now the story, it seems has turned for the better. He is a regular in asking doubts and our mentor has worked very hard to impress upon him the fact that he needs to more humble in his attitude. Already, improvements are showing. If we can consult him properly, I am sure we have a gem in the making.

FELLOW: Ankit Mohite SSC OVERALL %: 92 SSC MATHS %: 98 SSC SCIENCE %: 91 FAMILY BACKGROUND: His father is a police constable and his mother is a house-wife. Ankit is a single child. The 3 family members live in a Chawl. His parents (especially his mother) are very supportive of his education. CAREER SPECIFIC INTERESTS: Wants to become an engineer. He is still open as to the engineering field which he wants to pursue. ROLE MODEL: His father is a role model to him. He (Ankits father) was brought up in a very dark neighborhood and he grew up to be a policeman. Ankit draws inspiration from this and wants the betterment of his family. HOBBIES: Swimming, drawing. DISTINCTIONS: He is exceptionally good at drawing/painting. Notes At first sight, Ankit seemed to be a shy and reserved fellow. He went through the difficult phase with many unasked questions. To break the ice was a difficult thing to do with him, but our mentor did it with panache. And once the bond had been built, we came to see a very different picture of him; he is quite cool and is regular in his studies. Infact, he even goes to his friends home to discuss studies or if he misses some classes. Once when he scored low in one of the tests, the mentor comforted him and he was even more determined to perform. He is sincere and has a lot of potential.

Name: Biki Jana School: Bengali Education Society School. Family Background: There are 4 members in the family. Bikis father is a goldsmith; his mother is a housewife while his sister is currently studying in 12th standard. His parents havent acquired a school education. They live in a single room Chawl. His family is supportive of his education. Distinctions: y y Appeared for Homi Bhabha exams and got substantial scholarships Got 97% in Maths in SSC

Career Specific Interests: Biki wants to study computer science and become a software engineer. Role Model: He looks up to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose as a role model because of the passion that he had shown during the independence struggle. He also reveres him as he was Bengali (which is Bikis native state). Hobbies: He is interested in sports (especially football). He also collects coins and listens to a lot of Bollywood music.

Notes Although a bright student by any means, Biki is struggling right now. The probable reasons are him having missed many of his classes because he went to his hometown in the middle of the term. For this reason, he has always been left to play the catching game. The mentor has worked very hard on him. He now realizes his mistakes and is determined to perform much better and study harder. If this thing comes true, I am sure we will see a different Biki than what his present marks show.

Dabir Mohammed School: Anjuman I Islam Allana SSC Overall %: 94 SSC Math %: 98 SSC Science %: 97 Family Background: His father runs a small business in garments. He is SSC passed and his mother is a housewife. His brother is doing a diploma in Mechanical Engineering and sister is studying in medical college. Distinctions: y Best student award in 5th standard. y School topper in SSC boards. Career Specific Interests: Wants to become an electrical engineer. Role Model (& Why): Isaac Newton. His power of thinking and the laws he gave to this world. Hobbies: Reading. He also plays lots of outdoor games. Notes He is a smart guy. For the upliftment of his familys economic status he wants to be an engineer. He is really passionate about the technological equipments. From primary school itself he has involved himself in every kind of activities like sports, singing and quizzing. He is very hard working. He loves innovative ideas. When he joined the program, he had great difficulty in conversing in English. We got him enrolled into an English program and the result today, due to his hard work is that he comfortably speaks in English. All his inhibitions are gone. Other thing; he is very shy and does not asks questions even when he does not understand something. We are working hard on this aspect of this. Once he feels confident enough, I am sure he will have a good chance of clearing JEE because of his persistent hard work and sincerity.

Rahul Natu School: I E S Digambar Patkar Vidyalaya SSC Overall %: 89 SSC Math %: 98 SSC Science %: 86 Family Background: His father works at BioMed limited. His parents are both qualified graduates and his sister too has completed her BBA Distinctions: y MTSE passed.

Career Specific Interests: Computer or Software Engineer. Role Model Ajinkya Bapat (his cousin who is presently in IIT Mumbai) Hobbies: Playing, reading. Notes He is a gifted talent. Very sharp and fast, he is just a treat for any mentor. It comes as no surprise that from primary school itself he has interest in Robotics. He wants to make robots. He uses his leisure time in science centre with friends and not in front of TV. He is always in search of alternate methods for a problem that defines his innovative idea. He is really very keen and talented .His confidence level is very appreciating.