Meet Piyush Goyal, the 18 year old who cracked IIT JEE, studying from jail

For the last two years, Piyush Goyal had been studying hard- being an engineering aspirant. However, he was studying at the Open Jail in Kota, where his father is a convict. A convict in a murder case, his father Phool Chand Goyal’s resources were thin – which is also why Piyush could not afford to stay in a hostel in the city and study. But the 18-year-old, earned the 453rd rank in the engineering entrance exams.

“The jail is not so bad,” Piyush told NDTV. “People think the atmosphere is very bad here, but that is not so. Today I have fulfilled my father’s dream. He showed great courage by keeping me here and funding my studies,” Piyush added. Phool Chand is close to finishing his 14-year jail sentence and has been allowed to live in an open jail, a correctional facility where he can go out of the campus for work, but has to be back in his cell by evening. Piyush has been living with him for the last two years.

So far he has funded Piyush’s studies from the Rs 12,000 salary he got from working at a shop in the city. Though he could not afford a hostel, he managed to send his son to “Vibrant” — a coaching institute in Kota. “It was difficult to study here,” said Phool Chand. “But I have to say the jail administration co-operated. The guards who are here on duty, especially the younger ones, would encourage my son.”

Inspired by Piyush’s success, the administration said it hoped to increase its facilities for inmates, especially those in open jails. “We are happy that he has made a success, despite such adverse circumstances,” said Jail Superintendent Shankar Singh.

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