This 17-year-old NDA topper chose serving the nation over IIT

The reason most people appear for IIT's entrance examination is to be able to study at one of the most prestigious institutes in the country. But 17-year-old Shivansh Joshi prepared for, wrote, and cleared the exams because he wanted to "serve the country."

Shivansh hails from Uttarakhand, where his father works as an executive at LIC and his mother is a school teacher. He grew up dreaming of serving the country, and his parents fully supported him. In an interview with India Today, he said,

"I am inspired by those who made the supreme sacrifice of their lives for our country. I too want to contribute to the development of my country. I can do that better as a man in uniform. I want to learn from the past and contribute to the future. We have a rich heritage and I want to build on that for a bright future."

Supportive as he was, Shivansh's father asked him to appear for the IIT entrance before the one for the National Defence Academy. He dutifully studied and cleared the JEE (Advanced), which made his entry into IIT a given. However, that's not where his heart was.

Hence, without wasting much time, Shivansh started preparing for NDA on his own, without attending any classes. Talking about his preparations, to India Times, he said,

"To improve my English, I took admission in a college in Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu, where the only way for me to have a conversation was in English. Improving my English gave me a lot more confidence."

Along with that, he was at home studying, playing football, and maintaining a well-balanced lifestyle as he believed maintaining a routine was crucial to clearing the exams. He cleared the NDA, coming out as the topper in his batch, and is now looking forward to doing his share for the nation he loves. He further added,

"It was always my dream to serve in the Army. To achieve this, I did whatever it took and will keep doing so even after getting commissioned."

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