Bandipora, Jammu and Kashmir: In the narrow lanes of Hajin town in Bandipora, a district 55 km north of Srinagar, a young boy named Mohammad Azhar nurtured a dream from childhood—the dream of entering one of India’s top engineering institute—the Indian Institutes of Technology or the IITs.
When he could not get admission to an IIT after his class 12 exams, Azhar joined the Central University of Kashmir to pursue a degree in physics, eventually completing both his bachelor’s and master’s there.
But the IIT dream remained alive.
Choosing physics as his academic path only deepened his aspiration to reach IIT someday—this time as a researcher.
After successfully qualifying the GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) exam with AIR 1800 in physics in 2024, Azhar focused all his energy on preparing for a PhD opportunity at IIT Jodhpur.
For nearly a year, he worked with unwavering determination.
Then came the moment he had been waiting for: an email from IIT Jodhpur. He had been shortlisted for an interview for the PhD program in physics, scheduled for 2 May 2025.
“It was the happiest moment of my life. I couldn’t believe my eyes,” said Azhar. “I always knew the hardest part was just getting shortlisted—the interview, I could handle. I had prepared for this day for a whole year.”
IIT Jodhpur had always been his top choice. He admired the faculty and found his research interests aligned with theirs. Among all his classmates, only two of them received an interview call from IIT Jodhpur — Azhar and his best friend.
“We were both thrilled,” said Azhar.
That joy did not last long.
This story was originally published in article-14.com. Read the full story here.
