Labourer’s Son Cracks NEET-UG 2026
When the NEET-UG 2026 results were declared late on Thursday night, life took a turn for the better for Suraj Saini, a 19-year-old student from Rajasthan’s Bundi district; After spending years using brushes to whitewash rural houses for a living, he is now ready to become a doctor and hold a stethoscope instead. Suraj, who lives in Bundi’s Kapren town, cracked the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET), securing an impressive 99.16 percentile with 583 marks. He secured 16569 in the All India Rank and 7800 in the OBC category rank, which earned him admission in a prestigious government medical college.
For Suraj, a student of the Allen Career Institute in Kota, this achievement is much more than an academic milestone; it’s a lifeline from a difficult childhood marked by financial difficulties and parents’ separation.
His story is one of relentless courage and his family’s tireless fight to change their lives for the better. Suraj lives with his mother Ghisi Bai, an agricultural worker, and his younger sister Garima, who had to drop out of school due to the family’s financial situation. His father lives separately.
Suraj studied up to Class 8 in a government school in Kapren. Following the separation of his parents, he moved with his mother and sister to his maternal grandparents’ house in Alkodia village in Talera, where he was enrolled in Grade 9 at a local school.
Despite the challenges, Suraj never let his academic focus slip; He scored 87 percent in Class 10 and 85 percent in Class 12. Inspired by his aunt, an ANO nurse in Jodhpur’s health department, Suraj took up Biology and aspired to become a doctor.
But covering basic daily expenses was a constant struggle for the family. Instead of succumbing to the adverse situation, Suraj learned the trade of house painting under the tutelage of his uncle. He spent his holidays and after-school hours working as a whitewasher, thus helping his mother keep the household afloat.
Due to financial difficulties, her younger sister Garima had to quit her education after Grade 8 and join their mother in the fields.
Suraj said that in his early years, the image of his mother working hard in the fields all day long motivated him.
“I wanted to save my family from poverty and troubles,” said Suraj, and continued: “Due to our difficult conditions, my sister had to give up her education. However, I will ensure that she continues her education.”
Reflecting on the family’s struggle, Suraj shared how deeply involved he was in building their lives. “My mother was the money I saved from working in the fields and I earned from whitewashing. A few years ago, we built our own house with two rooms and a veranda in the village of Alkodia. I painted the whole house myself.”
Suraj said he would not have cleared the exam if not for the Shiksha Sambal program of Allen Career Institute and LN Maheshwari Parmarth (Charitable) Foundation, Kota. The program provided free coaching and accommodation to underprivileged students.
He first attempted NEET in 2024 when he was in Class 12. He then spent a year studying on his own at home and took the exam again in 2025. But the turning point came only when he qualified for the institute’s Shiksha Sambal program. He passed the test on his third try this year.
“Shiksha Sambal has truly become the true support of my life,” said Suraj, who got emotional while talking to PTI. “Without this program, I probably would never have passed the test.”
Naveen Maheshwari, director of the Allen Career Institute and member of the board of trustees of the LN Maheshwari Philanthropic Trust, congratulated Suraj and stated that stories like his fully vindicate the purpose of the Shiksha Sambal programme.
“Students from Hindi medium government schools are often left behind due to lack of opportunities and resources. We have launched this program especially for them. It is gratifying to see such positive results,” Maheshwari said. he said.
