13-year-old clears his way to IIT entrance, again!

Tuulika Misra

‘It always seems impossible until it’s done’ stated Nelson Mandela. Well! Satyam Kumar, has brought the golden words to life, for at a tender age of 13 the spirited lad has stormed into IIT, an accomplishment that would be a far-fetched dream for numerous under-grads.

Born to a farmer family, Satyam’s undying passion for studies has bestowed him the title of a child prodigy today. A fan of Sci-Fi thrillers and Physics, Satyam aims to make it big in the field of technology. Satyam pours his heart out about his journey so far, his stint at Resonance Institute under his mentor R K Verma and what he yearns to be.

I did not have the privilege of studying in a school till the age of seven; all that I learnt was taught to me by my uncle (he could recite Ramayana, Geeta at the age of 4). It was only when I turned 8 that I met my mentor Mr R K Verma and was admitted straight to class 9th.

Yes, I appeared last year too but I wasn’t too satisfied with my rank, thus I decided to appear for this exam this time too. Yes it was more difficult this year, but I was sure I would clear it.

I aim to study at IIT Kharagpur and the stream of my choice would be Computer Science and Engineering.

I come from a village in Bihar called Bakhorapur. While my father is a farmer, my mother is a housewife. I have a younger brother studying in 8^th standard. My family has always been very supportive and always believed in me.

I have appeared for BITSAT, where I scored 320/450, I also appeared for RPET, where I scored 104/120 and JEE Mains, where I scored 292/360.

Satyam’s mentor, R K Verma, MD at Resonance Institute met him when Satyam was just 7 years old. “I was astounded to witness his incredible memorising power, his ability to grasp things, which people double his age would find difficult to, and the lad’s analytical mind impressed me. That is when I decided to take care of his studies and train him.”

He shares about the beginning of Satyam’s success story, “It was his uncle, who got him to me. I was pleased to meet him and thought of what is the best I could do for him. Though he was already recognised due to his unique talent, he hadn’t attended any kind of schooling and didn’t have a school certificate. So we began training him in subjects like English, Hindi, and Social Studies etc. I later spoke to the District Education Officer and got him admitted in Modern School, Kota, where he completed his 9^th, 10^th, 11^th and 12^th. We simultaneously trained him for his IIT Entrance at Resonance Institute.”