In what could be considered the lowest point of his young life, 20-year-old Chetan Solanki from Barwani district in Madhya Pradesh found inspiration in the film '12th Fail'. The 2023 movie depicts the journey of Manoj Kumar Sharma, who overcame financial and academic hurdles to become an IPS officer. Chetan, too, scripted his own remarkable comeback story.
After failing his Class 12 board exams, Chetan returned to his home in Khutwadi village in Warla tehsil, about 100 km from Barwani district headquarters. Instead of giving up, he resolved to rise again. He has now secured rank 1,309 in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category in JEE Advanced and was allotted a seat at IIT Kharagpur in Agriculture and Food Engineering on Sunday.
Chetan's journey, reminiscent of reel-life struggles, feels surreal to his family. He wrote his Class 12 exams at Shramodaya Awasiya Vidyalaya in Betma, Indore. Failing the exam deeply affected him. According to his uncle Omkar Solanki, a civil engineer with a postgraduate diploma from Dubai who manages agricultural exports, Chetan locked himself in a room upon returning home. However, inside that room, he engaged in self-study using online courses, as he had no access to coaching institutes or libraries.
In Khutwadi, poor internet connectivity and erratic electricity supply posed daily challenges. Despite this, Chetan cleared his Class 12 exam and then prepared for JEE Advanced entirely through self-study. He also helped his father, Kamal Solanki, a farmer, with agricultural work when needed.
Chetan's family has always valued education despite financial constraints. His uncle worked as a truck driver before building his career, and his aunt is an agriculture extension officer. When Chetan failed, they encouraged him not to take pressure. "We told him that even if he didn't crack IIT, he could contribute to farming. Cracking IIT seemed unlikely, but he proved everyone wrong through hard work," Omkar Solanki said.
Chetan chose Agricultural Engineering, a field connected to his rural upbringing. "My uncle worked in agricultural exports. I want to use my education to benefit farming and farmers," he said. He now aims to become an IAS officer but sees his engineering degree as purposeful if that path doesn't open up. Chetan found the film '12th Fail' deeply personal and resonant.
His family views his Class 12 failure not as a wound but as a revelation. "If he hadn't failed, we might never have realized his determination. We now believe he can even join the civil service," a family member said. Chetan will join IIT Kharagpur next month, ready to write the next chapter of his life from a remote tribal village.
