He reminds you of Shah Rukh Khan's character in the movie Swades; 'Mohan' quit his job at NASA to light a lamp in a remote Indian village. The lack of energy resources in India bothers this year's IIT-Bombay topper too. Shreerang Sharad Chhatre vows he will apply his technical skills to bring light to countless rural homes in India.
Speaking to rediff.com on the sidelines of IIT-B's 45th convocation last week, Shreerang, winner of the Institute's Gold Medal, B Tech Dual Degree, spoke about what it takes to be an IIT topper.
"It feels great to have won the gold medal. It's a top-of-the-world feeling. For the last one year, I have had a hunch that I might just win it. Studies were my only priority. I was studying hard, very hard. Thankfully, my efforts have paid off."
'Get your basics right, your fundamentals error-free'
Steel baron Laxmi Narain Mittal, the guest of honour at the convocation, awards Shreerang his medal.
If you ask me what has led to my success, I would say dedication and sincerity. I have always been a very sincere student. And I have always been very attentive in class; I learned a lot listening to lectures."
I believe that one can be well-behaved and focussed in the classroom, as well as playful and fun-loving at the same time."
"I never studied for long hours at a stretch at the cost of a good night's sleep and rest. But I have been very regular and disciplined. My success mantra is: Get your basics right, your fundamentals error-free and success is bound to follow."
"I am indebted to a lot of people for having inspired me. I can't help thanking my parents and my teachers. But the person who inculcated in me the zeal to win is Krishnamurthy Iyer -- my roommate and winner of the same medal last year. It's he who taught me to dream of being an IIT topper some day. We had a great time together at the hostel and I shall be ever grateful to him for his support and more importantly, for being a person I could look up to and idolise."
"The next person I want to thank is my mother, Smita Chhatre. She is the best mother and the best teacher one could ever have. I owe this medal, this success to her. I am amazed at the way she handles household chores and responsibilities without ever sacrificing her duties as a teacher." (His mother trains IIT aspirants at a private coaching centre in Mumbai).
'Learn from your failures. They are the pillars of success'
For those who aspire to an academic career as brilliant as Shreerang's, he offers Get Ahead readers some valuable tips:
# Be sincere: There is no short-cut to success. To be good in studies, you have to be sincere.
# Have faith: In your abilities, in your teachers, mentors and in God.
# Learn from your failures. They are the pillars of success. It feels great to succeed but even if you don't, that's just not the end of the world.
# Be patient: You need to wait to taste the fruit of success.
# Be choosy: Opportunities come aplenty at IIT. But one needs to be careful while making a choice. For that, one needs to have a thorough understanding of one's strengths and weaknesses.
# Be disciplined: Be it studies at the IIT or a career post-IIT, discipline is the key to success. The path may seem difficult at times, but a systematic approach to problems will always bring positive results.
Born and brought up in Mumbai, Shreerang will leave for MIT (the world famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology) next fortnight, where he plans to do his PhD.
He dreams of floating a company in India, which will do substantial work in the renewable energy sector.
We wish him all the best.
SOURCE: http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2007/aug/14slide4.htm