Guwahati: In a village where evenings still fall without electricity and phone signals come only after a walk to the roadside, 18-year-old Bishu Limbu kept chasing a dream far bigger than his circumstances — to become a doctor.Bishu, from No. 2 Nakong Pathar village in Tinsukia district near the Arunachal Pradesh border, scored 610 in NEET and secured an all-India rank of 7,320, brightening his chances of admission to a govt medical college in Assam.His father, Foude Limbu, is a farmer with less than a bigha of agricultural land and sells vegetables at local markets. His mother, Om Kumari Limbu, works in paddy fields and sometimes as a daily wager in nearby tea gardens. The family still lives in a leaf-roofed kutcha house with no electricity connection or reliable mobile network.With internet access scarce, Bishu often walked to a nearby road to catch a weak signal and download study material. A scholarship from a private educational institution in Digboi helped him complete Classes XI and XII at RD Senior Secondary School and stay focused on medicine.“We do not have an electricity connection because we cannot pay the bills regularly. How will we pay his fees now? Without regular electricity or internet access at home, our boy dreamt of being a doctor, and our greatest satisfaction is that he is happy with the results,” Om Kumari told TOI on the phone.She said the family barely understood the scale of the exam until the results came. “Only Bishu knows the importance of success. We did not even know what examination it was,” she added.Bishu began at Rajnagar Bajnath LP School and later studied at Janajati High School in Ketetong, 2-3 km from his village, before moving to Digboi. Even after his scholarship, he depended on relatives for rent and basic expenses.“My education was free post-matriculation. However, I had to live in rented accommodation. My parents did not have enough money to pay for my expenses regularly. With the help of some relatives, I could finish my studies after facing acute poverty at home,” said Bishu.He hopes to get into Gauhati Medical College, Assam Medical College or AIIMS-Guwahati. “I will try to get a seat at AIIMS-Guwahati,” he said.
