Jashandeep Singh Sappal: A first doctor in family

Amritsar, February 12

Jashandeep Singh Sappal, hailing from Tarn Taran, has managed to secure admission to AIIMS, Bathinda, after the results of first round of counselling for NEET-2021 were announced.

Jashandeep, who comes from a family of teachers, will be the first doctor in his family, a feat he is enjoying more than securing the seat.

“I feel relaxed as if a burden has been lifted off. My parents would have been content even if I secured admission to a government medical college. But when I told them that I am going to AIIMS, they were on cloud nine,” he said. A student of Sidana International School, Amritsar, Jashandeep secured 665 marks in NEET and the long wait for counselling made him weary.

“First the exam was delayed due to the pandemic and to add to that the uncertainty about the counselling drained me mentally. I was sure of a good result, but never really had set goals to avoid demotivation later. This definitely gave my family a reason to celebrate,” he said.

He wants to become a cardiologist. His father Amarjit Singh and mother Mandeep Kaur are both head teachers in government primary schools in Tarn Taran.

He shared how he got Covid three months before taking the NEET. “It took me a long time to recover from Covid. I also had no idea about the coaching required for preparing for the exam. What kept me focussed was the fact that I always wanted to pursue a profession where I could serve people,” he said.

Other students from his school, who managed to secure admissions to prestigious medical colleges are Reihan Kaur and Akshat Arora, who got in GMC, Amritsar. Anmol Singh Sandhu, also from Sidana International School, got admission to GMCH, Chandigarh, while Arushi got admission to PGI Chandigarh for her B Sc Nursing.