Country’s topper, city’s pride
Bhartesh Singh Thakur
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 10
City lad Pranav Goyal (17) has bagged all-India rank (AIR) 1 in the Joint Entrance Examination (Advanced)-2018.
The results of the JEE (Advanced), an entrance test for admission to engineering, science and architecture in the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), were declared on Sunday. Pranav had bagged AIR 4 in the JEE (Main).
“At 9.50 am, the Director of the IIT, Kanpur, called me up to inform that Pranav had bagged AIR 1. We were not expecting it. We were hoping that that he would be among the top 10,” said Pankaj Goyal, Pranav’s father. The IIT, Kanpur, had conducted the JEE (Advanced).
“You have to be focused. It is not about the number of hours you are putting in. You have to trust the teachers; their methods are important,” said Pranav, who used to put in about 10 hours daily — four to five hours in coaching classes and five to six hours of self-study.
“Coaching is important. The physics and mathematics questions in the JEE (Advanced) are beyond NCERT books. Tuitions are necessary to clear it,” he said. By September 2017, he had completed the syllabus and after that he started the revision.
Pranav wants to study computer science at the IIT, Bombay. “I want to start my own business one day. It will be a technology-based enterprise,” he said. He did his Class XII from Bhavan Vidyalaya, Panchkula, and topped the non-medical stream in the tricity with 97.2 per cent marks. He did his Class X from Delhi
Public School, Chandigarh, with a CGPA of 10. Before that, he studied at Bengaluru, Kolkata and Guwahati because of his father’s touring job.
His other achievements included clearing the National Talent Search Examination (NTSE), the Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY), the Indian National Mathematics Olympiad, the Indian National Physics Olympiad, the Indian National Chemistry Olympiad and the Indian National Astronomy Olympiad.
‘Teachers helped me’
Pranav has scored 337 out of 360, with 117 in physics, 114 in chemistry and 106 in mathematics. He finds chemistry the toughest. “It is because a large part of it has to learnt by rote, particularly inorganic chemistry. However, my teachers helped me,” he said.
“Right from the start, I have been interested in physics and mathematics. My grandfather Raj Kumar Goyal retired as a physics professor. He inspired me,” said Pranav. He is fond of reading mythology novels. “Amish Tripathy is my favourite author. I listen to Punjabi and Hindi songs too,” he said. Pranav’s parents Pankaj Goyal and Mamta Goyal are into the pharmaceutical business. The family resides in Sector 15, Chandigarh.
“Whenever I used to go for parent-teacher meetings in his schools, I was told that my son was very good. I couldn’t sleep the night preceding the results,” said Mamta Goyal. “I have always supported Pranav in whatever he wants to do,” said Pankaj Goyal.
Goal
I want to study computer science at the IIT, Bombay. I want to start my own business one day. It will be a technology-based enterprise.
Inspiration factor
My grandfather retired as a physics professor. He inspired me. — Pranav Goyal
