21-Year-Old Bengal Man Who Worked As Labourer Cracks NEET 2024, Internet Salutes Him

Forced to work as a daily labourer to support his family, a youth from West Bengal has successfully cracked the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test 2024, or NEET-UG, with impressive scores of 677 out of 720. The story of Sarfaraz, a 21-year-old labourer from a West Bengal village, has gone viral, with videos shared by Physics Wallah’s founder, Alakh Pandey. Sheikh Sarfaraz’s story of resilience and determination has touched millions across social media as he leads the journey from carrying bricks every day to securing a spot at the prestigious Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College in Kolkata.

Sarfaraz, who lives with his family in a house built under the PM Awas Yojana, used to work hard with his father to financially support his family, while also preparing for his entrance exam. The 21-year-old also revealed that he would work eight hours a day and would study in the evening, despite the backbreaking labour of lifting 200 to 400 bricks on a regular basis.

In one of the videos, Sarfaraz’s mother also recalled how he would study in a house without a roof and would sit in the cold all night. “We did not have a roof over our head. To make sure that he doesn’t catch a cold, I would sit outside with him the whole night,” she said.

In another video, Sarfaraz recalled how people would often mock him for working as a labourer despite being an educated person. “People around me used to say that I am still working as a labourer after studying so much,” he said, getting visibly emotional.

Despite the hardships, Sarfaraz’s luck witnessed a turn during the COVID-19 pandemic when he purchased a phone and started studying on YouTube through Physics Wallah’s videos. Later, he also enrolled in a PW course with discounts and studied with a phone with a broken screen. Sarfaraz initially joined a dental college in 2023 but had to drop out due to financial constraints. He made another attempt in 2024 and emerged victorious.

Moved by Sarfaraz’s efforts, Alakh Pandey not only supported him by giving him a new phone but also offered to pay Rs 5 lakh for his college fees. “This 5 lakhs is not a gift but a loan. You have to repay it by helping another needy person like you in the future,” Pandey said.