21-Year-Old Labourer Earning INR 300 A Day Cracks NEET; Completed His Dream Of Becoming A Doctor

In viral videos posted by Physics Wallah (PW), Alakh sir visits Sarfaraz, the 21-year-old labourer who has cracked NEET examination with a score of 677 out of 720. Alakh sir can be seen advocating for underprivileged students, he says “paise ke aabhav mei bhed bhav aa jata hai, ek baacha seher ke AC room mei baith kar padai kar raha hai, aur eek bacha yaha pathar baalu utha kar padai kar rha hai”(lack of money causes indifference, a student lives in city and studies in an AC room another one picks up stones and perform labor to study.) He was interacting with media in West Bengal where he praises the young labourer who cleared the NEET examination and says “Boxing ring ke andar ek aisa boxer hai Sarfaraz jiska ek hath peeche baandh diya hai aur bola jao ladh ke aajao aur uske baad bhi wo jeet kar aajata hai” (In the boxing ring, there is a boxer whose one hand is tied behind his back, and he is told to go and fight. Even then, he returns victorious). The video has garnered 1.3M views and 100k likes so far.

Today, Sarfaraz is seen by his fellow villagers as an inspiration, someone who is helping guide many young children in the village.

Sarfaraz has shared his story with Alakh sir, recalling how he has been lifting 400 bricks daily for the past two years to support his family. He works from 6 AM to 2 PM to pay his college fees. Sarfaraz also opened up about being bullied and became emotional as he shared, “Sir, aas-paas ke log bolte hain, itni padhai karne ke baad bhi yeh kaam kar raha hai” (Sir, the people around me used to say, despite studying so much, I am still working as a labourer). The video of this heartfelt interaction has garnered 5.3 million views and 504k likes so far.

Sarfaraz lives in a house built under the PM Awas Yojana and works alongside his father as a labourer to support his mother and a younger sibling. His mother while speaking to Alakh sir recalls “hamare ghar ki chath nhi thi, Sarfaraz ko raat mei padte hue thandi na lag jaye isilye mai iske saath raat tak baithti thi’ (Our house did not have roof and to make sure Sarfaraz does not get cold I used to sit with all night). The video garnered 7.2 million views and 416k likes so far.

Sarfaraz has dreamed of joining the NDA since 10th grade, but financial constraints held him back. He recalls borrowing a phone from his teacher to watch videos and prepare for the examination. Although he cleared the first phase in 2022, an accident a month before the interview did not let him qualify for the final stage. During the Covid-19 pandemic, things changed. With monetary support from the government, he purchased a phone and decided to prepare for the NEET examination. He started by watching YouTube videos by Alakh sir and later enrolled in a Physics Wallah course after waiting for discounts.

His journey, however, was filled with setbacks. After clearing the NEET 2023 examination, Sarfaraz joined a dental college but had to quit as the college did not have hostel facilities and he did not have money to make daily end meet. Despite these challenges, Sarfaraz remained determined to become a doctor. A year later, he cleared the NEET 2024 examination and is set to join Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College in Kolkata.

Sarfaraz prepared for NEET from a phone that had a broken screen, and he continued to use it despite its condition. Moved by his resilience, Physics Wallah founder Alakh Pandey extended support by gifting him a new phone, lending INR 5 lakh to Sarfaraz and promised to cover his college fees. Alakh sir said, “Ye 5 lakh rupay tohfa nahi, loan hai. Isko future mei kisi dusre zaruratmand Sarfaraz ki madad karke lautana hai” (This INR 5 lakh is not a gift but a loan; repay it by helping another needy person like Sarfaraz in the future). The video has gone viral on Instagram and garnered 10.6M views, and 1.2M likes so far.