From Nobel Laureate to Badminton Coach, Meet Successful Personalities Who Could Not Fulfil Their IIT Dream

Not everyone can make it to the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), some either fail at the entrance exam or even drop out after getting into one. But that doesn’t mean they will be left behind in life. From Nobel Laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan to founder of OYO, Ritesh Agarwal, here are a few people who were unable to continue their IIT journey, yet made it big in life.

These personalities are an inspiration for those who have not been able to crack their IIT entrance.

Prashant Bhushan

A dropout of IIT Madras , Bhushan is a well-known lawyer and politician. He later went on to study law at Allahabad University. He dropped out of the IIT in the very first semester. The son of a lawyer-activist, Bhushan was a member of the India Against Corruption (IAC) movement which supported Anna Hazare’s campaign for the implementation of the Jan Lokpal Bill. He is also one of the founding members of the Aam Aadmi Party.

Nobel Laureate Venkataraman Ramakrishnan

A well-known India-born British American biologist, Ramakrishnan had failed to clear the IIT entrance. He also could not clear the Christian Medical College Vellore entrance exam either. He later went on to pursue BSc in physics at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. He is the winner of the Nobel Prize in 2009 for his work on the atomic structure of the ribosome. He is also a Padma Vibhushan awardee in 2010.

Pullela Gopichand

Like Ramakrishnan, Gopichand failed to clear the IIT entrance exam. Thereafter, he put his focus more on his badminton. He later won the All England Open Badminton Championships in 2001 thus becoming the second Indian to achieve the feat after Prakash Padukone. He completed his graduation in public administration from AV College, Hyderabad. Currently, he is the coach of the India national badminton team. He has also been awarded the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, and Arjuna Award.

Ritesh Agarwal

Agarwal founded OYO in 2013 at the age of 19. He couldn’t clear the IIT entrance either but that didn’t stop him from achieving his dreams. Hailing from Odisha, his family used to run a small shop there. He was later selected for the Thiel Fellowship in 2013. He is currently one of the youngest billionaires in India. He began his entrepreneurial journey while in class 8 selling sim cards.

Read all the Latest News , Breaking News and IPL 2022 Live Updates here.