Barwani: At what was possibly the lowest point of his young life, Chetan Solanki, an 18-year-old from Madhya Pradesh's Barwani district, replayed the inspiring scenes from '12th Fail', the acclaimed 2023 film that depicts the journey of Manoj Kumar Sharma to the Indian Police Service. Overcoming financial challenges and academic setbacks, Chetan scripted his own remarkable comeback story.
After failing to clear his Class 12 board exams, Chetan returned home to Khutwadi in Warla tehsil, a village about 100 km from the district headquarters. Instead of giving up, he resolved to rise again. The teen has now secured a rank of 1,309 in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced, earning a seat at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur in the Agriculture and Food Engineering course, allotted on Sunday.
The journey to his goal, which echoes the reel world, still feels unreal to Chetan's family. He wrote his Class 12 board papers at Shramodaya Awasiya Vidyalaya in Betma, Indore. However, failing only the second public exam of his life was a heavy blow. "Failing Class 12 deeply affected him. He came back home and practically locked himself in a room," said Omkar Solanki, his uncle, a civil engineer.
Inside that room, Chetan turned to the internet—the only resource available. With no coaching institute, study group, or city library, he used online courses and self-directed study to clear his Class 12 exam and then prepare for the JEE Advanced, one of India's toughest engineering entrance tests. This was no easy task in Khutwadi, a village with poor internet connectivity and erratic electricity. He also helped his father, Kamal Solanki, a farmer, with agricultural work when needed.
"Through online courses and self-study, he not only cleared Class 12 but also secured admission to IIT," Omkar Solanki said proudly. Chetan's family has always emphasized education despite financial constraints. His uncle built his career after working as a truck driver, and his aunt serves as an agriculture extension officer.
When Chetan failed Class 12, the family told him not to take pressure. "We told him that even if he didn't crack IIT, he could still contribute to farming. At that time, cracking IIT seemed highly unlikely, but he proved everyone wrong through sheer hard work," Solanki said.
Choosing his engineering specialization, Chetan opted for Agricultural Engineering, a field tied to his upbringing. "My uncle pursued engineering and later worked in agricultural exports. I also want to use my education to benefit farming and farmers," Chetan said.
Now, the 18-year-old has set big goals. He dreams of becoming an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer but sees his engineering education as purposeful. Chetan revealed that watching '12th Fail' felt deeply personal and resonated with him.
Looking back, his family views his Class 12 failure not as a wound but as a revelation. "If he had not failed, perhaps we would never have realized his determination. We now believe he can even join the civil service," a family member said.
Chetan is set to join IIT Kharagpur next month, keeping his head down and ready for the next chapter, which began in a locked room in a remote tribal village.
