Over 40 students from Patwa Toli, a neighbourhood in the Gaya district, Bihar, have qualified in the Joint Entrance Exam Main Examination 2025 Session 2 (JEE Main 2025 Session 2).

Of these, 28 students belong to Vriksha Sansthan, an organisation run by former Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) students that provides free coaching to children of weavers and low-income families.

This feat reinforces Patwa Toli's reputation as a hub of engineering talent.

When Jitendra Kumar Patwa became the first resident of the neighbourhood to get admitted to an IIT in 1991, Patwa Toli began its journey to becoming a hub for engineers, India Today reports.

Patwa now resides in the United States and operates his non-profit organisation, Vriksh: We The Change, to help youngsters from his community. In Patwa Toli, the IIT dream has since spread like wildfire.

Most of the toppers from the village this year studied at Vriksha Sansthan, which has been providing free coaching and study materials financed by IIT grads since 2013. Classes are taught online by IIT graduates from cities such as Delhi and Mumbai.

The village, which has a population of over 20,000 people, was formerly renowned as the Manchester of Bihar for its textile industry.

Now, it produces dozens of engineers every year.

While most families still rely on weaving, their children are achieving new heights through education.