Son of a migrant labourer studying at IIT Roorkee wins Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma Gold Medal and a scholarship to study in the United States 

Rahul Kumar, 22, the son of a migrant worker from Sosandi, a nondescript village in Bihar's Nalanda district, has graduated from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee, one of the premier educational institutes in the country.

Kumar's 52-year-old father Sunil Singh works on a power loom in Surat on a daily wage basis. He was compelled to shift to Gujarat since the small piece of land that the family owns in Bihar wasn't sufficient for him and his four siblings to earn a living.

During the annual convocation of the institute held via digital mode, Rahul, who completed his BTech in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, was awarded the President's Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma Gold Medal for his social initiatives.

Apart from being academically brilliant, Rahul has always been inclined towards the welfare of society and his zeal led him to become the General Secretary of National Service Scheme (NSS), IIT Roorkee.

Kumar has now won a scholarship to pursue his PhD at the University of Utah, United States and teach there as an assistant professor.

"With his great leadership and managerial skills, he led a team of around 1,000 students and liaised with several college administrations, government officers, and NGOs in carrying out various events. His various initiatives in the field of Youth Leadership has been widely acknowledged through awards and honours across platforms," says Professor Ajit K Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee.

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