For 18-year-old Prince Namdev, becoming a doctor wasn’t just an ambition, it was his family’s dream stitched together with paan, thread, and a whole lot of belief.
Hailing from Guna in Madhya Pradesh, Prince is the son of a small shopkeeper and a mother who does minor stitching work.
“They earn about 8,000 rupees a month,” he says quietly, “so it wasn’t very easy to spend money on coaching.”
His younger sister is still in school, and every rupee in the house counts. So when NEET preparation came into the picture, the family turned to his Nana-ji (maternal grandfather), a retired nurse assistant, who stepped in without hesitation.
THE START OF A DREAM
“I didn’t even know about NEET until I saw a video from Physics Wallah on YouTube in Class 10,” Prince recalls.
He began watching Biology lectures and was told about the exam by a ma’am during one of the sessions. That was the beginning.
“My Nana -ji helped pay for those online classes. He told me what it takes to become a doctor.”
In Class 11, Prince gave the PW scholarship test “last minute without studying” and didn’t score too well. But with a bit more direction, he gave it again in Class 12 and secured a 100% scholarship to PW Vidyapeeth in Kota.
“That helped a lot and took away some burden from my Nana ji,” he says.
The free tuition was a gamechanger — suddenly the impossible seemed within reach.
LIFE IN KOTA: EARLY MORNINGS AND NO SOCIAL MEDIA
In Kota, Prince settled into a routine that many toppers swear by: “Wake up at 4 am, study, attend classes till evening, dinner, revision, and then sleep by 10:30.” No Instagram, no distractions. “I stayed away from all social media. I knew that would waste my time.”
But it wasn’t all easy. Being away from home took a toll. “Whenever I got sad or tired, I’d call my parents or play some mobile games. It helped.”
Family was never far away, emotionally. “My parents never pressured me. They just wanted me to do my best.”
NANA-JI’S PRIDE, FAMILY’S JOY
Through it all, his Nana-ji stood like a rock — paying for his early education with pension money and guiding him through the maze of medical preparation.
“He’s so happy right now. He’s put my result on his WhatsApp status and is calling everyone to tell them,” Prince says with a shy smile.
Now that he’s bagged Rank 975, the goal is clear: “Like every other aspirant, I want to study at AIIMS.” He’s already thinking about postgraduate specialisation.
TO OTHERS LIKE HIM
Prince has a simple message for other small-town kids dreaming big: “Study well. Don’t take pressure. Take a lot of tests. Take breaks and stay in touch with family or friends.”
Dreams don’t need big wallets — sometimes they just need a Nana-ji, a scholarship, and a boy who is ready to wake up at 4 am to turn his dreams into reality.