Meet NEET topper who cracked medical exam without coaching, her parents sold jewellery to support education, she is from...

This Delhi-based medical aspirant has always dreamed of becoming a cancer specialist, inspired by the loss of her grandmother to the disease. Despite her determination, her low-income background posed significant challenges. Defying adversity, she achieved a remarkable feat by securing the 3,032nd rank with a score of 500 marks in the SC category of NEET-UG 2021. We are talking about NEET topper Ritika Pal. 

Ritika, a diligent student at Sarvodya Kanya Vidyalaya, Molarband, faced formidable obstacles in her pursuit of becoming a doctor. Hailing from a low-income family, where her father toiled in an embroidery factory and her mother managed the household, Ritika's family struggled to make ends meet, making even the basics a daily challenge. Her father worked in an embroidery factory, and her mother was a homemaker, making everyday life a struggle.

Ritika adopted a self-study approach, and guidance from her teachers to prepare for the exam, forgoing traditional coaching classes. As Covid-19 hit her father lost his job, and she turned to YouTube videos to aid her studies but lacked a smartphone due to financial constraints. Her parents made a sacrificial decision: selling her mother's cherished jewellery, saved for Ritika's future wedding, to buy a smartphone and essential books to help her study. 

Ritika worked very hard and got excellent results - 98% in her 12th-grade exams.She secured a seat in a prestigious medical college after cracking the toughest NEET. Her family's financial situation has improved with her father's new job, and she is also contributing by coaching school students privately. 

She aims to support her family and eventually buy back the jewellery they sold to support her education. “My father is working hard to save money for my graduation, and I want to do my bit to add to the savings. I am sure I will make my parents proud in the coming years and buy back the jewellery we lost,” she told Better India.