Ahad Tarade of Karnataka Law Society’s Gogte Institute of Technology, Belagavi, and Abhilash A.S. of Bangalore Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, bagged 13 and seven gold medals at the annual convocation of Visvesvaraya Technological University here on Saturday.
Ahad secured the first rank, the highest aggregate marks in all the semesters in B.E. Civil Engineering, the highest marks among the all rank holders in any branch of B.E., and the highest marks among students of engineering colleges affiliated to VTU. Abhilash secured first rank in B.E. Electrical and Electronics. But, their stories have nothing in common.
Ahad, a native of Chinchali village of backward Raibag taluk of Belagavi district, is the son of Husen Tarade, Joint Commissioner of Commercial Taxes at Belagavi, and Noorjahan, a home maker. He has been a meritorious student since his school days and has secured excellent marks in SSLC and PU examinations. He chose to study at GIT against the advice of his well-wishers and kept on scoring high marks in all semesters. To him, his parents have been a source of moral support. Ahad is now a student at IIM, Bengaluru.
He is looking forward to developing a dynamic combination of civil engineering and business management to use it to design affordable houses for middle class and poor families in his home district. However, he has also kept his option open on joining the Indian Engineering Service and is preparing for the competitive examination.
However, the life for Abhilash and his family had never been smooth. Yet, the inspiration by and dream of his mother to win at least one gold medal in school or college kept his morale high. His father Shivashankar was as an office assistant at St. Joseph’s Evening College, Bengaluru, and mother Sunanda used to weave flowers.
After his PU at the college where his father was an employee, he got admission at BIT where he completed the course with scholarship.
Abhilash turned emotional talking about his father who passed away only three months before the results of final B.E. exams were out. He was suffering from cancer and the family raised nearly Rs. 10 lakh loan for his treatment, in vain. Now, it is his responsibility to clear the debt.
Abhilash is now working with the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company at Bengaluru.
He wants to design a wireless electrical power transfer and also become an IAS officer to reach out to families who are struggling for survival.
