Pazhayangadi, Kannur: Engineering was never a dream Yadukrishnan thought he could afford. Raised in the modest surroundings of Pallikkara in Pazhayangadi in Kannur, he pursued his ambitions not through expensive entrance coaching, but with determination, and a smartphone.

Spending nearly six hours a day on YouTube lessons, 22-year-old KP Yadukrishnan has now secured a place at IIT Roorkee, ranked 3000 in the OEC (Other Eligible Communities) category of the JEE Advanced. Now, he plans to pursue Electronics and Communication Engineering.

Yadu is the only son of Rajesan, a fisherman, and Suju, a tailor employed at a private firm in Kannur. He began schooling at Fazal E Omar Public School in Pazhayangadi, continuing up to class VII, and later completed higher secondary at Cherukunnu Government Welfare Higher Secondary School. Following this, he pursued a two-year diploma in Mechatronics at Kannur Government ITI.

With no means to afford paid coaching, he relied solely on freely available online resources, mock tests, model papers, and he deliberately followed previous years’ question papers. After qualifying JEE Main he gained confidence. His friends Ebin and Shyamprasad, encouraged him to attempt JEE Advanced.

The family continues to carry the burden of a housing loan for their five-cent plot. Their home, built with roughly hewn stone, remains unfinished. “My goal is to complete my course with distinction and help to repay the debt. I want to finish the completion of my home,” Yadu expresses his wish.