Singing Shammi Kapoor songs while studying: How Pune’s Siddharth Athaley topped JEE Mains

He believes joy isn’t something that follows your work but is rather in doing the work. “If you enjoy it, it’s an unlimited source of happiness,” he says, describing his JEE preparations. “There’s always a book you haven’t tried, a problem you’ve been trying to crack for days.” For Siddharth, work itself is the reward.

When asked about the nature of entrance exams like JEE in India, Siddharth says he doesn’t believe they should be forced on anyone , but he feels there is a lot of misunderstanding surrounding the exams. “Anyone who is curious will like these entrance exams,” he says. “They just gauge your curiosity.” In his view, the problem isn’t the exam itself, but the absence of informed choice around it.

A student finishing Class 10, he argues, should take time to genuinely explore all available paths, not to avoid engineering, but to choose it knowingly, without any regret in future. The exam is only punishing when you arrive at it without wanting to be there.

His parents, for their part, offer him strong, silent support. They take cues from him: rest when he needs rest, celebrate when he allows it. “We never count how many hours he studies. He studies for as long as he’s happy doing so — some days it’s many hours at a time, some days it’s not so much and that’s completely okay. He maintains regularity, that’s the important thing,” said his mother, Prajakta.

Siddharth learned that taking breaks matters, “not as indulgence, but as maintenance”. “If you take a break, don’t feel guilty,” he says, “And if you’re studying, don’t feel tired.”

The big exam still lies ahead, with JEE Advanced scheduled on May 17. He looks forward to getting back to physical exercise after his JEE Advanced paper, given that after singing his next love is cricket.