‘Fearless and composed’: JEE Advanced 2023 female topper inspired by Kalam’s words of wisdom

Hailing from Proddatur in the Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh, Bhavya’s father, Nagendra Kumar, teaches math at a government school in Chagalamarri, Nandyal district, while her mother, Indralatha, teaches physics at a government school in Proddatur. Showing aptitude in math, physics, and chemistry from an early age, Bhavya made the decision to prepare for the IIT in Class 8. For the past five years, she has been studying at Narayana Junior College in HITEC City, Hyderabad, dedicating approximately 12 to 13 hours per day to her studies.

“I firmly believe that success is 70% preparation and 30% temperament during the exam. I worked diligently on both aspects. I aimed to eliminate careless errors and thoroughly prepared myself. Math is my strongest subject. I owe my success to my parents and my institution, Narayana,” she affirmed. Bhavya was also selected as one of the four girls from the country to participate in the European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad in Slovenia in April 2023. “I focused on leveraging my strengths and paid no heed to challenges or weaknesses. Failure was never a consideration,” she added.

Nagendra Kumar, Bhavya’s father, emphasised, “She has always excelled academically, and she worked incredibly hard. As teachers, we never imposed any pressure on her; we allowed her to carve her own path. She knows what is best for her.” Based on recommendations from family friends and their own former students, they made the decision to send Bhavya to Hyderabad at the age of 12.

Having scored 298 out of 360 marks, Bhavya now aspires to pursue a BTech in computer science engineering from IIT Bombay. “My goal is to pursue higher studies abroad and envision myself as a mathematician researcher or an entrepreneur within the next ten years,” she revealed. Inspired by her journey, Bhavya’s sister is also motivated to chase her IIT dreams and is currently a 10th-grade student at Narayana School.