Hailing from Malerkotla, a town that doesn’t boast of great educational and other basic amenities, Pranjal Aggarwal has made it big by being the all-India topper among girls with an All India Rank (AIR) 4 in the NEET UG results declared late on Tuesday. Since her town lacks sound educational facilities, the 18-year-old did her schooling from Delhi Public School, Dhuri and started preparing for NEET two years ago in class 11 after enrolling with Helix Coaching Institute, Chandigarh. The only woman among top 10 in the country, Pranjal, while speaking to The Indian Express, said: “I come from Malerkotla, which is actually a small town in Punjab. We do not have excellent schools or colleges here. So my parents shifted me DPS Dhuri so that I get good schooling”. “I can proudly say anyone who has the will and determination can do big in life. It doesn’t really matter you come from which place. Considering the super fast technology and reach we have in current times, anyone can prepare living anywhere.” While her father Vikas Aggarwal is a cloth trader, her mother Monika is a homemaker-cum-businesswoman. “My daughter was very bright since beginning… par ye nahi pata tha ki rabb aise bhi duyaein sunta hai.. (I never knew God listens to our prayers like this),” elated Monika said. NEET UG 2023 Toppers | AIR 1 | AIR 4| AIR 5 | AIR 8 | AIR 7 |AIR 10 | AIR 11 | Overall result | Tie-breaker | Analysis Explaining how she prepared for the exam, Pranjal has an advice for upcoming aspirants too: Skip any book, but not NCERT. “You get direct questions from NCERT in paper. I have come across many candidates who did only NCERT and have scored excellent,” she said, adding that she used to juggle between online and offline classes for private coaching depending on her school’s schedule. “I was regular at school also. I did not miss school due to private coaching,” Pranjal said. Apart from studying, Pranjal loves painting and dancing, but in the last two years, she was focused on NEET. She is not fond of social media too. “I am not on social media but instead liked travelling and watching movies to take a break from studies,” Pranjal said. “I aim to be a cardiologist or a neurosurgeon,” she said, adding that now she is aiming to take admission in AIIMS Delhi. Last night when results were declared, Pranjal was out for dinner with family when she started receiving calls after calls. “I couldn’t believe at first when institute told me that I have topped among women in entire country. This wasn’t expected,” she said.
