Patna: The sons and daughters of daily wage labourers and a landless farmer, among others, have cracked the highly-competitive IIT-JEE exam this year thanks to a free coaching centre for underprivileged students in Bihar.

Wards of poorest of the poor comprise 27 of the 30 students of the Super 30 institute to pass the exam for entrance into the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

Among them is Sudhir Kumar, a cobbler’s son who himself polished shoes in Biharsharif, the district headquarters of Nalanda, to eke out a living.

“One day, I polished shoes of a man and when I asked for money, he abused me and walked away. I was seething with anger, but my father told me to calm down and said that the best way to take revenge was to acquire real power through education,” said Sudhir, who used to aid his father in his work.

The insult became a motivating factor for Sudhir, who desired to become an engineer.