Historic Achievement: Rajeshwari Becomes First Tribal Girl from Kalvarayan Hills to Crack IIT with AIR 417
In an inspiring tale of perseverance, 17-year-old A. Rajeshwari, a student from the Government Tribal Residential Higher Secondary School in Karumandurai (Salem district) Tamil Nadu, has made history by securing a seat in the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT). Hailing from the Malayali tribal community in the remote Kalvarayan Hills, Rajeshwari is the first student from a government tribal residential school under the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department to achieve this feat.
Despite losing her father, a tailor, to cancer a year-and-a-half ago, Rajeshwari excelled academically, scoring 521/600 in her Class XII exams and securing All India Rank (AIR) 417 in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category in JEE (Advanced) 2025. Her success is attributed to the dedicated coaching program initiated by the department, which brought expert teachers from Chennai for daily online sessions.
Rajeshwari, who studied in Tamil medium until Class XII, found JEE Mains easier due to the Tamil question paper but faced challenges with the English-based JEE Advanced. After her board exams, she underwent intensive training in Perundurai (Erode district), which helped her crack the exam. Aspiring to pursue Aerospace Engineering, she hopes to join IIT Madras or IIT Bombay.
Her headmaster, D. Vijayan, expressed immense pride, stating that her achievement is a beacon of hope for tribal students from remote areas. Rajeshwari’s journey proves that with proper guidance and determination, language and background are no barriers to success.
