'IITs are India’s biggest social...': Investor shares story of hostel mate who went from slum to Google

Investor Aviral Bhatnagar on Monday shared a compelling success story of his IIT-Bombay hostel mate, Ashok Talpatra, to highlight how IITs serve as a powerful tool for social mobility in India. “Ashok Talpatra was my hostel mate at IIT-B. His parents earned less than ₹10K/month, and they lived in a slum for ₹500/month. He cracked AIR 63 out of 4.7L students and is now a Staff Software Engineer at Google in Zurich. IITs are India’s biggest social mobility enablers,” Bhatnagar wrote on X. 

He credited Dakshana, a Super 30-styled coaching program for underprivileged kids, for playing a crucial role in Ashok's journey from poverty to success. “Ashok has transformed the lives of his parents with talent and grit, creating what is generational wealth for his family's background. Incredible story, very humbling,” Bhatnagar wrote.

Bhatnagar's post triggered responses from other users who shared their own experiences of rising from modest backgrounds. 

Startup founder Atul Mehra weighed in, saying that state universities have also played a significant role in uplifting students from underprivileged backgrounds. “True. State univ are equally good too. My dad earned 6-8k + perks. My friend's dad earned 2k-5k. We lived in shared joint family. Today my friends make top 2-5% of US in Silicon Valley. We all went to state universities. We had no guidance to crack IITs. IT is gr8 leveler.”

However, not everyone agreed with Bhatnagar's assertion that IITs are the biggest social mobility enablers.

Sundar Raj, a social media user, argued that IITs have an extremely high entry barrier, making it difficult for students from economically weaker backgrounds to succeed. “IITs have a huge entry barrier that’s extremely hard for someone without resources to crack and enter. People spend lakhs on coaching and years preparing. Both time and money which are almost unavailable for poor,” he said.

Raj added that state colleges with government-backed fees, which admit students based on 12th-grade marks, are bigger drivers of social mobility than IITs. “School education is almost available to all. The diff in quality is still a concern but that’s the best given the situation,” he wrote.