Indore's SGSITS Graduate Joins ISRO After 8 Near-misses In Competitive Exams

SGSITS graduate joins ISRO after

8 near-misses in competitive exams

Tina Khatri

Indore

Abhigyan Purohit, an electrical engineering graduate from Shri Govindram Seksaria Institute of Technology and Science (SGSITS), Indore, has been selected as a scientist/engineer (Electrical) at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The selection marks a breakthrough after years of close misses in competitive examinations.

From repeated near-misses to a place in India’s premier space organisation, his journey reflects persistence shaped through setbacks and carried forward by steady support from family and friends. His selection came through the ISRO national-level recruitment process, which included a written examination and an interview for engineering graduates across the country.

For Purohit, the result is the end of a long phase of uncertainty where success often came close but never quite arrived. “I had appeared for around eight public examinations where I came very close but could not make it,” he said. “Sometimes it was just a few marks. In some cases, I cleared the written stage but didn’t move ahead.”

Each attempt, he said, added pressure. “There were times when I genuinely felt like giving up,” he admitted. “It gets exhausting when you keep trying and don’t see results immediately.”

Coming from Shobhapur Gram in Narmadapuram district, Purohit recalls that moving to Indore and adapting to a more competitive academic environment was not easy at first. The shift from a small-town setting to city life brought its own struggles.

During this period, he says his friend Gaurav Pandey played an important role in helping him settle and stay focused. “Everything felt very new in the beginning,” he said. “Pandey helped me adjust and stay consistent with my studies. That support mattered a lot at that time.”

At home, the support never wavered. His father, Rajesh Purohit, a government school teacher, and his mother, Piyush Purohit, a private school teacher, stood by him through the long journey of preparation.

“My father never let me feel like I was alone in this,” Purohit said. “He would always pick up my calls, no matter what. And he never let me think of stopping.”

Slowly, his understanding of failure began to change. “Earlier, I used to take it as rejection,” he said. “But over time, I realised it was part of the process. Every attempt was preparing me in some way.”

That shift, along with continued effort, eventually led to his selection at the space organisation. Looking back, Purohit says the journey was never about a single defining moment. “It didn’t happen suddenly,” he said quietly. “It happened because I kept going, even when things didn’t work out.”

Published on: Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 03:23 AM IST