JEE Main 2022 Topper: Ojas Maheswari, a resident of Mumbai, got his name heard all across India by becoming the topper In the PWD Category of JEE Mains Examination. Ojas has 70% hearing loss on both ears. although this disability brought many obstacles in his life but this cound not hamper his determination to etch his name in history and grab the glory he was destined for.
Ojas lost his hearing at an early age, maybe when he was around six-seven years old. Ever since then he has been managing to live a normal life. However, at the very same age, he discovered his love for Mathematics and Physics. His admiration about the mysteries of the universe got a boost from her mother, Pooja-she herself in an Olympiad teacher.
With the family's support, Ojas began preparing and entering in various Olympiads, maths and science exhibitions and competitions at the age of 8. Now his shelf is overflowing with medals and trophies win in all those competitions. The Mother overjoyed with Ojas's achievement teases him about having to buy new shelves to showcase the accomplishments of National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) scholar and Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KYPY) top ranker.
Ojas was originally an astronomy enthusiast, but surprisingly he switched to his aspiration towards JEE Mains and now he has fulfilled his aim. He does not like to bring about his disability although he does admit that it created considerable hurdles, especially during the pandemic.
Sharing his experience with media he said, “It’s difficult to explain how it hinders the daily routine, even though one gets used to it over time. But yes, certain times are more prominent than others. Like when offline classes just started after the pandemic, everyone was wearing masks. From a young age, I try to avoid asking someone to repeat things I can’t hear so I learnt to lip-read. But lip reading wasn’t possible since everyone was wearing masks. A lot of times I requested teachers to take masks off while teaching in classrooms. But more difficult were the peer discussions.”
Now, after acing the premier engineering examination, Ojas Maheshwari is curious and optimistic about the future.