From 8 Near-Misses to ISRO Scientist: The Inspiring Journey of Indore’s Abhigyan Purohit | tinakhatri.in
Indore engineer selected as isro scientist after years of near-misses in competitive exams
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), marking a long-awaited breakthrough after years of close misses in competitive examinations.
From repeated near-misses in competitive examinations 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 ISRO’s national-level recruitment process, which included a written examination, and interview for engineering graduates across the country. But for Abhigyan, the result is not just a career milestone—it 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 in its own way. “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.”
Abhigyan joins ISRO as Scientist/Engineer (Electrical).
Coming from Shobhapur Gram in Narmadapuram district, Abhigyan 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. “Gaurav helped me adjust and stay consistent with studies. That support mattered a lot at that time.”
At home, too, 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 and setbacks. “My father never let me feel like I was alone in this,” Abhigyan said. “He would always pick up my calls, no matter what. And he never let me think of stopping.”
Slowly, he said, 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 as Scientist/Engineer (Electrical) at ISRO.
Looking back, Abhigyan 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.”
