by Somdatta Basu | TNN Kolkata date 3rd July 2009

At first sight, Anurag Verma looks like any other fresher on the Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta (IIM-C) campus. Tall and stout, the 23-year-old melts easily into the crowd of new arrivals. It’s tough to spot him actually, but when one does so, he is a show stealer. For, Anurag is a traveling ticket examiner (TTE) with Northern Railway on lien to study at the prestigious B-school.

Down-to-earth and rustic in parts, the lad from Kanpur was checking tickets on trains till May 30. He was actually on a train in the Moradabad-Kanpur sector when the news reached his home. He had cracked this year’s Common Admission Test (CAT) and found a place on the IIM-C rolls. Anurag did his schooling from Vidya Niketan Inter-College, Kanpur. After passing his board exam in 2001, he appeared for a special railway board examination and was selected for a vocational course. Anurag joined it and did his Class XII from Ludlow Castle No.4 in Delhi, a CBSE-affiliated school.

“The railways sponsored my Plus-II studies and also provided for hostel accommodation,” Anurag said in chaste Hindi. He speaks English haltingly, but is confident it will not come in the way of his studies at the institute. “I will work on improving my English language skills and this can never pose any hindrance,” he said.

After passing Class XII in 2003, Anurag joined the railways as a ticket collector. “I was posted at Moradabad station.”

In 2006, he got a promotion and became a TTE. “Since then, I’ve been travelling on trains like Punjab Mail, Shramjeevi Express, Sealdah Mail, Himgiri Express and Akal Takht,” he said. Alongside his job, Anurag enrolled for a pass course in Bachelor of Arts (BA) under Kanpur University and studied as a private candidate. In 2008, he sat for the CAT examination.  “It was my first attempt. I had begun preparations earlier in the year and felt quite confident. However, unlike most CAT aspirants, I had not taken tuitions from any training institute. My friends assisted me while preparing for the examination themselves,” Verma recounted.

 He now plans to opt for marketing courses at IIM-C. “I know this institute is globally famous for its financial courses, but I prefer marketing.” Verma’s father is an LIC agent and mother a teacher. Anurag’s parents are delighted at their son’s achievement. “I hope to get a good placement after this PGDM course,” he added.

1. Manan Mehta Says:
   July 3rd, 2009 at 3:23 am

   Shows, if you have it in you, you will definitely make it. Kudos to Anurag and several others for whom the journey to IIMC was not all that “boring”.
   

2. Amit Srivastava Says:
   July 17th, 2009 at 10:02 pm

   well done anurag..you inspire many !..i’m a student of HBTI Kanpur and therefore i share a personal connect with you as well.kanpur is proud of you and so is India.
   my best wishes ,
   Amit

3. Amrita Says:
   July 25th, 2009 at 3:11 am

   All the very best to you!!!