From Watchman to IIM Professor: Read Ranjith Ramachandran Remarkable Story

This story ‘inspiring many to fight adverse circumstances in their lives’ from a night watchman earning a pittance to graduating from the hallowed portals of IIT and now an Assistant Professor at IIM, Ranchi, it has been a remarkable journey for 28-year-old Ranjith Ramachandran.

“An IIM professor was born here,” reads his post on Facebook, along with a picture of his dilapidated tiled hut covered with a tarpaulin sheet to prevent rainwater from seeping in. His inspirational April 9 post in which he shared his story, went viral, garnering over 37,000 likes.

Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac also took to Facebook to congratulate Ramachandran, who goes by the name ‘Ranjith R Panathoor’ in the social media, saying he is a source of inspiration to everyone. Ramachandran was working as a night watchman at a BSNL telephone exchange at Panathur in Kasaragod, while he pursued his Economics degree from Pious Xth College in the district.

“I attended college during day time and worked at the telephone exchange at night,” he posted. Graduating with honours, he got into IIT, Madras, where he found it difficult to study as he knew only Malayalam. Despondent, he decided to quit the PhD programme, but was persuaded by his guide Dr Subhash not to do so. “I decided to fight and realise my dream,” he wrote.

Fight he did and earned his doctorate last year. For the last two months, he was an Assistant Professor at Christ University, Bengaluru. “I never thought the post would go viral. I posted my life story, hoping that it would inspire a few others. I want everyone to dream good and fight for their dreams. I want other people to get inspired from this and find success,” he told reporters.

Ramachandran recalled in his post that he nearly gave up his school education due to financial hardships His father is a tailor and mother, a daily wage worker under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.