Author: Bihar Say | Amrita |

From Weaving Dreams to Cracking JEE: 40 Students from Bihar’s IIT Village Rewrite Their Destiny in 2025

Bihar’s ‘IIT Village’ Patwa Toli Produces 40 JEE Main Qualifiers in 2025

Once known for its weaving looms, Patwa Toli in Bihar’s Gaya district is now making headlines for something else entirely—its bright, determined students. This year, over 40 students from the so-called ‘IIT Village’ have cleared the JEE Main 2025, transforming their modest beginnings into a springboard for national success.

Vriksha Sansthan: Nurturing Talent, One Dream at a Time

Among these successful aspirants, 28 are students of Vriksha Sansthan, a free coaching initiative founded and funded by former IITians. Since its inception in 2013, Vriksha has supported hundreds of students from underprivileged families, particularly those from the weaving community, with free coaching, study materials, and expert mentorship.

What sets Vriksha apart is its innovative library-based learning model. Instead of expensive coaching institutes, students learn through online sessions conducted by IIT alumni from Delhi and Mumbai. This remote teaching method has brought elite education to the doorstep of those who need it the most.

Meet the Top Achievers of 2025

This year’s top scorers from Patwa Toli include:

• Sharanya – 99.64 percentile

• Alok – 97.7 percentile

• Shaurya – 97.53 percentile

• Yash Raj – 97.38 percentile

• Shubham – 96.7 percentile

• Pratik – 96.35 percentile

• Ketan – 96.00 percentile

• Nivas – 95.7 percentile

• Gaurika Yadav – 95.1 percentile

• Sagar Kumar – 94.8 percentile

All of them carry a common story—hard work, mentorship through Vriksha Sansthan, and a relentless drive to break the cycle of poverty.

A Legacy Born in 1991, Still Growing Strong

The story of Patwa Toli’s transformation began in 1991, when Jitendra Patwa became the first from the village to enter IIT. Now settled in the United States, he gives back through his NGO, ‘Vriksh We The Change’, which supports educational efforts in his hometown.

Since then, engineering has become more than just a career—it’s a village-wide aspiration. Every house now dreams of nurturing an IITian, and the statistics prove that this is no fantasy.

How Free Education is Empowering Families

“Some families just can’t afford to send their children outside for coaching,” says Dubeshwar Prasad, President of Vriksh Veda Chain. “That’s why we created a local system where students learn through libraries and online classes conducted by our seniors.”

The impact is visible. Even after Class 10, when most students in such villages drop out or join manual labor, these children are cracking India’s toughest exams.

From ‘Manchester of Bihar’ to ‘Village of IITians’

Patwa Toli was once called the ‘Manchester of Bihar’ for its flourishing textile trade. Now, it’s better known for producing engineers and doctors. The shift from thread to tech didn’t happen overnight. It was driven by a shared belief that education is the most powerful tool to transform lives.

Vriksha Sansthan continues to empower girls as well, opening doors that were once shut for them. More and more daughters of weavers are preparing for NEET and JEE, stepping out of traditional roles and into classrooms.

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