His mother studied till Class VII; father Class X. Several of his friends dropped out of college and took jobs to support their families. He had to get a job too. But Pappu Kumar Gupta is no quitter. He sells cigarettes by day — he sits at a BE Block stall near CRPF Camp Island — and studies by night. He scored 73 per cent to get his chemistry (honours) degree in 2023 and is now preparing to enroll for Masters.

Pappu grew up in a village in Bihar’s Rohtas district to a family of farmers. He is the eldest of four siblings and was in second year in college when the family started facing a financial crunch. “I had visited Calcutta once before, during Durga puja 2019. My relatives ran this stall at CRPF Island and offered to have me run it. I decided to come and remit savings home,” says Pappu, who found an accommodation in Kestopur.

He started working in Salt Lake in 2022, when he was in second year of his B.Sc Chemistry honours. “I was used to online classes as I was in Class XII when the lockdown started. I decided to attend online tuition from Calcutta. My college needed a minimum 75 per cent attendance, which I managed by proxy,” confesses the 21-year-old.

He had topped his school in Class XII Board exams with 67 per cent in chemistry and completed final year of Swami Satsevanand College with first division. He would have enrolled for Masters but has taken a drop year as he is saving money for his sister’s wedding. “But I will enroll next session,” he says resolutely.

Pappu says his marks would have been higher had he been able to put in more hours and if he could have attended classes or tuitions in person but had no time for them. “Practicals are my favourite part of chemistry but I could not attend any classes for it. I’d memorise the steps and execute them once and for all at the exam hall,” he says.

He has had to visit the village several times a year to take his exams, something that makes customers assume he is lazy and simply bunking. “But when they find out it’s for studies, they praise me and wish me luck,” he says.

Pappu still studies before coming in to work at 9am and after returning home at 11pm so he doesn’t lose touch. I try not to bring my books to work as people will pass unwanted comments,” he says.

The boy is clear that his job at the stall is just a filler. “I want to start a fertiliser business after my Masters but without a sound education one isn’t taken seriously,” says the boy who knows about, but hasn’t had time to, visit Science City. “Hard work is the only road to success and I have only myself to depend on.