A student who moved from Uttar Pradesh to Kota at the age of 16 to prepare for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) discovered an unexpected interest in athletics after joining the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati. Now in his third year of Chemical Engineering, Uditansh Raghuvanshi has represented the institute at the Inter-IIT Sports Meet and gone on to become the joint secretary of its Sports Board.
In a personal account published by The Indian Express, Raghuvanshi reflected on how his IIT experience expanded beyond academics, helping him discover javelin throwing, develop an interest in sports administration and rethink what he wanted to gain from college.
Originally from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, the 20-year-old comes from a family with a strong academic background. Both his parents are teachers, while his grandfather is a retired professor at a degree college. Education and building a career through academic achievement were central to his upbringing.
Raghuvanshi secured an All India Rank (AIR) of 4,716 in JEE Main and 5,013 in JEE Advanced in 2024. He chose Chemical Engineering at IIT Guwahati for its combination of scientific learning and practical application, as well as the opportunities to explore interests beyond his department, he wrote in The Indian Express.
From Kota to discovering athletics at IIT Guwahati
Moving to Kota after Class 10 taught Raghuvanshi the importance of consistency, managing his schedule independently and handling the pressure of competitive examinations.
However, arriving at IIT Guwahati exposed him to a different environment. Adjusting to Assam, its culture and food, he became involved in campus activities, including Alcheringa, E-Cell and the Consulting and Analytics Club. He also began attending sporting events and eventually tried athletics.
Raghuvanshi had not been a competitive athlete during school. However, he found himself drawn to javelin throwing, a sport that requires technique, timing, strength and concentrated effort.
He subsequently incorporated strength training and weightlifting into his routine. Over time, athletics became a regular part of his life, providing a break from academic work and helping him return to his studies with greater clarity, he said in the account published by the news outlet.
Inter-IIT experience sparked interest in sports administration
Raghuvanshi eventually represented IIT Guwahati in athletics at the Inter-IIT Sports Meet. Although he did not return with a medal, the experience gave him a better understanding of the demands of representing an institute and the work required to organise sporting competitions.
He became interested in the coordination, logistics and decision-making involved in running sporting events. This curiosity drew him towards the institute's Sports Board, where he eventually became joint secretary.
The position changed his perspective on sport. Instead of focusing solely on improving his own performance, he began thinking about how the institute could make sports more accessible to students with different interests and abilities.
In his account, Raghuvanshi described this shift as moving from asking how he could improve as an athlete to considering how the sporting environment could be made better for everyone, including students who wanted to stay active or try a sport for the first time.
Lessons in patience, consistency and uncertainty
Raghuvanshi also reflected on how athletics taught him to recognise progress even when it was not immediately visible. Consistent training, he wrote, often requires patience, as improvements may emerge only after weeks of effort.
He said the lesson extended beyond sport to his coursework and responsibilities at the Sports Board. Learning to trust the process and continue working even when progress seemed slow became an important part of his IIT experience.
Beyond academics and athletics, his time at IIT Guwahati has also been shaped by friendships, hostel life, late-night conversations and spontaneous food outings with students from different parts of the country.
Still in his third year, Raghuvanshi said he had not yet decided what he wanted to pursue after graduating. One of the most valuable things IIT had given him, he reflected, was the ability to remain open to different possibilities rather than feeling compelled to plan every stage of his future in advance.
The experience has also led him to recognise an unexpected connection with his family's background in education. While his parents and grandfather helped others learn through teaching, Raghuvanshi believes his own experience with athletics and sports administration has helped him develop a similar instinct to create opportunities for others.