Madhav Viradiya from Mumbai is among the 12 candidates who secured a perfect 100 percentile in the first session of JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech.).
The 17-year-old student, originally from Gujarat, moved the city to pursue his engineering dream and has now emerged as one of the country’s top scorers.
Currently a resident of Andheri, Madhav chose the city of dreams as his study destination, avoiding the competitive nature of typical coaching hubs such as Kota.
“Mumbai helped me strike a balance. Previously, I used to reside in Kota with my elder sibling. While helpful, it was immensely competitive and you felt unseen if you did not perform well,” he told mid-day.
The student now finds time for a game of cricket and some music every now and then to relieve the stress of exam preparation.
Read more: 12 candidates score a perfect 100 percentile; check all toppers list
Family support and future plans
“My parents have made many sacrifices to help me achieve my dream. My father lives in Vadodara, handling our business, and my mother moved to Mumbai with me. I hope to study at IIT Bombay after my JEE Advanced,” said the student, who attended junior college at Narayana e-Techno in Mumbai.
Interest in astronomy
Apart from preparing for the entrance exams, the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics kept the student occupied.
“I studied for these tests once, and since then I have been hooked on these subjects. So far, this is a hobby. But we will see where it goes,” he told mid-day.
