AC mechanic’s son who cleared CAT twice gets into IIM­-Calcutta

AHMEDABAD: Determination and perseverance define Razin Mansuri, who cracked CAT twice to study at a top-ranking IIM, overcoming all challenges posed by his humble family background.
The son of an AC technician, the 23-year-old from Paldi in Ahmedabad scored 96.2 percentile in CAT in 2021 and received an offer to study at IIM-Udaipur. But Mansuri knew he could do better and was not ready to settle for less.
He appeared for CAT a second time and his hard work paid off in November last year, when he scored 99.7 percentile. Mansuri was thrilled to receive invites for admission from two of the top-rated IIMs — IIM-Bangalore and IIM-Calcutta — and he chose the latter. He was offered business analytics at IIM-B and general MBA at IIM-C. “I chose IIM-Calcutta because a general MBA will allow me to study all aspects of management,” he said.
The course fee at IIM-C is Rs 27 lakh. “I will get a loan and secure scholarships,” he said.
In both his interviews, Mansuri’s family background was a topic of discussion. “Interviewers told me that I will be an example of how hard work pays off and inspire more students from financially weak families to build a better future,” he said.
Mansuri, who lives with his parents and younger brother in a one-bedroom house, said his father earns about Rs 25,000 a month.
“Right from school, I studied on scholarships. After completing high school, I got admission to Ahmedabad University. I got a scholarship and completed engineering in IT in May 2022,” he told TOI.
He was offered a job with Rs 6 lakh as annual salary, but didn’t take it as his dream was to get admission to an IIM. “I began preparing for CAT without any coaching and took the test in 2021. I secured 96.2 percentile, but was not satisfied with the result and decided to take the exam again in 2022,” he said.
This time he enrolled in a coaching class that offered to take him on for half the fees.