JEE AIR 14, IIT Mumbai CS degree and now working in a cow shelter? An IIM grad sparks an online hunt for old IIT grad

A post shared by an alumnus of the Indian Institutes of Management has taken social media by storm, drawing attention to an unusual and emotional story. The viral update revolves around a man who was reportedly once a top performer in the highly demanding IIT JEE, having allegedly secured an impressive All India Rank of 14.

The post was uploaded by an X (formerly Twitter) user named Shreyas Tambe, who shared a selfie with the individual in question. He claimed that the man had successfully cracked the prestigious entrance examination years ago but is now employed as a caretaker at a gaushala, where he tends to cows at a temple in Mumbai. Intrigued by the contrast in the man’s past and present, Shreyas appealed to users online to verify whether someone named Shyam Sunder had indeed been part of the 1995 Computer Science batch at IIT Bombay.

As the post gained traction, Shreyas added further details in the comments section. He mentioned that the individual is currently 53 years old and had experienced a devastating personal loss when both his parents passed away while he was in Sydney around the year 2000. Following this tragedy, he reportedly struggled with severe mental health challenges, which significantly altered the course of his life.


The story quickly spread across the platform, amassing over a million views and thousands of likes. It also sparked a wave of reactions, with users offering mixed responses. While some claimed to recognize the man and identified him as a former classmate, others questioned the accuracy of these assertions. One user even shared an image of a 1994 batch list, pointing out the presence of a student named Shyamsunder Natarajan. Meanwhile, a few individuals insisted they personally knew him, with one stating that he belonged to a different batch altogether and offering to share more information privately.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Shreyas is an alumnus of IIM Bodhgaya.