Washim | With perseverance and hard work over the last two years, Nilkrishna Gajare, son of a farmer from Maharashtra's Washim district, has secured All India Rank 1 in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Mains.

Hailing from Belkhed, a remote village in Washim, Nilkrishna followed a rigorous schedule, dedicating more than 10 hours to prepare for the exams every day.

The results of the JEE Mains conducted by the National Testing Agency were announced on Thursday.

Talking to PTI over the phone, Nilkrishna's father, Nirmal Gajare, said he had no words to express his happiness over his son's success.

Nilkrishna did his primary schooling at Rajeshwar Convent in Akola and J C High School in Karanja Lad in Washim and had lived with his aunt at the time, he said.

"Nilkrishna has always been a brilliant student and was good at sports. He participated in the district and national level tournaments in archery," Nirmal Gajare said.

The 19-year-old is pursuing his studies at Shree Dnyaneshwar Maskuji Burungale Science and Arts College, Shegaon.

Nilkrishna wakes up by 4 am, studies for two hours, and does "pranayam" (breathing exercises) and again starts studying from 8.30 am and sleeps by 10 pm, Gajare said.

"I wanted him to do well in studies and life and motivated him. I want him to achieve things I never could," Gajare said, who is over the moon about his son's success.

Nilkrishna wishes to study at IIT Bombay and would work towards becoming a scientist, he said.

Having conquered one hurdle to achieve his dream, Nilkrishna is in Shegaon preparing for JEE-Advanced, which will be conducted next month.