Reportage: Bijoy Venugopal. Photograph: S K Kotian

Behind every successful young man is a woman whose hand once rocked his cradle. As their proud parents beamed and bit back emotional tears, both toppers dedicated their gold medals to their mothers.

"It’s the greatest day of my life," says Rajeev Loiwal (above, second from right). Even as torrential rains in Mumbai stopped trains, the businessman from Jaipur and his wife Madhu (extreme left) flew down to watch their son Navneet sweep top honours at the 42nd Convocation of IIT Bombay.

“I feel proud ki main uski ma hoon,” says Madhu. “He is gifted and blessed. God is with him.”

“In Jaipur we are known more as Navneet’s father and mother,” says Loiwal. “People there call him the pride of Rajasthan.”

“He had filled the application form for IIT Kanpur, but I insisted that he join Bombay,” says Navneet's grandmother (above, extreme right), who was his local guardian in the city. “Each time he went abroad, he spent his own money.”

Pramila and Subhash Gogate (below) flew to Mumbai from Aurangabad to be with their son Amol during his moment of pride.

“The standard of education in a small town like Aurangabad is different, as is the competition level,” says Gogate, an engineer with Johnson & Johnson in Aurangabad, alluding to the notion that only students from big cities and reputed institutes become achievers. “What he achieved in adverse circumstances is the lesson others must look to learn.”

“I have seen his efforts over the last five years, and I feel he deserves it,” says Pramila, a nutritionist.

Amol, always a bright kid, was shy and reserved until he joined the National Cadet Corps, recalls his father. He then rose to become the best cadet in Maharashtra. “NCC gave him self-confidence,” he says.

“We are proud that we can take our problems to him,” adds his mother, fighting back tears of joy. “He is mature enough to give us guidance.”

The IITs, considered the temples of modern India, produce hundreds of bright minds every year. Today's toppers may well be tomorrow's leaders. But as author Sandipan Deb observed in his book IITians, the most successful IIT alumni are not always those who top their classes, but those that were clear what they wanted to do, were enjoying what they were doing, had flair for organising and the grit to persist.