Rishabh Pant pays college fees of underprivileged student

Published - 06 Aug 2025, 10:37 IST | Updated - 06 Aug 2025, 10:40 IST

Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant has come forward with a heartwarming gesture by supporting the higher education of a student from a financially challenged family in Karnataka’s Bagalkot district.

Pant, who has represented India across all formats, personally funded the education of Jyoti Kanabur Math, a resident of Rakbai village in Bilagi taluk. Jyoti had scored 85% in her Pre-University Course (PUC) and secured admission for a Bachelor’s in Computer Application (BCA) at the Bijapur Lingayat Education institution in Jamkhandi. However, her family struggled to afford the fees.

With her father, Teerthayya Kanabur Math, unable to arrange the ₹40,000 needed, the family turned to a local well-wisher named Anil, who contacted his cricketing network in Bengaluru. The message eventually reached Pant, who promptly transferred the amount directly to the college, enabling Jyoti to continue her education without disruption.

Jyoti and the college administration sent a heartfelt letter of thanks to Pant. In her note, Jyoti expressed deep gratitude and shared her dream of paying the kindness forward in the future.

“Namaste everyone, my name is Jyotika. My father’s name is Teertaiya and my mother’s name is Roopa. I stay in Rabkavi village in Jamkhandi. I completed my SSLC in a school in Belagavi and my PUC from a college in Belagavi. I wanted to pursue BCA, but due to financial problems, my parents approached Anil, a person from our village, to ask if there was any scholarship or financial help available. Anil then contacted his friend Akshay, who lives in Bangalore,” Jyoti wrote as quoted by India Today.

“Akshay brought my situation to the attention of Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant. Rishabh Pant transferred 40,000 so that I could pursue my BCA. I am very thankful to Rishabh Pant and pray to God to bless him with good health. I’m also grateful to Anil Anna and Akshay Naik sir. I will never forget their help. I want to become a software engineer and will make the best use of this opportunity. I also want to say: save the girl child and empower the girl child. Lastly, after becoming a software engineer, I will also help poor children,” she added.