From launching a startup to topping one of the toughest entrance exams in the country, this Bengaluru boy did it all in a year’s time.

Viraj Ananth (18) emerged the top ranker in the All-India Rankings in the general category when the results of the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) were announced on Sunday evening.

Science student

A science student from the Vidyashilp Academy, he took a gap year after his Cambridge exams coincided with the CLAT last year, making it difficult to appear for the test for admissions to the National Law Schools.

With no marks card in hand, he decided to put his year off to good use.

“My friend and I started Intermind Global, which tied up with schools and held public speaking workshops for students,” he told The Hindu .

By October, Viraj decided to start preparing for CLAT, nursing his law school dream he had harboured since class 11. With a last-minute monthlong crash course in a Chennai-based coaching centre, he was good to go.

‘Unorthodox advice’

“I have some unorthodox advice to give others. Find yourself a mentor, someone from a law school, if possible. Find a study partner as well, and concentrate on GK. Almost 80 per cent of my preparations were for GK,” he said.
Viraj, who studied in Bishop Cottons Boys School, is exploring his options in law, including sports law, international humanitarian law, and corporate law.

His first choice is the National Law School of India University, Bangalore. A resident of Sadashivanagar, his father, Ananth Ramaswami, works for a Canadian aviation company, and his mother, Sapna Ramaswami, is a teacher.