From surviving on half a vada pav to becoming a research fellow at USA's University of Virginia, 24-year-old Jaykumar Vaidya has his dream come true. The Kurla resident is all set to pursue a fully-sponsored five-year PhD programme in Nanotechnology in Virginia after having struggled for bread, butter, and education all his life.

The young research scholar, who began doing odd jobs at the age of 11, was raised by a single mother, Nalini Vaidya, 54. He will begin his journey towards "turning India into a superpower" in the field of Micro and Nano Technology today when he boards the flight to the USA. Vaidya, who had completed his initial education with the help of scholarships, pursued his graduation in electronic engineering with interest-free financial assistance from a few charitable trusts in Mumbai, including the Indian Development Foundation (IDF).