All India Rank 1 — CA Finals 2012
Her Father
Drives an
Auto.
She topped all of India.
The story of CA Prema Jayakumar — 300 sq ft chawl, 607 out of 800, AIR 1.
Home: One Room, Four People
A 300 sq ft room in S B Khan Chawl, Malad, Mumbai.
Prema. Her parents. Her brother Dhanraj.
Four people. One room. One dream.
Her Father's Auto
Her father, Jayakumar Perumal, drives an auto rickshaw for a living.
Every rupee earned went into keeping his children's dreams alive.
"The day I start working, my father will rest at home. He has always toiled for my welfare."
She Was Always Ahead
Nagindas Khandwala College, Mumbai. B.Com 2008.
90% in Third Year B.Com — second in University of Mumbai.
Then M.Com. Then CPT in December 2008.
IPCE cleared — both groups — November 2009. First attempt.
Her Brother Walked Beside Her
Her brother Dhanraj registered for CA with her — November 2012.
He had worked at a call centre while completing his B.Com just to pay his CA registration fees.
They appeared for CA Finals together. He cleared it too — first attempt.
How She Studied
7:30 AM to 12 midnight. Every day.
"Sleep is very important when you are studying hard the whole day."
One break for lunch. Half an hour of TV before bed — just to relax.
No shortcuts. No overnight cramming. Just disciplined, consistent study.
November 2012 — AIR 1
CA Final results. November 2012 examination.
Prema Jayakumar. All India Rank 1.
Score: 607 out of 800.
Age: 24. First attempt. From a one-room chawl in Malad.
What She Said After
She gave credit to her college professors who worked hard with her.
"I have noticed that people fail CA many times because they don't rest."
Her message to students: study smart, sleep well, take one break.
Exhaustion is the enemy of preparation.
The chawl did not hold her back —
It gave her
a reason
to top.
AIR 1. 607/800. Age 24.
CA Prema Jayakumar. Daughter of an auto driver. One-room chawl, Malad. All India Rank 1, CA Finals November 2012.