She stopped gorging on takeout, going to the movies and distanced herself from social media. Instead, at her family home in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh, she woke up at dawn, pored over textbooks and studied until 10 a.m. day. She hoarded, did mock tests, watched YouTube videos of achievers, and read journals and self-help books. His parents and his brother became his only companions. “Loneliness will be your companion. This solitude allows you to grow,” says Ms Singla.