The compulsion of using a magnifying glass for reading did not deter Dharshana M V from putting in her best efforts, as she scored 96.6 per cent and secured the third rank in CBSE class XII examination in the differently-abled category.
Aditya R Raj from Trivandrum, Lakshmi PV from Palakkad, (both in Kerala) and Dharshana M V from Krishnagiri of Tamil Nadu are top three scorers in CBSE class XII examinations in the category, results of which were announced on Sunday.
"I am very happy," Dharshana, from Nalanda International Public School in Krishnagiri, told PTI over the phone.
Dharshana suffers from microcornea which has caused her right eye to have almost 'nil vision' and the left one to have only partial vision.
Dharshana said despite the physical challenge she was motivated to put in her best and expressed gratitude to her parents and teachers for not putting pressure on her.
"My general principle is that I like to do my best in whatever I do. So when I started preparing for class XII examination, I decided I should do my best, whatever I could. Keeping that in my mind I started preparing," she said.
"For reading, I used a magnifying glass. I got good support from my school and my parents. They did not create any fear in my mind about the exam and motivated me and instilled confidence that I could do well," she added.
Dharshana, a commerce stream student who scored 483 marks out of 500, said she needs to use a magnifying glass to read small texts.
She now wants to study commerce and become an entrepreneur, while also developing her music skills.
"I want to pursue B Com in Chennai and after that become an entrepreneur. I also want to develop my music talent," Dharshana, who is honing her skills in Carnatic music, told PTI.