Hearing disability didn’t deter Sweta from getting 83.4%
Fighting the battles of life with a smile and strong will power, 15-year-old Sweta Singh is an inspiration for many. Suffering from hearing disability, the Jain International School student left no stone unturned and scored 83.4% in the board exam.
As a child, Sweta would constantly have high fever and was diagnosed with 60% hearing loss. She could understand speech only from lip movement. Her father being in Indian Air Force, she had to change her school after every four years. Sweta said, “My parents would share details about my condition with the teachers who all were supportive. They would make me sit on the front bench and monitor me.”
“Every time I joined a new school, I would resolve to hide my problem from my classmates but they would learn about it eventually.”
Sweta did not let the deficiency and low self-esteem affect her. She uses hearing aid and has worked tremendously on her speech and phonetics. Doctors say there is significant improvement in her condition.
She added, “My elder brother Shubham has always motivated me to work hard. Following his footsteps, I want to pursue engineering from IIT.”
By scoring 92%, Ravi defeats life-threatening diseases
Ravi Bang, a student of Podar International School, scored 91.6% in the exam even as he fought a life threatening disease. Bang was suffering from immune thrombocytopenia, a bleeding disorder since one-and-a-half years.
Bang credits his success to his teachers. “They supported me all along with my attendance and notes. There was a time during prelim exams when I had to be hospitalized immediately. Our principal granted me leave so that I can leave the city for further treatment,” he said.
His father Rajkumar Bang, a businessman, said he is proud of his son’s accomplishment. “Despite of his medical condition and hospital visits, Ravi made it through his board exams with flying colours. Even during the time he would be hospitalized, he would ask us to carry his exam notes so that he can study. Ravi’s hard work has paid off,” he said.
Saurabh first in family to clear Std X despite hardships
Saurabh Mishra, student of The Jain International School, Katol Road, has seen hardships which others his age can’t even imagine. Mishra, son of a tea-snack vendor at Shankar Nagar, faced all the odds with a strong heart and secured 65% marks in the board exam.
Mishra considers his 65-year-old grandmother as his main motivator. “I have always been very close to my grandmother. I studied in a state board school till Std V but it was because of her strong will that my father shifted me to this school,” he said.
Mishras’ family hails from a small village near Reva in Madhya Pradesh and he is the first in his family to clear Std X. “My father never showed interest in my studies and I didn’t want this to happen the same to Saurabh. His mother and I have stopped attending family functions out of Nagpur as that means loss of income for us which we cannot afford,” said his father Govind. Saurabh’s mother works from home as a part-time tailor to support her husband financially to raise their two children.
Abhishek overcomes grief of losing father, scores 88.6%
Abhishek Jain from Centre Point School, Wardhaman Nagar, was shaken to the core after the sudden demise of his father in December. He saw all rays of hope fading but gathered his composure and scored 88.6% in the board exam.
Appreciating his grit and determination in an official statement, the school said, “Abhishek, who was initially a jovial and chirpy child, was exposed to the serious and gloomy side of life when destiny played a foul on him and his family. The incident took place during the period assessment exams and he didn’t appear for some subjects. But he worked with renewed vigour during the re-exam and proved his mettle.”
Abhishek said, “It took me a month’s time to bring life back to normalcy. I could not concentrate at all on studies. My mother counselled me and pulled me out of depression.”
Coming from a business background, Abhishek wants to become a chartered accountant. His mother is a housewife and younger sister in Std V. His mother said, “I used to constantly remind him that he has to fulfil his father’s dream and work hard. I am so glad that he has handled all this with maturity.”
Physically weak but mentally strong Kavya gets 75%
Cerebral palsy has made Kavya Bhartiya, a student of Centre Point School, Katol Road, physically weak but the mentally strong girl managed to score 75% in the exam.
Kavya has to take support of crutches while walking and finds difficulty while writing. She had the option to choose a writer, but she decided to write the exams herself and was given extra 30 minutes during school as well as board exams.
Kavya has to dedicate 2 to 3 hours daily for physiotherapy. Her mother said, “After school and exercise, she would be left with no time for studies but her teachers were very supportive. They asked her to give health the priority.”
There were some low moments too. She said, “Yes, there came a time when I lost all hope but gradually I accepted my flaws and worked upon them.”
She was guided by her school counsellors and her teachers gave her tips to score maximum marks. Her mother said, “She was told by science teachers to focus on theory portion more than diagrams as she was slow in drawing. It is only her willpower because of which she stayed afloat.”
Kavya wants to pursue arts and has keen interest in music.
Struck by TB months before exam, Shruti scores 84.8%
Shruti Mahakalkar, a student of School of Scholars (Wanadongri), was diagnosed with tuberculosis in November last year and was in ICU for 15 days.
She had to miss her school for three months and was under a lot of pressure. She said, “I was losing hope and started doubting my abilities. I felt I was lagging behind and a precious year would be wasted. The thought was really disturbing.”
As soon as Shruti recovered, she had to first face the prelims. She joined a crash course to cover up the syllabus and worked day and night for a month to prepare for the board exams. She said, “My friends and family did not let me fumble at any point and supported me all along. Even the teachers helped me with notes and cleared my doubts.”
With hard work and determination she cleared the exam with 84.8%. Shruti has keen interest in social science and wants to take up law in future.
(Text by Juveriya Khan, Mrunalini Kohat and Bhagyashree Kashyap)