Nagpur: An advanced student of classical dance and vocals,
Radha Thengdi has now stamped her excellence on the academic field also. With a score of 97% in arts, Radha has created new records which are likely to stay intact for quite some time.
To start off, Radha may very well be the state topper for arts and probably the first ever from the city in the stream. Second, her score this year is higher than commerce stream topper and just a tad lower than the science topper.
A student of LAD College, Shankar Nagar, Radha is happy that she opted for arts even though it’s not the popular choice. “People asked me to take science but it seemed like a burden. I am happy to have got my parents support, who never tried to impose their choices on me,” said Radha.
Though Radha belongs to a business family and her mother is a Sanskrit teacher, she has decided to pursue psychology. She also hopes that she can change people’s perspective about humanities stream.
Radha is now hoping to make a mark in classical performing arts. She said, “I have passed in Kathak Visharad exam with distinction. I am also training for classical vocals under the guidance of Manjiri Vaidya-Iyer and awaiting results of my visharad exam.”
She dreams of taking her passion for music and dance forward and ultimately work with the best artistes in the country. “This will give me a chance to develop holistically and view the world from several lenses,” said Radha.
Except for the last month before the finals, Radha never attended tuition classes and said that self-study and continuous practice helped her achieve her goal. She struck a balance between work and play and would dedicate equal time to her other interests to remain stress free. “I identified my interests and made them my strength, so work no longer seemed tedious,” she said.
Radha’s mother Mukta said, “Our daughter said that she wouldn’t give us a chance to doubt her. We’re proud that she held her ground and was able to succeed.”
Radha Thengdi (right) is happy that she opted for arts