UP Board result: City boy tops high school

Kanpur: Success did not come easy to the city boy Gautam Raghuvanshi who emerged as the state topper in class X in UP Board exmination. He used to sleep for just four hours in the night during his exam days to achieve good score. He was confident to score high marks but was not sure to top the exam.
Gautam, a student of Omkareshwar Saraswati Vidya Niketan Inter College scored 97.17 percent marks (583 marks out of 600). His father is a clerk in Kanpur Development Authority (KDA) and mother a housewife. He had to sacrifice several family events to save time for studies. He even did not attend the marriage of his elder cousin and remained glued to books.
"He used to stay awake till 2 or sometimes even till 4 in the morning, and would get up again at 6 am. He missed his cousin's marriage. I also didn't sleep and used to serve him tea and coffee whenever he asked. His success is due his determination and grit", said Gautam's mother Nirmala while talking to TOI. Wearing a broad smile, Gautam told TOI that this was a remarkable achievement which was not possible without the support of his parents and teachers. He said that he had to cut on his sleep to study despite sleeping being his most cherished activity.
"I like sleeping for long hours. But this was not possible during exam time. However, I completed my sleep after the exams were over", Gautam said with a deep sigh. While revealing his plans of what he would be doing after completing his class XII, Gautam told TOI that he wished to pursue BTech from any premier IIT and serve the country. When asked if he is active on social media and follows political developments in the country, Gautam said he neither has a smartphone nor a social media account and added he does not have interest in politics but likes PM Narendra Modi. "I did not know what was happening in the world of politics as the cable connection at my house was discontinued an year ago", he said.
"I am very much impressed with Wing Commander Abhinandan Sir who maintained his cool and remained composed even after being captured by the Pakistani forces. He is a great warrior of the country", said Gautam while talking about Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman who was captured by Pakistan and released later.
As soon as Gautam reached his school on hot Saturday afternoon, he was flanked by his friends, teachers and staff. His father Dheeraj Kumar was very happy on his son's achievement.
He said that Gautam is the youngest child in the family.