Uttarakhand class 10 board topper Ananta Saklani wants to be a civil servant

Uttarakhand Board of School Education (UBSE) Class 10 topper, Ananta Saklani swears by disciplined time management as the mantra for her success. She aims to become a civil servant and serve the nation.

The 16-year-old from the Saraswati Vidya Mandir Inter College (SVMIC) school in Nathuawala, Dehradun, topped with 99% and received 495 aggregate marks out of 500.

“I studied at least eight to 10 hours every day and devoted equal time to each subject,” said the topper, adding that she never took coaching and her result is an outcome of self study.

“As I was only dependent on self study and some support of teachers, I never had last minute pressure during the board examination,” said Ananta.

Although she expected to be on the merit list, she never dreamt of being a topper. “I worked hard and expected good result, but this came as a surprise,” she said.

Her father Prashant Saklani and mother Sunita Saklani are both teachers in the state education department. Their guidance and the peaceful environment they provided helped her in her studies. “Although they are teachers they couldn’t help me with the studies. I have a younger brother too. But the guidance they provided motivated me to study,” she said.

Her father who was on cloud nine hearing about his daughter’s result said that he always knew his daughter would score high but being a state topper was something they hadn’t expected.

Ananta’s favourite subjects are Maths and English and in both the subjects, she secured 100%. She intends to take up Chemistry, Maths, and Physics in class 11.

She attributes her success to the help provided by her teachers. “My school authorities and teachers were very helpful. I could even approach them at midnight for clearing doubts. Even on days when there were no regular classes they used to come to school for helping me. I owe a lot to them,” she said.

“She is our best student. We had high hopes on her and knew that she would bring laurels to the institution. Her focus is not just limited to studies but in extracurricular activities too. She is a good dancer. We are proud of her achievements,” said the school principal Ved Prakash Sharma.

Ananta intends to continue her higher studies in the same school as she believes the teachers there would help her in her class 12 preparation.

First Published: May 31, 2019 15:05 IST