KOLKATA: Less than two months after losing his most loved person in a train accident, 17-year-old Ronit Tarafdar was at the JEE examination centre in Salt Lake Sector V on Thursday to live his father’s dream.
“My father wanted me to become an engineer. Since he’s no longer by my side, I believe it is now my duty to fulfil his dream. Though I had prepared well for the exam, the current Covid situation had made me wonder if it was the right time to sit for an exam. But when I remembered that my father wanted me to become an engineer, I could not stay back at home,” said Tarafdar, a resident of Belghoria who has secured 91.5% in his board exams this year and wishes to pursue computer science engineering.
“My husband worked with the railways and I knew the timing of the staff special train. We boarded a train in the morning to reach Ultadanga, from where we boarded a cab to reach the centre,” said Kajal Tarafdar, Ronit’s mother, who has been offered the railways job after her husband’s death.
Also at the centre appearing for the JEE Mains (Physics, Chemistry and Maths) exam in the second shift at TCS Gitobitan was Raigunj (North Dinajpur) resident Miraj Ashraf who took a night service inter district bus on Wednesday to reach Kolkata, 405 kilometres away, early on Thursday and came straight to the exam venue with the hope of becoming an engineer and securing a stable job.
“The bus I took was not very crowded but all the seats were booked. I kept my mask on and made sure that I didn’t interact with anyone. Once I am back home, I will stay in isolation to keep my family safe,” said Ashraf.
For all students, grit and perseverance had the better of the Covid fear. “We will have to live with the infection and hence I am here to take the exam,” said Debarghya Mondal, son of a state government bureaucrat and a resident of Salt Lake.
Serampore resident Pratyusha Panda said: “My dream from a very young age has been to pass the JEE and become an engineer. I have worked really hard for this exam. I couldn’t miss it at any cost.”
“My father wanted me to become an engineer. Since he’s no longer by my side, I believe it is now my duty to fulfil his dream. Though I had prepared well for the exam, the current Covid situation had made me wonder if it was the right time to sit for an exam. But when I remembered that my father wanted me to become an engineer, I could not stay back at home,” said Tarafdar, a resident of Belghoria who has secured 91.5% in his board exams this year and wishes to pursue computer science engineering.
“My husband worked with the railways and I knew the timing of the staff special train. We boarded a train in the morning to reach Ultadanga, from where we boarded a cab to reach the centre,” said Kajal Tarafdar, Ronit’s mother, who has been offered the railways job after her husband’s death.
Also at the centre appearing for the JEE Mains (Physics, Chemistry and Maths) exam in the second shift at TCS Gitobitan was Raigunj (North Dinajpur) resident Miraj Ashraf who took a night service inter district bus on Wednesday to reach Kolkata, 405 kilometres away, early on Thursday and came straight to the exam venue with the hope of becoming an engineer and securing a stable job.
“The bus I took was not very crowded but all the seats were booked. I kept my mask on and made sure that I didn’t interact with anyone. Once I am back home, I will stay in isolation to keep my family safe,” said Ashraf.
For all students, grit and perseverance had the better of the Covid fear. “We will have to live with the infection and hence I am here to take the exam,” said Debarghya Mondal, son of a state government bureaucrat and a resident of Salt Lake.
Serampore resident Pratyusha Panda said: “My dream from a very young age has been to pass the JEE and become an engineer. I have worked really hard for this exam. I couldn’t miss it at any cost.”
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