Kashish's mother Shalini Sabharwal had to take up a job after her husband's sudden demise. She was earlier a homemaker but now works as an accountant for Rs 8,000 a month. (Express Photo)Not letting her father’s untimely demise become an impediment, Ludhiana girl Kashish Sabharwal scored 95 per cent marks in humanities stream in the Class XII board exams declared by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Friday.
Kashish, 18, a student of BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School, Shastri Nagar, Ludhiana, lost her father Ajay Sabharwal (44) to kidney infection which aggravated during Covid.
“He had kidney issues since 2020 but after Covid started, it just kept aggravating and his condition turned serious. We lost him in April last year. Before my father’s demise, I was an average student and never took life seriously. I realised how important it was to work hard after he left me,” said Kashish, who scored 92 in economics, 97 in political science, 91 in English, 98 in mass media and 96 in psychology, placing herself among the top scorers from her school.
Kashish’s mother Shalini Sabharwal had to take up a job after her husband’s sudden demise. She was earlier a homemaker but now works as an accountant for Rs 8,000 a month. “Despite all possible treatments, my husband could not be saved. I had to take up a job. Kashish saw the struggles we went through to get her father treated and she now wants to be financially independent and become a lawyer,” Shalini said. The family lives in Ludhiana’s Chander Nagar.
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Behind Kashish’s success, her school played a major role. After her father’s demise, the school waived off her fees, making it easier for her to continue her studies. “We tried to help all students who suffered any kind of loss due to the pandemic so that they could continue their studies,” said principal Paramjit Kaur.
Kashish said although her aim was to pursue law from Delhi University, looking at her family’s financial condition, she now plans to pursue bachelors in arts from DU’s School of Open Learning (SOL) and then pursue law. “We might not be able to afford regular studies so I will go for distance education so that I don’t have to drop out and my years are not wasted,” said Kashish. “There was no worry when my father was around but now I have to think about my mother too. His death has made me aware of the harsh realities of life. I miss him but I have to work harder now,” she said.
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