Tamil Nadu daily wager’s daughter scores 600/600 in Class 12 board exams

MADURAI: The 17-year-old daughter of a carpenter scored 600/600 marks in the Class XII Tamil Nadu board exams, the results of which were announced on Monday. S Nandhini of Annamalaiar Mills Girls Higher Secondary School, a government-aided school in Dindigul district, scored 100/100 in all six subjects - Tamil, English, Economics, Commerce, Accountancy and Computer Application.
"My father's hard work is the reason I am where I am today. He kept telling me that my education is my wealth and encouraged me to pursue my dreams," said an emotional Nandhini.
"He told me money should never be a constraint for my studies," Nandhini said amid a never-ending stream of congratulatory messages and media attention once the results were out in the morning.
Her father S Saravanakumar, mother S Banupriya, a homemaker, and brother S Praveen Kumar, a Class VI student, joined in the celebrations along with her teachers at their home at Nagal Nagar in Dindigul town.
So, how did Nandhini achieve this feat? Saravanakumar said his daughter was focused on academics from a young age and did well.
Dindigul wonder has eyes set on CA
She saw how hard we are working and always wanted to do what she could to lessen our burden," Saravanakumar added.
Her school headmistress A Akila told TOI that this was not something that happened out of the blue. "We were expecting her to do really well in the exams, especially since she was able to score 598/600 in the Class XI board exams. She is hard working and skilled in elocution in both in English and Tamil. She has been studying in our school from LKG and the teachers have always supported her. She has never gone for tuitions," she said.
Nandhini said she made her own plans and timetables to study both at home and school. "My friends would try to tempt me for some entertainment. But I would sacrifice such things. I dedicated more time to study difficult topics. I also started early in the morning," she said. She is one of only two students to score a centum in Tamil. Besides participating in elocution, she enjoys writing poetry and essay writing in English and Tamil.
Nandhini now plans to study BCom and pursue chartered accountancy. "We can achieve anything if we believe in it. I aim to be independent and stand on my feet," she said.