Amid thousands of high scorers in the Bengal higher secondary exams, shone a few whose marks can never do justice to them.
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Basanti Pal
Percentage: 90%
School: Mughkalyan High School, Howrah
When the Higher Secondary results were announced on Friday, Basanti’s father was toiling in an iron foundry for Rs 250 a day. It was not until 9pm, when he returned home, that Kartik Pal came to know that his daughter had scored 90 in Bengali, 92 in English, 91 in physics, 93 in chemistry and 84 in biology.
The unlettered father and the mother, who could study till Class VI, have been slogging hard for their two daughters so that, unlike them, they would not have to spend their days worrying where their next meal would come from.
Basanti wants to become a nurse. “I want to serve people and do a job that will fetch me a regular income,” said the 17-year-old resident of Nalpukur in Howrah.
The girl is in love with books. “I like reading detective stories and Feluda is my favourite character,” she said.
Kartik works in brick kilns during summer and in the monsoon, he cycles for an hour to reach his workplace for a 12-hour shift every day. Mother Kakoli makes chains out of iron wires that fetches her Rs 50 for every 1.5kg.
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Nargis Jasemin Nahar
Percentage: 88.6%
School: Jadavpur Sammilita Balika Vidyalaya, Calcutta
The daughter of a private guard made her father proud by scoring 88.8 per cent. Nargis Jasemin Nahar has scored 92 in chemistry, 91 in physics, 90 in biological science, 90 in English and 80 in Bengali.
She has prepared to write the National Entrance Eligibility Test for admission to a medical college but the exam has been deferred to September.
Father Nazir Hossain Gazi, who is employed on a no-work-no-pay basis, let go of a day’s pay of Rs 250 to be with Nargis when the results were announced.
Nazir, who spends hours guarding the entrance to a private hospital in Dhakuria, did not mind the loss.
“A day’s earning is nothing compared with the joy she has brought to our lives. We have not been able to give her the required support. But still she has done so well,” he said.
“Papa works so hard for us. I am so happy to have made him proud. He has taught me that work is worship,” said Nargis, who draws her inspiration from Sister Nivedita but finds her role model in her father.
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Ratan Mondal
Percentage: 95.8%
School: Kanaknagar SD Institution, Hingalganj, North 24-Parganas
Ratan’s mother rolls bidis at home and father does odd jobs. Having scored 95.8 per cent in the HS, Ratan wants to study geography honours but he is not sure whether he will be able to.
As the family income varies between Rs 5,000 and Rs 6,000 a month, making ends meet takes priority over higher education.
There were several occasions when the family was on the verge of giving up but they somehow managed.
Ratan, a resident of Sandelerbil gram panchayat, has scored a 96 each in Bengali and Sanskrit, 97 in geography, and 95 each in physical education and education.
“He will have to go to Basirhat or Taki to study geography. That would require a lot more expenses because he has to stay there. His parents can’t afford that,” said uncle Aniruddha Mondal.
While the father’s earnings are spent on sustaining the family, the mother’s income made it possible for Ratan to come this far.
“I want to do a job but I don’t know whether I will be able to,” said Ratan.
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Snehasis Shyamal
Percentage: 75.4%
School:Patharpratima Anandalal Adarsha Vidyalaya, South 24-Parganas
Anima Shyamal was sowing paddy seeds when son Snehasish told her his marks. The teenager, inspired by physicist Stephen Hawking, has scored 84 each in chemistry and physics, 83 in Bengali, 66 in English and 62 in biological science.
Anima worked as a domestic help but has not been able to go to work during the lockdown. Her husband, who was a contractual labourer, died in an accident a year ago. “Our earning hardly exceeds Rs 4,000 a month. His marks were like a balm on my pain,” said Anima. Her daughter is in her third year in college.
Speaking of his hero Hawking, the boy said: “He achieved so much, overcoming whatever adversity came his way. I think if I keep striving, I can fulfil my dreams and make my mother happy.”
“I will keep giving tuition to pay for my expenses. I will not quit,” said Snehasish, who wants to do a course in pharmacy.
Snehasish stayed in the school hostel and the authorities supported him with books and also arranged for free coaching for him beyond classes, headmaster Prabhakar Das said.
