As the results of the higher secondary examination conducted by the West Bengal Council for Higher Secondary Education came out on Wednesday, several students who braved odds emerged triumphant. The Telegraph meets some students whose smiles came after years of struggle

Big dreams

Name: Anwesha Dutta of Alipurduar Girls’ High School, Alipurduar

Score: 488/500 (ninth in the state)

Anwesha, a resident of Senpara in Kholta of the neighbouring Cooch Behar, some 6km from Alipurduar, is the daughter of a small grocery shop owner whose father earns barely Rs 10,000 a month. “I want to study English at Jadavpur University and later appear in the state civil services exam. But my financial constraint is a challenge,” said the girl.

All for parents

Name: Pitambar Barman of Tarangapur Nandakumar High School, North Dinajpur

Score: 488/500 (ninth in the state)

Pitambar is from Bheur, a remote village in Kaliaganj, North Dinajpur. His father is a mason in Nepal. His mother works as a daily-rated worker. Money may have been in short supply, but parental encouragement wasn’t, Pitambar said, adding he hoped to join the civil services one day.

Self-reliant

Name: Deep Roy of Gazole Sewchand Parameswari Vidyamandir, Malda

Score: 480/500

Deep was only 13 when he lost his father. His mother is a homemaker. Deep and his elder brother make around Rs 7,000 a month by offering tuition. “I aspire to be a civil servant in future,” he added.

Biz kid

Name: Kiran Das of Bani Mandir Railway Higher Secondary School, Siliguri

Score: 426/500

The topper in his school, Kiran is the son of an LPG service mechanic who makes around Rs 15,000. “I want to study entrepreneurship and effective business practices, but I am aware of my financial limitations,” he said.

Reality check

Name: Sneha Adhikary of Bani Mandir Railway Higher Secondary School, Siliguri

Score: 417/500

A science student, Sneha topped her school among students of the stream. She aspires to be a doctor, but doesn’t want to worry her father, an electrician, who makes around Rs 9,000 a month. “Let’s see what happens,” said the mature girl.

Teachers’ pet

Name: Buli Mahato of Sibani Academy, Malda

Score: 380/500

Buli, the daughter of a private security guard,
could not afford private tuition and depended solely on her schoolteachers.
“My teachers loved me. They are my role models and I also want to be a teacher,” she said.

Making music

Name: Tapan Roy of Cooch Behar Town High School, Cooch Behar

Score: 317/500

Tapan, from Ghagra village of neighbouring Alipurduar district, is visually impaired since birth. In 2007, he lost his father. Since then, his mother works as a cook and makes Rs 6,000-Rs 7,000 a month. Tapan, who plays the keyboard well, wants to be a musician.