A New Town resident has achieved an all India 10 rank in the Joint CSIR-UGC NET examinations declared last week.

Debaparna Dutta of Saakar Cooperative in New Town’s BA Block scored 74.5 per cent and would now be eligible to apply for PhD at top institutes, receive a junior research fellowship and lectureship and receive a starting stipend of around Rs 40,000 a month from the government.

Debaparna topped her MSc course in botany from Ballygunge Science College last year and ranked 129 in the Graduate Aptitude Test Engineering GATE (life science) in 2019.

“I’ve always loved botany,” says the Salt Lake school alumnus. “So for my research I may study genetically modified plants. Agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy and it amounts to huge losses when crops fail. I want to find ways to modify plants so they can protect themselves against pests without needing harmful pesticides.”

She may apply to Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, IIT Bombay or Bose Institute Calcutta. “I may also get into cancer research, in which case I would like to explore plant-related cures to cancer. Either way I want to stay connected to plants,” says the girl who nurtures a garden at home.

Debaparna’s friends and relatives have been congratulating her all week. Her advice to juniors is to only pursue a stream they are interested in. “For this exam, however, one needs a broad view and study all the sciences along with one’s own specialisation. And it needs at least six months of dedicated attention.”