West Bengal: The top rank holders in this year's West Bengal Madhyamik exams are naturally pleased with their results, which were announced on Friday, and give credit to their parents for their success. Top student Rounak Mondal of CMS School Burdwan said he expected to rank from fifth to tenth.
In his free time, Rounak also watches cricket and reads crime thrillers. Over the past two years, his hobbies were naturally curtailed by his preparation for the examination.
"But I did not stop my music practice and Rabindra Sangeet is my all time favourite," the 16-year old who wants to become a doctor said.
Among the girls, Kaushiki Sarkar of Adarshabani Academy High School in Gazol, Malda, and joint second rank holder said mathematics has been her favorite subject since she was in primary school.
"But I loved studying literature, history as well as science." Kaushiki, who too wants to be a doctor, said she would be happy if her success inspires other girls to excel in academics, score well in board exams and not give up their dreams and hope for empowerment.
"I did not anticipate that I will get the second rank and the feeling is yet to sink in. But if my success story makes other women feel determined to pursue higher studies and be economically independent, I will be too happy," she said.
Recitation and singing are the hobbies she enjoys and was encouraged to pursue them since she was in class one. Avik Das of Alipurduar McWilliam High School, who stood fourth along with two others, said he wants to do fundamental research in physics, a subject which "fascinates" him.
"Mathematics and physics used to be my favourite subjects and I loved solving problems in those subjects since childhood. But I also loved studying humanities subjects."
All fathers of the three rank holders are teachers and their mothers are home makers. An estimated 86.6 per cent of the 10.98 lakh candidates passed the Madhyamik examination this year which was held in offline mode after a gap of one year due to the COVID pandemic. Altogether 104 candidates occupied the top ten ranks.
