They passed with flying colours

With the announcement of the CBSE Class 12 results, a big load has been taken off the shoulders of the graduating students. It’s been a rough couple of months for them — from weeks of strenuous preparation to a nail-biting wait for the verdict. But now that a majority of them have performed well, they can relax and look forward to the next step in their lives — university. Metrolife speaks to a few of these toppers to get a taste of their euphoria.

Shwetha Arun
Jain International School
93 per cent

Shwetha, a student of Jain International School, has done her family and teachers proud.     She’s scored 93 per cent in her exams, and her parents are delighted. “I’ve been doing well throughout the year, so I wasn’t very surprised when I did so well,” says a happy Shwetha.
She adds that she kept her preparation strategy organised, saying, “I started in the beginning of the year.  We had so many exams over the course of the year and I took each and every one of them seriously.”

Her mother, Lata Arun, chips in, “She did very well in her tenth standard exams as well, but we weren’t expecting such good marks. Support-wise, we did nothing but encourage her throughout.”

Abhirudh Ramaswamy
Jain International School
93.8 per cent

Abhirudh Ramaswamy has also given his parents a reason to smile. When his father — who is based in Dubai — first put him in a residential school, he had his worries about how his son would perform with parental support. But these worries soon transpired to be unfounded. Abhirudh has scored a 93.8 per cent in his exams. “My favourite subjects are business studies and entrepreneurship and I’m glad I’ve done well in both. I worked very hard for these exams — I planned out the topics to be covered each day and so was very sure of myself. I think that when studying commerce, students should practise rather than simply read notes. It makes life easier,” says the student, who now plans to take up hotel management.

His father, Ramaswamy, happily says, “The excitement and emotion I felt when I first saw his results can’t be expressed. When I put him in a boarding school, I was conscious that he was a good student — but I wanted him to become more independent. We’re very happy with the support that his teachers and even dorm masters gave him.”

Reijul Sachdev
NPS Koramangala
96.8 percent

Reijul Sachdev, a student of NPS Koramangala, scored a whopping 96.8 per cent in the science stream along with computer science. Though he did not hope to do so well, he is glad that his hard work paid off.

“I had no clue that I would do so well. I put in 3 to 4 hours after school everyday and during the weekends, I studied quite a bit. I made it a point to take regular breaks while studying. My advice to all the students who will be writing the exam next year is to work hard and not go easy on those breaks,” he says.

His parents are more than happy and so are his teachers. The principal of NPS Koramangala, Lakshmi Rao, says, “We have complete faith in our students’ potential to perform exceedingly well in whatever they set out to do.    Their diligence and perseverance has paid rich dividends. What makes their academic success praiseworthy is that none of our high achievers are bookworms. They have learnt to strike the right balance which will later stand them in good stead in life.”

Sharada M
Sri Kumaran Children’s Home, Kanakapura Road
97.4 per cent

Sharada M, a student of Sri Kumaran Children’s Home, is one of the brightest students in her class, which is why nobody was surprised when the girl walked away with a 97.4 per cent in the science stream — save for Sharada herself. “The tests held at school were really hard, so I didn’t think I’d get so much. But I knew I’d manage a 90 per cent. I plan to study medicine,” says the achiever.

Her mantra for success, she adds, is to do many practise papers and learn from her mistakes. “I worked for three or four hours a day and went through the previous years’ question papers. I also analysed my mistakes to do better,” she explains.

Her mother, Geeta, a homemaker, did everything she could to support her daughter. “She used to work on her own so I didn’t have to force her to study. But I made sure she had her meals on time and took care of her health,” he says.

Janani Ram
NPS Koramangala
96.8 per cent

Janani, also a computer science student, was speechless when she saw her results. “The feeling is yet to sink in, I did not go to any tuition classes and studied consistently.
It was only in the last few months that I started preparing properly. I tried not to stress myself and went on walks and attended my music classes regularly.

My parents helped me make a timetable and were very encouraging throughout the year,” she says. She has scored 98 per cent in mathematics, 95 per cent in physics and chemistry, and 99 per cent in computer science. “Don’t let stress get the better of you. Approach the board exams like any other school exam. Your textbooks should be your constant companion. If you are thorough with the concepts explained in them, you will definitely do well. Work smart, don’t just work hard,” she adds.