Ashwika Pandey
Resident of: Karunamoyee F Block
Student of: Bhavan’s Gangabux Kanoria Vidyamandir
Ashwika Pandey has got 499 out 500, in her CBSE Class X examination. But ask her and she states that she lost four marks, not one. “One mark in mathematics and three in science,” she clarifies.
The Karunamoyee F Block girl had English, social studies, science, mathematics, Sanskrit and artificial intelligence as subjects. The science score was not added to her aggregate of top five.
There was a moment of disbelief when she checked her result online. “In fact, I have still not been able to associate myself with those scores,” she grins.
The student of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan chose economics over computer science as the latter, though a “handy skill”, was “too easy” and “not as interesting”. “It (computer science) is relatively easy to learn online using Python and such resources,” she argues.
She is one of seven students in her batch to have continued with Sanskrit at Plus II level. “Nothing could be tougher than Sanskrit for beginners. If I were looking only for scoring subjects, I could have taken painting or physical education. But the Sanskrit teachers in our school are wonderful and, as the saying goes, most things that are worth doing are not easy to do,” she smiles.
Ashwika says she did not study beyond eight or nine hours even during study leave. “I would go to bed by 11pm and for two hours before that, I’d spend time doing nonsense —sitting around, watching something, talking …,” says the 15 year old, who has a sister younger to her by three years. “We have our sibling fights but she is a better student than I was at her age,” she concedes. Her mother teaches civil engineering in a private institute while her father is an IT professional.
Speaking of another of her chosen subjects, AI, Ashwika says she does “not like AI as a concept”. “It’s there to use but it depends on how we use it. Knowledge of AI is extremely important to have. The only thing good about it is it consolidates information in a way that is easier to understand. Unless I am on a tight deadline, I prefer to do my own research.”
Ashwika loves to paint. Her room has her art exercise books kept neatly along with text books. Her other passion is building with Lego bricks. “A cousin was visiting so my father got him a big box. He was younger, so our box was smaller. I was very disappointed initially but I started liking it.” Subsequently she has received multiple big boxes and has built an extensive collection of bricks. Asked about the biggest structures she has created, Ashwika says it is the shape of the object that is the bigger challenge, not the size.
Given her artistic inclinations, Ashwika is open to fusing her creativity with her training in science. “Hybrid careers are the direction of the future as basic jobs are being phased out,” she reflects.
Aranya Ghosh
Resident of: Police Abasan, Ultadanga
Student of: Sri Aurobindo Institute of Education
When Aranya Ghosh got 94.2 per cent in his pre-Boards, his mother Rikta complained about him to his class teacher. “He stayed glued to his mobile, watching YouTube, and even when he was studying, he would have music on. Whenever I would urge him to sit with books, he would say there was nothing left to study. So when I went to collect his result, I requested their class teacher to speak to him,” his mother said.
When Aranya’s ICSE result came out, it came as a shock to his parents. “He had promised to get 97-98 per cent. But this was beyond our wildest dreams,” she laughed, speaking on his father’s phone. His father is an inspector in the Kolkata Police traffic guard.
If Aranya dropped one mark, it was because of his score of 98 in physics. “I got full marks in chemistry. The average came to 99,” he says. He had perfect scores also in history-geography, biology and computer application. He got 99 in English and 96 in Bengali, but the latter did not count.
The boy, who has been a student of SAIE since upper kindergarten, had six tutors. “My tuitions were mostly in the weekends. Since they were all in Salt Lake, travel time was minimal. But I stopped going from February,” he said. Till Class IX, he would also participate in the school choir, dance shows and the tech team in fests.
But there was no end to his playtime in his locality or his time with storybooks even during the study leave, causing furrowed foreheads at home. “I studied six to seven hours. Since I have always been regular in studies, that was enough to revise everything and solve an adequate number of papers,” Aranya said.
The boy, whose favourite subject is mathematics, did not try to memorise things. “I tried to understand the concept. So every time I tackled a question, it was a fresh answer that I would write on the spot,” he said.
Aranya wants to be an astrophysicist and has set his sights on an IIT or IISc, Bangalore. But for now, with the school shutting from Tuesday for summer vacation, he wants a plate of biryani cooked by his mother as prize.
Aarav Goenka
Resident of: BF Block
Student of: The Heritage School
The ICSE results may have been declared on April 30, but Aarav Goenka still
dissects the loss of a single mark on his scoresheet with the precision of a freshly concluded event.
“We have 10 subjects divided in six groups. I got 99 in computers. That
is a group by itself. Another group has two papers — history and civics
in one, and geography in another. I got 100 in geography and 98 in history-civics. So the group average came to 99. In the other four groups, I got 100,” he explains. The total was calculated on the basis of the best four subjects, plus English.
“I made a silly mistake in a picture-based question. There was this picture of the 1905 Partition of Bengal. I did not look carefully and took it to be the boundary between India and East Pakistan, so it wrote Lord Mountbatten and 1947. I lost two marks there,” Aarav says.
He has no idea how he lost a mark in computer.
“I have applied for a recheck. Let’s see if I get one mark back,” he adds.
Aarav got 98 per cent in the preBoard examination in school. English was where he was missing out. “I sat down with my English teacher, Anuradha Goyal. She worked hard
along with me. We achieved this score together. It is very difficult to get full marks in a language paper,” he says.
Aarav is also full of gratitude for the school. “Our school was very supportive. We had online sessions. A day before the Board exam on the subject, a teacher would share dos and don’ts and share other tips. All the teachers, especially class teacher Abir Mukherjee sir, were very supportive,” he says.
The BF Block boy was expecting over 99 but 99.8 per cent was beyond
his dreams. “The English score was at the top. I have never got good marks
in English but it was showing 100. I refreshed the page and looked again,” he grins. “My mother got emotional.”
The house has been in celebration mode since then. “My sister, who is coming every day, as do relatives.”
Aarav is active on the extra-curricular front as well. “Our school holds MUN (Model United Nations) every year, which I love. There are debates and elocution as well and
fests keep happening. We go to other schools too.” He believes this has contributed to his academic performance as well. “Marks can’t be this good by only studying. Holistic development, I believe, is important.”
He reads, plays the guitar and basketball, and enjoys public speaking. “I play basketball for fun, though some of my friends even compete nationally.” He is more serious about MUN. “From next month, the MUN season starts in Calcutta.”
He has been to school twice since the results came out — once to meet
the principal and again to meet the trustees. “The felicitation will happen in June on annual prize day.”
Aarav has words of advice for aspirants. “My main source of learning was the school. Follow any one book and trust your schoolteachers. They are examiners. Attend as many classes as possible. The private tuitions I have gone for were not to clear concepts but to sit for tests. Exam-writing skill is very important. You need to know how to use keywords.”
Having enrolled with science at the Plus II level, Aarav has set his sights on NUS (National University of Singapore) or NTU (Nanyang Technological University) in Singapore or an IIT or IISc back home.
Sharanya Chowdhury
Resident of: BL Block
Student of: Sri Aurobindo Institute
of Education
If you work hard, good marks will come. Sharanya Chowdhury believed in this dictum. The 18-year-old makes no qualms about how hard she has studied for her ISC. She had tutors for history, geography, psychology and English.
The first three subjects were taught by the same teacher in AK Block, next door, for which she had to visit thrice a week. For English coaching, she travelled to Dum Dum Park. “That was four days a week. I would try to study at home till 2am unless I got too tired. During the study leave, I would study all day — 8am to 1pm, 3pm to 5pm, 6pm to 9pm and again 11pm to 2am. If I went for tuitions then, it was only to take mock tests,” she says.
She liked all the subjects that she had opted for but plans to graduate with English. “I will pick up forms in St. Xavier’s College and Loreto College. I have not decided between the two,” says the girl, who wants to be a teacher.
With time in hand, the Ruskin Bond fan is happily spending time with her favourite authors. She has received a treat at JW Marriott and a new phone. She has heard that a banner has been put up in school with names of the toppers. “I plan to visit next on May 14 when our certificates will be handed over. I will get to see the banner then,” she smiles.