When Mosharaf Hasan joined International School in Patna in July last year, he was already three months late, but that was hardly an obstacle for this industrious student.

Son of farmer Rashid Hasan Khan, Mosharaf scored more than 90 per cent in Indian Certificate of Secondary Education examination (Class X), the results of which were declared on Friday. Conducted by the Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations, the ISC or Class XII results were also declared on the same day.

“My family had to relocate from Munger to Patna. So, I had to change schools in the middle of the session and missed classes for nearly three months,” said Mosharaf, 16, smiling, a few hours after the results came out.

But the smile of satisfaction has been a difficult achievement for him.

“The rest of the students had progressed with the syllabus and it was very difficult for me to keep up with them in class,” he said. “As a result, I got very poor marks in my half-yearly examination.”

What might have been a bitter disappointment and discouragement for anyone else, spurred Mosharaf on. Like a tenacious Test batsman, he plunged into his studies with renewed vigour to emerge a champion.

His family and teachers were a great help, he claims. “My teachers understood the problem I was facing because I had joined late. They helped me to cope with the vast syllabus.”

His mother Rumana, a homemaker, too, played an important part. “Mom helped me manage time effectively. She asked me to prioritise my studies and devote more time to the subjects that I found difficult,” said Mosharaf.

One effective way he found to save time was to keep away from social networking sites, like Facebook and Twitter, where other teenagers spend hours everyday. The fruits of effective time management are for everyone to see.

While Mosharaf started with a handicap, others encountered obstacles midway. Depressed after her grandfather died in May last year, Mosharaf’s classmate Prakriti Roy found it difficult to concentrate on her studies.

“My grandfather, Uday Bahadur Roy, was a great support for me and used to guide me in my studies. Losing him was very difficult for me and I lost all interest in studies,” she said.

But the memory of her grandfather encouraged the 16-year-old to fight against the pincer-grip of despair and triumph over it. “It was his blessings that I could study hard to pay my respect to the person I love and respect,” said Prakriti, who also scored more than 90 per cent.

While some struggled with bereavement, others had to grapple with the pinions of poverty.

Bibekananda Saha, the father of 15-year-old St Xavier’s High School student Richi Saha, is employed by a private firm and earns about Rs 13,000 every month. After meeting rising household expenses, he has little left to invest in the education of his two daughters.

Last year, as Richi studied for her Class X boards, Bibekananda did not manage to pay the school fees for a few months. The school waived the fees but Richi had to struggle, as she could not afford to buy reference books or got no tuitions, which often help students get good grades.

But she did not lose heart and continued to make the best of what she had. When the results were declared on Friday, she found that her grit had brought her home: she had scored more than 90 per cent.

Her elder sister Kriti was not so lucky though. The 21-year-old got through New Delhi Institute of Management but could not take admission, as her family could not pay the admission fees.

Richi, however, continues to dream. “I want to study engineering in IIT. Determination and hard work has brought me this far. I shall never lose hope,” she said, rejoicing in the halo of her first victory.