Mitul Anand enjoys his success in matriculation exam at his home in Patna on Wednesday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

For 33 years, students and teachers of Shahid Rajendra Prasad Singh Government High School at Gardanibagh hardly had anything to cheer about. Class X passout Mitul Anand on Wednesday broke the silence with a bang.

Scoring almost 90 per cent in Bihar School Examination Board’s matriculation exam, he gave them an opportunity to celebrate. Once a premier institution of the city, the school was gradually losing its sheen over the years. Mitul partially restored its past glory by figuring in the list of top 10.

Visibly happy over Mitiul’s performance, the school’s vice-principal Abhiram Jha said: “It is a great success for our school as we were waiting for this moment for the past 33 years.”

According to Jha, Mitul is the first student of the institution in 33 years to figure among the top 10 students in the matriculation exam. The last time a student of the school — initially christened Patna High School — figured in the toppers’ list was in 1980. The pass percentage in this year’s Class X exam is 73.48.

Abhishek Kumar of HNK High School in Ara, Akhilesh Kumar of Raj High School in Bettiah and Shivam Dubey of Government High School at Gulzarbagh in Patna excelled in the exam besides Mitul.

A small-time businessman, Mitul’s father Umesh Prasad Singh was on cloud nine after learning about his son’s performance. He has a motor spare parts shop at Chitkohra. He has to support a family of five, including two sons and a daughter, with a meagre income of Rs 10,000 per month.

Mitul attributed his success to his parents and teachers. He said: “My hard work and guidance from teachers and parents helped me succeed in the exam.”

Now, Umesh wants his son to crack the IIT entrance exam — an unfulfilled dream of his. Mitul has started preparing for it. He has enrolled himself in a private coaching institute, where he would get fee waiver for his performance in the board exam.

Hailing Mitul’s move to prepare for the IIT entrance exam, his class teacher Pramod Shankar said: “The boy is brilliant and has the potential to crack the tough exam.”

Established in 1919, Patna High School is one of the oldest teaching hubs in the city. It has a list of rich alumni, including Supreme Court judge and former Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court S.J. Mukhopadhaya, former Bihar chief secretary B.P. Verma, neuro surgeon Ramesh Chandra, Dr Gopal Sharan and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Abdul Bari Siddiqui.

The school produced several freedom fighters, including Rajendra Prasad Singh, a martyr of 1942 Quit India Movement. After Independence, the institution was renamed after him.