BIKASH SAHANI 

• School: Hindi Balika Vidyapith, Siliguri 
• Score: 86%

Bikash Sahani studied on a scholarship for his Plus Two at Hindi Balika Vidyapith, a co-educational school, in Siliguri. His father, who drives a pick-up van, was not able to pay his school fees. 

The 17-year-old has scored 86 per cent in commerce in CBSE. The results were announced on Monday and he is happy that he is inching closer to his dream of becoming a chartered accountant.

A resident of Shastrinagar on the outskirts of Siliguri, Bikash completed his Madhyamik from Shiv Mangal Memorial Hindi High School. 

Bikash was a good student but was on the verge of giving up his studies despite scoring 608 in Madhyamik because his father Mantu Sahani could not afford to pay for his higher studies.

However, Biswaroop Mishra, a teacher of Hindi Balika Vidyapith had seen the boy’s interview in a local channel where he was featured as one of the meritorious students in Madhyamik in 2013. He told Archana Sharma, the school headmistress, about him and she agreed to admit the boy to Class XI in the commerce stream at the school with a scholarship. 

“A local channel had telecast my interview because of my good score in Madhyamik and a teacher of Hindi Balika Vidyapith had seen it. He approached the school authorities to enroll me on a scholarship. The authorities agreed and I got admitted to the school in the commerce stream,” said Bikash.

Sharma said the school management had also borne Bikash’s tuition fees and provided him with a school uniform and books while he studied at the school. 

“We got to know through Biswaroop Mishra that Bikash is a good student and that he had scored very good marks in Madhyamik. It would have been unfortunate that a good student like him did not get to continue his studies because of financial constraints. So, we decided to admit him to commerce section at the school and the school management paid his tuition fees and also provided him with books and school uniform,” said Sharma.  

Mishra gave Bikash tuitions free of cost for accountancy and business studies in the past two years.  

“My parents have always encouraged me to study despite all the difficulties we have faced. They told me to not worry about anything and only concentrate on my studies. Even my teachers have always been supportive and I am grateful to all of them,” said Bikash.

 

Text by Mrinalini Sharma; picture by Kundan Yolmo