MANWAR HOSSAIN 
 
School: Jateshwar High School, Falakata, Alipurduar 

Son of a visually-impaired man who moves around seeking alms, Manwar hails from Salkumarhat in Alipurduar district. 
“My father Rasidul Islam is visually-impaired and he collects alms from people. We are a five-member family and I am the eldest child. 

As Jateswar High School is far from my home, I decided to stay at the house of my relative, who is a day labourer, close to my school,” said Manwar who scored 471 out of 500 in the humanities stream. 

“My mother Sayera Bibi has a tumour in the liver and doctors have suggested urgent surgery. We have not been able to 
do it because of shortage of money. It is my neighbours who help her with medicines and take her to the doctor,” said the boy.

Many times, the boy had to survive on just one meal a day. 

“My teachers helped me lot. They gave me private tuitions or free and also provided me with all necessary study materials and books. On most days, I would have only one meal a day but I never felt upset. I had scored 90 per cent in Madhyamik,” Manwar said.

“I intend to be a WBCS officer but my father cannot afford to give me even Rs 5. I need a job as early as possible to run my family. I cherish the dream of becoming a government officer. I don’t know what will happen next,” he said. 

Jiban Kumar Pal, the headmaster of Manwar’s school, said: “We are very happy for his achievement. 

We helped him as much as we could but all credit goes to him as he was sincere in his studies. We will help him in his further studies.”

 

CHAYAN BISWAS 
 
School: Netaji Boys’ High School, Siliguri

Chayan was brought up by his mother after his father deserted them when he was five years old. 

The boy’s mother, Reena, works as a maid in five-six houses and the 18-year-old student teaches 10-12 juniors to help her run the household.

“My father left us to remarry when I was just five years old and I have a vague memory of him. My mother brought me up and she has struggled a lot to pay for my education. When I went to Class VIII, I started giving tuitions to junior students to help my mother. She cried with joy when I told her that I had got good marks in the HS exams,” said Chayan, the 
topper of his school with a score of 467 in the humanities stream. 

Regular attendance and daily studies is what is needed to score good marks, said Chayan. “As I could not afford to take tuitions, I made it a point never to miss classes. Studying 5-6 hours daily helped me succeed. My schoolteachers helped me with the lessons after school and they also provided me with books and study material for which I will remain indebted to them,” he said.

A civil service aspirant, Chayan wants to study in a Calcutta college but he is reluctant to leave his mother.

“I want to study in a college in Calcutta but if I do that, my mother will be alone here. 

I think I will apply in a college in Siliguri and continue to work as a private tutor to fund my studies. After graduation, 
I want to appear for the civil service examinations. 

My mother has struggled a lot and I want to give her a good life,” Chayan said.

 

KAMALA ROY 
 
School: Saradamoni Vidyapith, Siliguri

Kamala, the daughter of a daily wage labourer from Mainaguri in Jalpaiguri, is visually-impaired and scored 298.
She stayed at the hostel of Prerana Educational Centre, a centre for children with disabilities, till Class X. To complete her higher secondary course, she stayed in the house of Suchitra Sarkar, one of her schoolteachers, in Siliguri. 

“I stayed in Prerana hostel till Class X but since they do not provide accommodation after that, Suchitra Sarkar, the science teacher at Saradamoni, offered me a room in her house. My mother Sarabala and I have been staying there for the past two years. It is because of my teacher’s help that I have been able to complete my Plus II and I made her proud today,” 
Kamala, the humanities student, said.

She wants to do her graduation from a college in Calcutta and work for the Indian Railways.

“My teachers have helped me with the lessons every time I approached them. Now, they are trying to get me admitted to a college in Calcutta. I will be the happiest if get to take up political science for graduation. After that, I want to try for a job in the Indian Railways. I like the voices of the ladies who make announcements of arrivals and departures of trains on the platforms. I want to do a job like that,” she said.

 

SANJUKTA GHOSH
 
School: Balurghat Girls' High School, Balurghat

Sanjukta wants to become a lecturer or a teacher of English and to study in Presidency University.

Separated from her father about 10 years ago, Sanjukta ranked ninth in the state by scoring 484 marks (96.8 per cent) in the humanities stream.

Fond of writing poems, she is the only child of Jhumur Samajdar Ghosh, who is hearing and speech impaired. 

“After my father left us, my mother started working as a tailor to run the family. She earns around Rs 4,000 a month. Despite having acute financial crisis, she always supported me. I also got support from my schoolteachers who kept encouraging me,” Sanjukta said.

She and her mother stay in Jhumur’s parents’ house at Raghnathpur near Tank More, Balurghat. 

Bhabani Sarkar, the headmistress of Sanjukta’s school, said people should help Sanjukta. “Despite the financial constraints, she has proved her mettle. We hope that benevolent people would come forward and help her fulfil her dream.”

 

PIYASHA MAHALDER
 
School: Santipur Radharani Nari Siksha Mandir

Eighteen-year-old Piyasha Mahalder of Nadia’s Santipur is all of 34 inches. Today, she says she feels taller. 

A patient of achondroplasia for which she has underdeveloped limbs and body, Piyasha has scored 86.4 per cent in higher secondary. 

Piyasha, a student of Santipur Radharani Nari Siksha Mandir, has been suffering from the disease since birth. 

er physician Jyoti Deb, who examines her at his home in Salt Lake, said: “This is an extremely rare genetic disorder. In this disease, the head and neck grow normally, but the limbs are underdeveloped and infantile. The body is dwarfed, creating a heavy stress on the backbone and forcing the person to lie down most of the time.”

At present, Piyasha is 34 inches tall and weighs 33kg. 

Her legs and arms are malformed. She cannot walk nor can she stand by herself. Her arms have little strength. 

With great determination, Piyasha wrote her own answers. 

She could not attend school regularly, but her teachers were supportive and often explained the lessons over the phone. 

“I am extremely grateful to my teachers the way they helped me,” Piyasha said.

Her mother Supriya said: “When my daughter was one-year-old, we realised that her growth is not normal like other children. Gradually, she grew up with underdeveloped limbs and a torso. People used to avoid us. But she never lost hope and began her education. She gradually embraced it as the source of her strength.”

Piyasha’s father Uttam Mahalder, an assistant sub-inspector with Calcutta police, said: “We admitted her to school. My wife carried her in her arms. The school arranged a big table so that she could follow the classes lying down on it. But holding the pen posed a big problem. 

She gradually gained confidence and started writing, holding a pencil or pen with both hands.”

Jhuma Sen, the headmistress of her school, said: “I salute her mental strength and courage.”

Her doctor Deb was elated to know that Piyasha had passed her tests.   “I have been seeing her for three years. She has extraordinary mental strength. I have seen many patients with different health problems who have lost hope. But Piyasha is an exception.”

Piyasha remained unruffled today. “My aim is to become a teacher. I want to do a Bengali (honours) course in Satipur 
College,” she said.

Supriya said she used to carry her daughter in her arms every day to Santipur Oriental Academy, 2km away from her home.

“She was provided with a table and a mat to lie on to write her exam. I used to wait outside the exam hall. My daughter was given 30 minutes extra in each paper as she writes slowly,” said Supriya.