Jadavpur: Teenager Krishnendu Kundu's subject of choice is physics but it's a copy of the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary that nowadays keeps him company in his spare time.

As a first-year BSc student at Jadavpur University, Krishnendu is determined not to let his current unfamiliarity with "some English words" become a hurdle to his academic experience.

"I have almost overcome the challenge almost with the help of my dictionary," said the winner of the Sujata Chaudhuri Memorial Scholarship at The Telegraph School Awards for Excellence 2018, presented by IIHM and powered by Sister Nivedita University.

Krishnendu, who aggregated 96.60 per cent in the Higher Secondary examination this year, is the son of a paddy farmer and as adept at calculating the exact time a crop must be harvested as he is at figuring out a physics equation.

He credits the time he has spent toiling with his father in the fields for the spirit to soldier on in the face of odds.

For most village boys like him, the 200km journey from Ranikhamar in Bankura district to the Jadavpur University campus would be a feat in itself. But Krishnendu does not want his journey to end there. He wants to go to the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore for higher studies.

"I started working in the fields when I was in Class V. The only thing I still have to learn is how to plough the land," Krishnendu said of his hard life in the village.

His family's monthly income barely reaches Rs 4,500. With two siblings in Class XI and both studying science, it is almost impossible for their father to fund their education on his own.

Krishnendu, a former student of Ramsagar High School in Bankura, chose Jadavpur University for his undergraduate studies because he could study there for Rs 310 a month. "Another reason why I was inclined towards it is the presence of some seniors from my school," he said.

Krishnendu's role model is the late physicist Stephen Hawking. "I admire him not just for his pathbreaking work but also for the fact that he could achieve all that he did by overcoming severe physical disabilities. My constraints are nothing compared to Hawking's. And if he could, what stops me from chasing my dreams?"

While studies remain his focus, Krishnendu still works in the field when he goes home every fortnight. "As the elder son of the family, I have to share some of my father's responsibilities. I cannot leave everything to him. One of the benefits of working in the field is that it has hardened me up."

When Metro met Krishnendu this week, he was wearing a shirt and jeans gifted by a relative after his stellar performance in the Higher Secondary examination. It is the only new set of clothes that he owns. "I have spent most of my life wearing used shirts and trousers passed on by my cousins. How does it matter? At least I had something to wear," the young man said, his eyes travelling to a group of students attired in their campus best.

So, does he find it difficult to blend in? "I know what I am here fore. I am sticking to it. Studying physics helps you stay focused."