Many students fought against economic hardships and overcame physical challenges to excel in the Class X exams conducted by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education. The Madhyamik results were published on Friday.

The Telegraph profiles some of the bravehearts.

Name: Kaushik Ghosh

Score: 684/700

School: Sonaulla High School, Jalpaiguri

Son of an e-rickshaw driver, Kaushik stays with his parents at a hut in Indira Colony, Jalpaiguri town. His mother runs a small grocery shop at home, and Kaushik took time off from his studies to assist her.

Kaushik will pursue science in the Plus Two stream and aspires to become a doctor.

Name: Deb Sutradhar

Score: 642/700

School: Tarai Tarapada Adarsha Vidyalaya, Siliguri

Deb’s father works in a jewellery shop and earns ₹5,000 a month. Although his father’s earnings are not steady, Deb studied well and emerged as the topper at his school.

“My father’s earnings are not sufficient for our household, and even for my future education. I want to study engineering and be self-sufficient, but the financial hurdles worry me,” the boy said.

Name: Aditya Dutta

Score: 632/700

School: Tarai Tarapada Adarsha Vidyalaya, Siliguri

Aditya is the second-highest scorer in his school. His father works as a salesman at a steel company in Siliguri and makes around ₹10,000 a month.

“I want to be a banker,” Aditya said.

Name: Trisha Ghosh

Score: 632/700

School: Holy Family Girls’ High School, Krishnanagar, Nadia

Battling a rare vascular disease, “Takayasu’s arteritis (TAK),” which causes inflammation in large arteries, and financial hardship, Trisha has scored an impressive 632 in Madhyamik. She returned home from the hospital just two days before the exam after surgery on her gall bladder. Her father, an e-rickshaw driver in Krishnanagar, struggles to afford her monthly medicines costing over ₹7,000.

Trisha, who dreams of becoming a doctor and serving rural Bengal, plans to pursue science in higher secondary. “Continuing studies is tough with my father’s meagre income. But I’ll keep trying,” she said, thanking her teachers for their unwavering support.

Name: Disha Daptari

Score: 613/700

School: Krishnachandrapur High School, Mathurapur, South 24-Parganas

Disha’s father is a day-wage worker, and her academic success is a tale of grit. She wants to become a teacher and break the cycle of poverty.

“I want to study science in higher secondary and change my family’s fate. But financial hurdles loom large. Any help towards my education would mean the world,” the girl said.

Name: Riya Paul

Score: 569/700

School: Netaji Girls’ High School, Siliguri

Riya lives with her mother while her father works in Delhi and earns around ₹8,000 a month.

“I want to be a doctor. However, as of now, I’m focusing on my higher secondary education. I have a vision to be self-sufficient and do something for society as a doctor,” she said.

Name: Nitesh Mandal

Score: 539/700

School: Siliguri Netaji Boys’ High School, Siliguri

Nitesh, who lost his father at a very early age, depends on his elder brother and mother’s earnings to continue his studies. Nitesh’s brother works in a medicine shop, while his mother is a cook.

The total income of my brother and mother is around ₹12,000. I could not afford tuition. Whatever marks I have achieved are because of my teachers at school. I want to study commerce,” said the boy.

Name: Nilay Biswas

Score: 522/700

School: Malancha High School, Santipur, Nadia

Nilay’s parents stay in Pune while the boy stays alone at home. With no private tuition, Nilay relied entirely on his school, which provided him with books, study materials and sometimes even mid-day meals.

“Nilay’s journey proves how determination can overcome adversity,” said a teacher at the school.

Name: Bikramjit Roy

Score: 518/700

School: Cooch Behar Town High School, Cooch Behar

Bikramjit has a locomotor disability of 50 per cent and cannot walk without crutches. A resident of Kaljani village that is around 10km from Cooch Behar, his father teaches in a Madhyamik Siksha Kendra while the mother is a homemaker.

Ratan, the father, was, however, determined to ensure that his children continued their studies. His daughter Smita has finished her postgraduation studies, and now, he wants his son to pursue the higher secondary course. The boy wants to be a teacher.

Name: Dulal Chandra Barman

Score: 476/700

School: Cooch Behar Town High School, Cooch Behar

A resident of Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar, Dulal’s father is a marginal farmer and somehow runs the family. The boy has to bear the brunt of financial incapacity, and yet, he continued his studies. He wants to join the banking sector.

Name: Nirmal Kurmi

Score: 385/700

School: Cooch Behar Town High School, Cooch Behar

His father is sick, while his mother is a day-wage worker at the Kumargram tea estate in Alipurduar. Since birth, Nirmal has been 100 per cent visually impaired. Initially, he used to study in a blind school, and joined Cooch Behar Town High School in Class IX. He appeared in the exam with the help of a writer and wants to pursue the science stream.