They are a bunch of bright and sharp teenagers who know their minds and have already chalked out their destinies. They are the toppers in this year’s Higher Secondary and ISC exams from Howrah, who will soon be picking their subjects of study for graduation at their chosen institutions. While most are eyeing  engineering and MBBS degrees, there are a couple who plan to do basic science while another has already decided to do her MBA after having aced her school leaving exam with humanities.

Rajdeep Maity with a score of 472 is the topper in Howrah and is the 19th rank holder in West Bengal in the Higher Secondary (Plus 2) exam of the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education. Rajdeep has studied in BE College Model School and is waiting for the Joint Entrance Main results due in July. He wants to study Computer Science or Electronics at the neighbouring Indian Institute of Engineering, Science and Technology (IIEST) or at any of the National Institutes of Technology (NIT)s. He is confident of getting into any of the NITs, his preference being NIT, Durgapur or NIT, Mizoram. “But I would obviously want to study at IIEST because it is so near my house,” said Rajdeep whose parents are doctors. 

Rajdeep had scored 90 per cent in Madhyamik but did better in HS because “I didn’t have to learn subjects like History or Geography. I like science and if one’s concepts are clear, its easier to study science”. He had private tutors in every subject and had done the mock tests from Pathfinder to prepare for the JEE. After graduation, Rajdeep would like to do his PhD abroad, but first things first for this topper, who is a Jeffrey Archer fan and has read all the books in the Clifton Chronicle series. “I also read Bengali authors and am currently reading Suchitra Bhattacharya,” signed off the topper.

Debatosh Basu is just two marks short of Rajdeep having scored 470, appearing for his HS from Uluberia High School. He had scored 635 in his Madhyamik from the same school. For Debatosh, it is the medical profession that beckons. “I am waiting for the Joint results. I want to study to be a doctor,” said the strapping teenager. Debatosh studied nine to 10 hours a day with private tuitions in every subject. “I had two tutors for Maths and did the coaching classes and the mock tests of Pathfinder,” said Debatosh whose favourite subjects were Biology and Chemistry. His father is a school teacher and had guided his son a lot through his studies while his mother being a home-maker had provided Debatosh with all the support he needed.

A Virat Kohli fan, Debatosh likes to read Tintin comics when he is not solving his Physics problems.  Parthasarathi Patra, perhaps, is the most amazing among the toppers in Howrah. He has managed to score 470 having written only his Physics, Maths and Chemistry papers. He had no optional subject because he did not want to study Biology and his school Amta Pitambar High School did not offer Statistics or Computers which would have been Patra’s choice for additional subject. “I did not want to study Biology, so I didn’t have any optional subject. I concentrated on the basic science subjects to get my score.” 

Partha is also set on getting into IIT. If he doesn’t crack the IIT entrance this year, he will drop a year to have a go at it next year. “IIT is where I want to be, if I can get in there, my future is made. There is a lot of scope to do things in IIT,” said this teenager who knows his mind. He has appeared for the Joint Mains and the WB JEE. His second choice would be to study Computer Science or Electronics Communication in Jadavpur University or IIEST. But IIT seems to be his destination for this Manchester United fan. Elated that Mohun Bagan won the I-League by drawing the match at Bangalore on Sunday, this Ronaldo fan watches all European football league matches. Partha Sarathi’s father is a homeopathy doctor while his mother is a homemaker and his sister is a qualified engineer who is working with IBM.

Camelia Jana with a 466 has stood first among girls in Howrah. Having appeared from Uluberia Binapani Girls High School, she had cleared Madhyamik from the same school with a 654. “I have always stood first from Class V,” she said. Not for her are the engineering or medical degrees, this feisty girl wants to do basic science, studying Physics Honours and will aim to do her PhD. “My first choice is Jadavpur University or Presidency College. If I can’t make it to these two then I will try Lady Brabourne College,” said Camelia who didn’t have any tutors. “The teachers in my school helped me a lot, Benudi helped me in Physics and Maths and Headmistress Sarbani Das also helped me a lot,” said Camelia. While her father is an HS teacher, her mother is a home-maker. Her elder sister who is doing a BSc in Nursing from Apollo Hospitals gave her a lot of encouragement. 

When asked about her study hours, Camelia laughed and said: “There was no regular routine as such. I studied whenever I felt like. I loved watching TV and follow Thakumar Jhuli and Kironmala regularly.” A Sunil Gangopadhyay fan, Camelia also reads Chetan Bhagat.

Saikat Mandal from Bagnan High School, who has scored 469 in HS, is another one who wants to study Physics (Honours). “If I can get through to IIT, only then will I study engineering, otherwise I want to do Physics honours from Jadavpur University,” said Mandal, whose father is a teacher at Bagnan High School. Saikat, who had scored 651 in Madhyamik, had no private tutors as such. He took extra coaching from the Sirs in his school and studied five to six hours a day. A fan of Satyajit Ray’s detective stories, he relaxes by reading story books in his spare time.
Sampurna Bhattacharya scored a whopping 98.5 per cent in ISC with humanities having appeared from Heritage School at Anandpur. A resident of Malikpara Belepole, she had Psychology, Sociology, Political Science and English as her subjects. She has stood first in humanities from West Bengal and has an all-India overall rank of 6th in ISC this year. 

“I got interested in studying Psychology from Class X,” she said who plans to major in Psychology and Sociology from Lady Sriram College, in Delhi. “I already have admission in Christ University in Bangalore but I want to study in Delhi if I get the chance,” said the teenager who is also a sportsperson. 

Sampurna’s projects in Class XII on Sociology and Psychology had impressed her teachers at school and they have kept her projects for future reference. “I did a project on the Jarawa tribals in the Andamans and also did a psychological stress measurement among girls and boys according to age,” said Sampurna. While doing her project, she found boys were more stressed out than girls. 

Stress is alien to Sampurna though, who put in eight to nine hours of study in the last three months before exams. “I studied two hours at a stretch with 15 minutes break in between. I used to do a lot of time management because I had to cover a vast syllabus in humanities,” said Sampurna. With her father being an IT officer, her mother who ran a business before she concentrated on bringing up Sampurna, the girl has already made up her mind about her career. 
“I want to do HR and so I want to study psychology,” said the teenager. Apart from psychological studies and focussing on a career, Sampurna is also an athlete, who qualified for the National Games. “But I had to give it a miss this time because the National Games were very near my exams and I was not allowed to go,” she rued. She is also in the school football team and enjoys playing the game.