The Telegraph Education Foundation scholarship winners pose for the camera after the ceremony at Saroj Nalini Girls? High School, Ballygunge, on Saturday. Barring a few, most of the 45 students received the TTEF scholarship for the first time. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

No tuitions, few books, little food and sometimes a back-breaking work schedule. Each scholarship winner of The Telegraph School Awards for Excellence, has a tale to tell ? of courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. A ceremony ? the main function was held on September 28, 2005, at the Science City auditorium ? sponsored by Adamas International School of the Rice Group, was held at Saroj Nalini Girls? High School on Saturday. The Telegraph Education Foundation (TTEF) renewed its pledge to stand by these promising youngsters to help realise their dreams with scholarships.

Letters in seven subjects and 96.6 per cent marks in the Madarsa Examination from Khalatpur High Madarsa in 2005. Ajbahar Ali Molla of Shyampur, Howrah, achieved all this while working as a carpenter to add to his family?s average income of Rs 700 a month. His father had passed away when he was in Class VIII and his mother is a zari worker. He is now studying science in Al Ameen Mission.

A TTEF scholarship winner in 2004, Sweta Modak won this year?s State School Table Tennis Championship. She passed Madhyamik with a first division and is in Class XII (humanities) at Barrackpore Girls? High School. Her father is a lower-division clerk earning around Rs 7,500 a month, which also sustains the family of his brother who died a few years ago. His brother?s son is suffering from leukaemia. Sweta?s table tennis-related expenses he just can?t afford.

Sain Shaikh is one of the brightest students of North Bengal Engineering College. He had scored 86.5 per cent and 87.8 per cent in his Madhyamik and Higher Secondary (HS) exams, respectively, and topped it with a 192 rank in JEE 2005. His scores are hardly a giveaway of the adversities he faces. Sain?s father is a day labourer in Murshidabad and earns Rs 800 a month.

On and off, Hari Pada Jana has to find work as a day labourer. His father is also a day labourer and runs a family of five with his wages adding up to Rs 600 per month. Without taking any tuitions, Hari Pada passed Madhyamik and HS in the first division. He is now studying English honours at Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission.

Shraboni Khatua, studying in Bhupatinagar Kanya Vidyalaya, East Midnapore, missed her chance to appear for the Madhyamik because of financial constraints. Her farmer father earns Rs 600 a month to support the five-member family.

Chinmoy Mondal, of Saldiha in Bankura, competes with regular students. The only help he needs are a tape recorder and a reader to help tackle his 90 per cent visual impairment. He passed his HS from Tamluk Hamilton High School in 2005. A gifted sportsman, Chinmoy has won many prizes in the national-level blind chess championship and national blind athletics meet. He has already enrolled himself at Jadavpur University for a BA in Bengali (hons), which he will pursue after completion of a Basic Primary Teacher Training Course in Bankura.

A toddler paints at a summer camp hosted by TEFL International Pre School on Dr Sarat Banerjee Road. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

The sight of Dibakar Mondal and his wife carrying their grown-up children, Subankar and Mrigankar, on to the stage at last year?s The Telegraph School Awards for Excellence was an unforgettable one. Subankar had earned a scholarship. Dibakar had requested for a wheelchair for his sons, adding that he would make two trips, ferrying one son at a time to school in Sonarpur, South 24-Parganas. TTEF has decided to present the family with another wheelchair.

Here are the other scholarship winners:

• Prashanta Mondal, Class XII, Nilmoni Kar Vidyalaya

• Md Derazul Islam Gazi, Class XI, Harali High School

• Sujit Kumar Mondal, Class XII, Madarhat Popular Academy

• Susmita Kathari, BA Sociology (hons), Maulana Azad College

• Sougata Mondal, Class XI, Champahati High School

• Md Soyeb, Class XI, Al Ameen Mission

• Hasan Md Sher Afghan Hussain, Class XII, Al Ameen Mission

• Priyanka Parveen, Class XII, Dilip Kumar Memorial Institute

• Allarakha Mondal, Class XII, Chuadanga High School

• Bapan Das, Class XII, St Xavier?s, Haldia

• Md Eliash, B-Pharm, North Bengal Engineering College

• Kh Ashique Akbar, JU

• Falguni Mondal, Class XI, Kamalpur Netaji Higher Secondary School

• Hasibul Mullick, Calcutta Medical College

• Shrabani Dutta, Class XII, Kalitala Girls? Higher Secondary School

• Hasen Ali Mia, Calcutta Medical College

• Tanusri Ari, Class XII, Gopalpur Higher Secondary School

• Srikanta Das, Class XI, Raghunathbari Ramtarak Higher Secondary School

• Sader Ali, NRS Medical College

• Sunil Mahata, Class XI, Ramgarh Higher School

• Sheikh Jamal Uddin, BE College, Shibpur

• Abu Talha, RG Kar Medical College

• Mamata Rakshit, Class XI, Jhantipahari Higher Secondary School

• Rahimulla Miah, RG Kar Medical College

• Masud Mondal, NRS Medical College

• Abhijit Kundu, Class XI, Jagatpur Rukmini Vidyamandir

• Tarek Anwar Sardar, NRS Medical College

• Rina Kar, Kamalpur Adibasi Primary Teachers Training Institute

• Chayanika Pal, Class XI, Barisha Girls? High School

• Md Jahangir Gazi, Chittaranjan Medical College

• Md Rahiul Islam, Chittaranjan Medical College

• Tahera Khatun, Birbhum

• Sahajada Salim, Chittaranjan Medical College

• Supriyo Sanphui, Class XII, Kalikapur Ramkamal Vidyapith

• Dibendhu Khanra, Santoshpur

• Saptarshi Mondal, Champahati

• Biswajit Nag, B.Sc math, Sambhunath College

• Rajnarayan Patra, Class XI, Gomunda Suburban High School