Vegetable vendor's son emerges Bihar topper

PATNA: Rohtas boy Himanshu, son of vegetable vendor Subhash Singh, beat all odds to emerge state topper in Class X, the results of which were announced by the Bihar School Examination Board on Tuesday. He wants to become a software engineer after completing his studies.


Himanshu, a student of Janata High School, Tenauj, who scored 96.2% to top the exam, said he could not check his marks due to poor internet connection.

"I only know that my overall score is 481 out of 500. I'm really excited and so are my parents," Himanshu said.

Born to Subhash and homemaker Manju Devi, Himanshu wants to crack the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) to get admission in any reputed engineering college. "I want to improve the economic condition of my family through dedication and hard work," said the boy, who studied more than 12 hours a day for Class X board exams.

Himanshu's father Subhash, also a farm worker, helped his son in preparations for the board exams. "My daughter Shreyanjali was the district topper in BSEB's Class X exams last year. She had scored above 80%. Now, my son has made me proud by emerging state topper," he said.

Like Himanshu, Durgesh Kumar of S K High School, Samastipur, who has scored 96% to emerge second topper, also wants to crack JEE to secure admission in the IIT. "I studied 10 hours a day for the exams, but never expected to become second-rank holder in the state. My focus was on science and mathematics as these are my favourite subjects. Now, I want to study hard to get admission in IIT," Durgesh said.

Durgesh's father Jay Kishore Singh is a farmer and mother Phool Kumari Devi a homemaker. They are also elated with the success of their son. "I am ready to spend all my savings to give better education to my son," Singh said.

Shubham Kumar of Sri Harkhen Kumar Jain Gyansthali, Bhojpur, Rajveer of Patel High School, Aurangabad and Juli Kumari of Balika High School, Arwal shared the third position by scoring 478 marks each.

Shubham wants to secure admission in Industrial Training Institute (ITI) if he gets financial assistance from the state government. "My ultimate goal is to crack UPSC exams and serve the nation," he said.

Subham's father Krishna Kumar works in a vehicle spare parts shop and his mother Parvati Devi is a homemaker. "My parents always encouraged me to study hard. They gave me all facilities despite financial constraints," Subham added.