Sayed Maaz Inamdar and Shashikala Kiranagi come from very different backgrounds. While the former is from a well-off family, the latter is the child of a single parent who struggles to make ends meet. But the two students have one thing in common — both have done their family proud by performing remarkably in the SSLC exams.
Inamdar, the son of advocate Mohammed Yaseen, scored 622 of 625 marks by preparing with single-minded determination. He never went for tuitions and trusted his ability to focus and study by himself. “If I had any doubt, I took the help of teachers. I think if students spend two hours in day to revise whatever was taught at school, it will be enough,” he said.
Shashikala secured 463 marks — on paper, not even close to Inamdar — but what makes her result amazing is the fact that she juggled work and studies to help her family make ends meet. Having lost her farther at a young age, Shashikala had to work along with her mother to support her family, which also includes her sister. Her mother Siddamma works as a daily wager at a small incense stick packing centre, earning Rs. 3,000 a month. “Besides going to school, I work for over two hours a day with my mother,” she said.
An elated Siddamma hopes her daughter gets the opportunities in life she never did. “I never had a chance to go to school, but I want my children to study and become famous,” she said.
Shashikala dreams of becoming a banker, while for Inamdar, the aim is to become an IAS officer.
