T. Venkat, a student of Virudhunagar T.S.M. Manickam Nadar Janaki Ammal (VMJ) Higher Secondary School here, has brought laurels to the city by emerging second in the State in Class X of Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) examinations.
“The result came as a surprise to me. I did work hard, but never expected a State rank,” said the student who has secured 97.8 per cent with a total score of 583 marks.
“Devoting a minimum of three hours a day to prepare for the examinations and spending at least an hour on the playground is the secret of my success. Playing football and cricket kept me free from stress. I took breaks between every hour of studies and listened to music to keep myself calm and composed,” he added.
On his future plans, the student said he wanted to pursue higher studies at the Indian Institute of Technology and become an engineer.
His father A. Thillai Chidambaran is a businessman and mother T. Logasundari a homemaker. “We expected him to score above 570. But we did not even imagine that he would be a State topper. We are very happy,” Mrs. Logasundari said.
“I feel very proud. It is a remarkable moment for the school as well,” said K.R. Uthayam, school secretary. “I was one among the first batch of students from the school. To know that one of the students from my alma mater got a State rank is a great feeling,” he added.
Principal Pearl Premkumar said there were no State toppers from the school in the recent years.
