Raksha Gopal was always expecting an above average result in her CBSE Class 12 Board examination but there was a surprise in store for her on Sunday. It was a call from HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar informing her that with 99.6%, she was the all- India topper.
“I just jumped with joy at that moment and kept shaking for a few minutes,” said Raksha, who an hour later was still reeling with excitement as she entered Amity International School, Noida, to meet her teachers and interact with journalists and well-wishers.
Raksha took up English, History, Political Science, Economics and Psychology and scored 100, 99, 100,100 and 99 in the subjects respectively. She plans to study Political Science honours from Delhi University. A pianist with a grade five certificate from the Trinity College of Music, London; a voracious reader, blogger and a keen linguist who is learning French, Raksha says she never took tuitions and found time even while giving her exams to play the piano.
A fan of John Grisham novels, Raksha says she enjoys writing as well and contributed to and edited her school newsletter.
‘No pressure’
Her father Gopal P. Srinivasan from Tamil Nadu, who lives in Delhi and works as chief finance officer in the Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation, says there was never any pressure to perform in her studies and her mother Ranjani Gopal says she always encouraged her daughter to pursue music as a hobby.
