The Venkatachalam-Vasanthi household is abuzz with activity. But, the star of the moment, Aarthi, their daughter, is away in a hostel in Thrissur slogging away for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).
On Tuesday, V. Aarthi of Sri Vidya Mandir Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Uthangarai scored 1195 marks in Plus Two, bagging the First rank in the State.
“It is bittersweet,” says Venkatachalam on his daughter’s achievement. The NEET for medicine has taken the thunder out of the top scorers.
“With this score, if not for the entrance, she would be assured of a medical seat,’ says the father. When Aarthi secured the second highest mark in the State in the SSLC exam with 497 marks, she was admitted to the much feted school in Uthangarai about 60 km from Krishangiri. “We rented a house in Uthangarai, and my wife and daughter stayed there, while I worked in Chennai,” says Venkatachalam.
For the proud parents, the relocation efforts have paid off. Aarthi has scored centums in chemistry, maths and biology, and 199 in physics. “I’m feeling emotional. I miss her terribly,” said Vasanthi who expected her daughter to be among the top scorers, but had not expected a State rank. “She had worked very hard and it has paid off.”
For Aarthi, the achievement is yet to sink in. When The Hindu contacted her over the phone, she said, “I knew I would get the medical cut-off. But never thought I would get the State-rank,” she says. Now, all she thinks about is her medical entrance test.
A confident customer
“I welcome NEET. However, the syllabus should be made uniform so that State-board students are not disadvantaged,” says Jeshwanth over phone from Tiruvallur, in a voice laced with maturity that belies his age.
With 1195 marks, K.H. Jeshwanth shared the State I rank with Aarthi, his batch mate, from Sri Vidya Mandir Matriculation Higher Secondary School. And like Aarthi and her family, the jubilation has come with caveats with the medical entrance test looming large at the eleventh hour.
“Only a uniform syllabus would help us all compete on a fair footing,” says Jeshwanth who is yet to start on his medical entrance coaching.
The drill was the same for Jeshwanth too: a 13-hour school day and round-the clock training; he was staying at the school hostel.
His scores include centums in maths, chemistry and biology, 199 in physics and Tamil, and 197 marks in English.
Son of a co-operative society secretary and hailing from Thiruthani in Tiruvallur district, Jeshwanth had scored State I rank in SSLC as well with 499 marks.
“We wanted to put him in this school in Uthangarai because we knew he would be trained for State rank,” says Haribabu, Jeshwanth’s father.
Unlike his son, Haribabu is not in favour of NEET this year. ‘It’s his dream to study medicine. It is unfair to students who now have scored the cut-off. They should at least give students a year’s time. It is impossible to be coached on a different syllabus at such a short notice.”
Jeshwanth, though, is positive and hopes he gets to study medicine and specialise in cardiology.
An auditor in the making
In SSLC, G. Pavitra came second in her class. On Tuesday, she was ranked second in the State in Plus Two.
“I can’t believe I am a State topper. My economics teacher informed me this morning,” said Pavitra, who says sheer hard work for two years has helped her to score 1,194 marks. She missed the top rank by just one mark.
A native of Arani in Tiruvannamalai district, Pavitra is the youngest daughter of 57-year-old B. Ganesan, who takes vedic classes in the temple town, and G. Swarnalatha, a homemaker. Her parents shifted to Tiruvallur 18 years ago after Ganesan left his job at a private firm in Arani.
Joining Shree Niketan Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Tiruvallur in class XI, she has scored centums in mathematics, accountancy, commerce and economics.
“I would like to thank God, my parents, sister and teachers,” said Pavitra.
She wants to pursue chartered accountancy (CA), but says it may not be easy considering her family’s financial background.
She spent long hours at the school library and attended special classes to make ample use of school’s academic support.
This gesture from her school ensured she did not bother her parents financially to support her studies. “She is a quiet girl and hardly asks anything for herself from us. She spends most of her time reading,” said Ganesan, her father.
Aspiring civil servant
V.S. Veanupreethaa of S.K.V. Higher Secondary School in M. Kandampalayam in Namakkal district is a picture of confidence. The State third-rank holder (1193 marks) wants to pursue medicine and aspires to be a civil servant.
Her scores: 198 in Tamil, 197 in English, 198 in physics and 200 in chemistry, biology and mathematics.
A native of Vellakovil in Tirupur district, she said that support from parents and teachers in the school helped her to secure the rank.
“Understanding the concepts helped me to face tough questions without any tension,” she said. Already into yoga and meditation, she is an avid reader as well.
Her father V.P. Somasundram is a manager with Khadi Kraft, while her mother S. Vijayalakshmi is the headmistress at a government school.
(With inputs from S.P. Saravanan in Salem and D. Madhavan in Chennai)
