With 22 students scoring 625 out of 625 in the SSLC exam 1 held in March-April this year, there was no dearth of tales of single-minded pursuits punctuated not only by perseverance and grit but also by forty winks and rationed screen time for Bollywood movies. TOI spoke to a few toppers from Bengaluru to find how they pursued their goals.
Yuktha S | Holy Child English High School, Ashok Nagar, Banashankari I Stage

I wish to pursue my career as a cardiologist. I was very dedicated to my studies throughout and always aimed to score 100%. I studied six hours daily without any excuse… I’m very interested in painting, arts and crafts, and I like watching Hindi cinema. However, I made sure to restrict myself to just 30 minutes of screen time every day, so I wasn’t totally cut off but was also not wasting time on the phone. My mother is a single parent and works as a manager in an MNC. I received a lot of support from her and my school throughout exam time. But I hope everyone who gives an exam believes in themselves because if you start doubting your abilities, no matter how much support you have, it’ll always seem less
Dhanalakshmi M | Saint Yash Public High School, Kempegowda Nagar, Magadi Main Road
I studied 5-6 hours daily, but once we got close to the exams, I focused on revision. I think the previous year’s question papers really helped, as most of the questions came from there. I love listening to music and reading books, but one thing that helped me most to ward off stress and burnout was taking a quick sleeping break. I’m very grateful to my school as well for supporting me throughout the process. My school would operate from 8am to 8pm every day, and the teachers would concentrate more on the students who had the potential to score more. Even though the days were stressful, I enjoyed it thoroughly as my friends and I shared the whole experience. I wish to pursue commerce for PU, but I haven’t decided on which school as of now
Madhusudan Raju S | MES Kishore Kendra High School, Malleswaram
I was in the Metro when the results were announced, but because of poor signal, I was unable to open the link. While I was waiting for a better network connection, I received a TV clipping of my name shown as a topper. I was shocked. I showed my parents, who couldn’t believe it either. For the exams, I made a timetable with my mother’s help and made sure I followed it… Among all the subjects, social science was relatively the hardest for me, as remembering dates and names was an issue, but I made sure I kept writing and practising. I wish to enter either the science or commerce stream, but I haven’t made up my mind yet
Namitha B Rao | Matha National English High School, Kalyan Nagar
It was my dream to achieve this for the past three years. I received a lot of support from my school faculty and my parents. I intend to opt for commerce for higher education, and my dream is to become a company secretary. Apart from academics, I like reading, drawing, and music. It helped me immensely during these times
Jahnavi SN | Vijay Bharathi Vidyalaya High School, Girinagar
I intend to opt for science in future, as my ambition is to become an astrophysicist. I read about astrophysics at school all the time, and I also closely observe Isro and their work. My motivation for achieving this feat came from my relatives expressing their wish to watch me appear on TV, and I feel I’ve achieved that now
THE OTHER 17 TOPPERS
* Akheel Ahmed Nadaf | Oxford English-medium High School, Nagarbetta, Vijayapura
* C Bhavna | Neelagirishwara Vidyaniketana High School, Devanahalli, Bengaluru Rural
* Dhanush S | Marimallappa’s High School, Mysuru
* Dhruthi J | Sahukar SK Chikannagowda English-medium School, Mandya
* Mohammed Mastoor Adil | Chethana Vidya Mandira HS, Tumakuru
* Moulya D Raj | Rastriya Academy English-medium High School, Hiriyur, Chitradurga
* Namana K | Priyadarshini High School, Kallahalli, Shivamagga
* Nandan HO | Rastriya Academy English-medium High School, Hiriyur, Chitradurga
* Nithya M Kulkarni | Sri Ramakrishna English-medium Residential High School, Gopala Nagar, Shivamogga
* Ranjitha AC | Sri Chandrashekaranath Swamiji Eng lish-medium Rural High School, Bengaluru Rural
* Roopa Chanagouda Patil | Government Composite PU College, Belagavi
* Sahishnu N | Sri Adichunchanagiri High School, Shivamogga
* Shagufta Anjum | Govt Comp Urdu High School, Sirsi, Karwar
* Swasthi Kamath | Karkala Jnanasudha English-medium High School, Karkala, Udupi
* Thanya RN | BKSVB High School, Vijayanagar, Mysuru
* Utsav Patel | Vijaya School, Hassan
* Yashaswitha Reddy KB | Chirec Public School, Madhugiri, Tumakuru
(Text by Deepshikha Acharya & Sathvi G Bhat)