Daughter of Bihar worker aces Class X Tamil exam with 93 marks | Chennai News – Times of India
In the midst of all the rhetoric over language comes this heart-warming story of a girl from Bihar scoring 93 out of 100 in Tamil in the Class X state board exams in Tamil Nadu.“My father migrated to Chennai for construction work 17 years ago. Later, he told us that govt schools in Tamil Nadu were good, and my mother, two sisters and I came to live in Chennai,” said D Jiya Kumari, who aced her Class X with 467 marks out of 500, including 99 in English and social science.She is a student of the Cowl Bazaar High School run by the Tamil Nadu govt.Jiya said she picked up Tamil by interacting with her classmates and teachers at the school. “Tamil was definitely harder than Hindi, but once you begin to understand it, it becomes easy. Everyone here spoke only Tamil, and I spoke with them in that. If you live somewhere, you must learn the language spoken there. It also helps you mingle with society easily,” she toldTOI.Jiya plans to do her higher studies at a govt school in Pallavaram.“I am taking the bio-maths group as I want to pursue NEET. My elder sister is studying computer science with maths as she wants to crack JEE,” said Jiya.Jiya lives in a one-room house with five family members. Her father makes just around Rs 10,000 a month, and the free education along with food support in govt schools have helped her family. “The midday meal scheme, free uniforms, shoes, books all helped me do well in studies,” said Jiya, who couldn’t have afforded private schools.Jiya’s accent and fluency in Tamil is as good as a native speaker’s proficiency. Her Tamil teacher, Geetha M, said, “No one can tell she’s from Bihar by hearing her speak Tamil.” She mastered grammar, literature, poetry and essay in the Tamil syllabus. Her science teacher, S Anandhi, also said the girl was bright and studious.“Tamil, along with English, was the easiest subjects for me. I have been speaking and writing in Tamil for more than 10 years,” said Jiya, adding that she will continue to study Tamil in Class XI and Class XII.Like Jiya, her elder sister Riya Kumari in Class XII and her younger sister Supriya Kumari in Class IX speak fluent Tamil. Her sister Riya said they speak mostly in Tamil at home and with shopkeepers. “It became part of our daily life long ago,” she said.Jiya’s father, Dhananjay Tiwari, doesn’t speak fluent Tamil like his children, but he is confident he will be the last to be in construction work from his family. “I cannot express my happiness. I want all three of my children to excel in professional courses,” he said.In the midst of all the rhetoric over language comes this heart-warming story of a girl from Bihar scoring 93 out of 100 in Tamil in the Class X state board exams in Tamil Nadu.“My father migrated to Chennai for construction work 17 years ago. Later, he told us that govt schools in Tamil Nadu were good, and my mother, two sisters and I came to live in Chennai,” said D Jiya Kumari, who aced her Class X with 467 marks out of 500, including 99 in English and social science. She is a student of the Cowl Bazaar High School run by the Tamil Nadu govt.Jiya said she picked up Tamil by interacting with her classmates and teachers at the school. “Tamil was definitely harder than Hindi, but once you begin to understand it, it becomes easy. Everyone here spoke only Tamil, and I spoke with them in that. If you live somewhere, you must learn the language spoken there. It also helps you mingle with society easily,” she toldTOI.Jiya plans to do her higher studies at a govt school in Pallavaram.“I am taking the bio-maths group as I want to pursue NEET. My elder sister is studying computer science with maths as she wants to crack JEE,” said Jiya.Jiya lives in a one-room house with five family members. Her father makes just around Rs 10,000 a month, and the free education along with food support in govt schools have helped her family. “The midday meal scheme, free uniforms, shoes, books all helped me do well in studies,” said Jiya, who couldn’t have afforded private schools.Jiya’s accent and fluency in Tamil is as good as a native speaker’s proficiency. Her Tamil teacher, Geetha M, said, “No one can tell she’s from Bihar by hearing her speak Tamil.” She mastered grammar, literature, poetry and essay in the Tamil syllabus. Her science teacher, S Anandhi, also said the girl was bright and studious.“Tamil, along with English, was the easiest subjects for me. I have been speaking and writing in Tamil for more than 10 years,” said Jiya, adding that she will continue to study Tamil in Class XI and Class XII.Like Jiya, her elder sister Riya Kumari in Class XII and her younger sister Supriya Kumari in Class IX speak fluent Tamil. Her sister Riya said they speak mostly in Tamil at home and with shopkeepers. “It became part of our daily life long ago,” she said.Jiya’s father, Dhananjay Tiwari, doesn’t speak fluent Tamil like his children, but he is confident he will be the last to be in construction work from his family. “I cannot express my happiness. I want all three of my children to excel in professional courses,” he said.
