Son of a farmer, Bihar Board Class 10 topper has no device to study online, wishes to join IIT

Himanshu Raj believes that consistency is the key to crack any exam. However, his education is on a halt at present due to the coronavirus pandemic as schools are shut and he does not own a smartphone or laptop to study online.

Himanshu Raj from a remote village in Bihar’s Rohtas has topped the Bihar Board class 10 exam scoring 481 marks out of 500. The 15-year-old has surpassed over 14.94 lakh students to attain the top rank. The result of the Bihar Board was released today and this year, the overall pass percentage is 80.59. Himanshu is the son of a farmer who works in the fields by day and teaches him in the evening. His mother is a homemaker.

The topper aims to study engineering at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology. “I will take up science in class 11 and 12 and start preparing for the JEE (entrance exam for engineering) from this year. I wish to become a software engineer. I have an inclination towards electronic objects and want to know how things operate and what goes on inside a computer,” he shared in a telephonic interaction with indianexpress.com.

Himanshu scored 96.20 per cent and believes that consistency is the key to crack any exam. “Most of the students start preparing for exams in the last few months. They may study for hours one day and skip it, the next. If one wants to retain concepts, it is necessary to study daily as a practice. I used to devote at least 12 hours to study. My father used to teach me in the evening and my teachers helped me even after school to clear my doubts,” he said.

However, his studies are on a halt at present due to the coronavirus pandemic. While schools are closed, most of the educational content is being delivered through WhatsApp or digital modes, however, Raj’s family does not own a smartphone or laptop to enable online education.

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“We do not own a smartphone. My chachi (paternal uncle’s wife) is the only one who has a smartphone in our family. I, my sister, and my cousins — all use her phone turn-wise to study during the lockdown,” he said while adding, “The lockdown has also impacted our economic conditions. My father used to teach class 7 to 10 students in the neighbourhood, who do not visit our house anymore. It has taken a toll on the family income,” revealed the topper.

He informed that since his result was announced, the entire family is busy celebrating, “Everyone in the family is excited. I am constantly receiving calls from my friends, relatives and neighbours. Everyone is happy. My mom is cooking sweets today,” he remarked. His sister, meanwhile, has been promoted to class 12 and wants to study medicine. She scored 88 per cent in her class 10 exam last year, he informed.

The Bihar Board class 10 result was announced today in which 41 students have scored top 10 ranks with Himanshu Raj being the topper. The second rank has been obtained by Durgesh Kumar with 480 marks and the third spot is shared by three students — one girl and two boys with 478 marks.