Acid attack survivor braves challenges, scores 95% in CBSE Class 10 exams
A Class 10 student at Chandigarh’s Institute for the Blind Sector 26, who was the victim of an acid attack at the age of 3, aspires to become a civil servant.
Not letting her disability stand in the way of success, 15-year-old Kafi, an acid attack survivor, scored 95.2% in the CBSE Class 10 results, which were declared on Friday.
Life has been fraught with challenges for Kafi, who was just three years old when three men flung acid on her at a village in Hisar. She lost her sight in the incident despite her parents Pawan and Suman travelling to far-flung hospitals in hopes of a treatment.
A student at the Institute for the Blind Sector 26, Kaifi, who aspires to become a civil servant, said, “The three middle-aged men were convicted and walked out of jail in just two years. But, their crime and attack on me will not hold me back. I will make my parents and teachers proud”.
Kaifi’s family moved to Chandigarh to ensure proper education for her. Her father took up a peon’s job in Harayan secretariat and the family now resides in Shastri Nagar.
“Videos and multimedia are a great help for the visually-impaired students and with my family and teachers’ support, I managed to score well”, she said.
Students at the Institute for the Blind came out with flying colours in both the Class 10 and 12 exams. Sumant Poddar bagged the second position in Class 10, behind Kaifi, scoring 90.8%, while Abhishek Kumar came in third with 90% .
Gaganjot Kaur, meanwhile, scored 95.6% to bag the first position in the Class 12 results. Kashish Saini and Anita Devi came in second and third with 94.2% and 93% respectively.
Making a father proud
Amit Kumar Morya, a Class 10 student at the Shishu Niketan Model School, Sector 22, scored 92.2%. His father, Girdhari, has worked as the gardener at the same school as the gardener for the past 30 years, while his mother Kusma Devi is a housewife.
Having already made his parents proud, Amit has his eyes set on an IIT seat next. “My parents always motivate me. With my dedication and their support, I was able to score well in the exam,” the 15-year-old said.
Living up to the billing
Anvi Aggarwal, who was the face of the Selfie with Daughter campaign, also made her parents proud with her 95% score in the Class 12 results.
Anvi Aggarwal, a humanities student at Carmel Convent School who was the ambassador for the campaign for two years, now wants to pursue a law degree. Anvi’s father Anurag Aggarwal is a journalist and her mother Sarika Aggarwal is a homemaker.
“I thought that the campaign was the best platform to educate women and young girls on their legal rights and importance of education,” Anvi said.
Initiated by Sunil Jaglan, the then sarpanch of a village in Jind as an attempt to promote equality, “Selfie With Daughter” campaign has since been lauded and promoted by the President and Prime Minister of India.