Overcoming odds to reach the top

If disability were a challenge, students of this category have faced it heads-on yet again, report Jaya Shroff and Sachin Saini.

If disability were a challenge, students of this category have faced it heads-on yet again. Of the 664 special category students appearing in the Delhi region for the Class X-CBSE boards this year, the pass percentage is an impressive 75 per cent. But only one student scored more than 90 per cent – the highest in the country. With 95.2 per cent, Dhruv Jain from Delhi Public School who is 60 per cent hearing impaired has bagged the first position.

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An IIT aspirant, Jain scored over 95 marks in all subjects except English where he scored 85 marks. Language, says his father, is his son’s Achilles heel. “He can’t hear, so he can’t write. Language is all about communication,” said Dr. Aloke Jain.

“We were really worried about his weakness earlier, especially when kids made fun of him,” said his mother, Dr. Ruchi Gupta. Watching their son charge ahead in the mad rat race gives the Jains the confidence their son will find his niche in life.

“With determination, will power and a healthy environment, anyone can perform,” said the proud Principal of DPS, Mathura Road, M.I. Hussain.

An IAS officer in the making, 14-year-old Ram Das Shivhare who is visually challenged, has also proved himself in the CBSE examinations. A student of Jormal Periwal Memorial Senior Secondary School for Blind Boys in South Delhi, he secured 79 per cent. Even though he scored the highest in his school, the teenager is far from satisfied. “I had hoped to secure far better results. My aim was to get the highest marks in Delhi region.” “This is just the beginning, I have to struggle hard and become an IAS officer,” he said.

jaya.shroff@hindustantimes.com