Those who fell ill, but kept their spirits high

Two weeks before her Class 10 exams, Peenal Shah, 16, was diagnosed with typhoid. Despite losing precious study time, the heavy medication and the weakness, Shah scored 95.71% and topped her school, HVB Academy, Marine Lines, on Saturday when the Indian Certificate for Secondary Education (ICSE) results were announced.

Two weeks before her Class 10 exams, Peenal Shah, 16, was diagnosed with typhoid. Despite losing precious study time, the heavy medication and the weakness, Shah scored 95.71% and topped her school, HVB Academy, Marine Lines, on Saturday when the Indian Certificate for Secondary Education (ICSE) results were announced.

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“I was under a lot of pressure. Taking up to 12 pills a day left me feeling sleepy and thus unable to study,” said Shah. The engineering aspirant said that diligent studies through the year helped her overcome the set back.

However, for her classmate, 16-year-old Yash Pathak, a nasty bout of food poisoning may cost him a seat. Having scored 78%, he is doubtful if he will get admission in a reputed college in the science stream. The district-level football and hockey player is now banking on the sports quota.

“I had high fever and severe headache during the exams. I had to take strong antibiotics, and was not able to complete the mathematics paper. I have scored above 80% in all the other subjects,” said Pathak.

Pathak said his teachers were very supportive and the supervisors were instructed to keep a check on his condition and provide him with everything he needed.

Chetana Singh, a student of Ryan International School, Goregaon, was advised by her doctor not to take the board exam this year as she was suffering from chicken pox. Despite taking strong medications, which made her feel drowsy, Singh, 16, scored 73% in the Class 10 ICSE exam.

“I was advised to give the examination next year but I did not want to lose a year. During my mathematics and physics papers, I was barely able to write anything or even sit for more than an hour. I am really happy that I scored 73%,” said Singh, a Goregaon resident.

Since Singh was suffering from an infectious disease, she was made to sit in a separate room to take the exams. “We informed the board immediately and arranged for a separate room. We also fumigated her paper before sending it for evaluation,” said Aarti Channana, principal, Ryan International School.