Himanshu Raj, the son of a small time farmer and vegetable seller has made his family and everyone in their village proud of his achievement.
This student from Janta High School, Tenuaj in Rohtas district scored 96.20% in the class 10 Bihar Board exams by obtaining 481 marks out of 500.
Though I was expecting to bag a place in top 5, getting the top position was a surprise. I feel like I have conquered the world.
-Himanshu Raj
The boy spoke to the media about the difficulties he faces while preparing for his exams, and how his family supported him through it all.
My father is a small farmer and he used to till a leased land. On many occasions, it used to be difficult to meet the expenses of books and tutorials, but somehow my father managed. I have also sold vegetables along with my father in the market. I used to study for 12-14 hours a day. I was confident about securing good marks. In the future, I want to become a software engineer.
-Himanshu Raj
Himanshu hopes to become an IAS officer in future and wants to serve the poor. The second topper of the Bihar Board exams, Durgesh Kumar is also the son of a vegetable seller and lives in a hut with his family, in the village of Samastipur.