Sreelakshmi. G, a student of Bhavan’s Varuna Vidyalaya, Thrikkakara, emerged as one of the national toppers in the CBSE Class X examinations.

She was one of the four students to bag 499 marks, dropping just one mark in Maths. However, when the news reached her house at Puthiya Road in Vennala near here shortly thereafter, she was not there to celebrate the success.

Sreelakshmi was away attending entrance coaching at Chavara Public School at Pala in Kottayam district. Only her mother Rema L.P. was at home to receive the good news.

“I could not reach her to share the news and instead had to pass it on to her hostel warden,” an excited Ms. Rema, an assistant professor of Zoology and Controller of Examination at the Maharajas College (Autonomous) told The Hindu. Neither could she immediately reach her husband S. Gopinathan, senior government pleader, as his phone, just like hers, was bombarded with calls from the media and friends.

Asked about her daughter’s preparations for the exam, Ms. Rema said that Sreelakshmi was a very diligent student who left nothing for the next day. “Besides, the school notes, she used to prepare her own multi-coloured special notes. Teachers were also very confident about her performance in all subjects except Maths about which she was a bit sceptic. She was also a bit concerned about English since traditionally high marks are not awarded for that subject,” Ms. Rema said.

However, Ms. Rema was candid enough to admit that not in their wildest dreams did they expect her to emerge as one of the national toppers. According to her mother, Sreelakshmi aims to pursue medicine.

Sreelakshmi enrolled for the entrance coaching in April 16 and was supposed to return home on Tuesday. But then it was postponed by a few days at the instance of the school authorities in the wake of the outbreak of Nipah virus.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by M.P. Praveen / Kochi – May 29th, 2018