West Bengal HS topper Rupayan Pal says he studied 12-13 hours a day, wants to be a doctor
The moment the news broke that Rupayan is this year's topper, their residence was busy with his school teachers and neighbours visiting him and his parents to congratulate him.
Rupayan Pal told The Indian Express, 'I had thought I would rank, but never thought I would come first. I used to study around 12-13 hours every day and the main aim was to keep the concepts clear. I want to become a doctor, so that was my main focus. Since childhood, I was drawn towards science, and I have given some competitive exams. Let's see what happens. I want to go to AIIMS and study.'
Apart from studies, Rupayan loves to read adventure and detective novels. He loves to travel, but for the last two years, he was concentrating on his studies.
His father Rabindranath Pal told The Indian Express, 'We are very happy. He wants to be a doctor, but let us see what happens. We both are government school teachers, so he always made his schedule and studied accordingly. We were not able to see much of his studies.'
Tushar Debnath, who is from Bakshirhat High School and scored 496 (99.2%) to stand second, has an aim to become a scientist in the future. He told The Indian Express, 'Till Class 10 I thought I would become a doctor, but now I want to become a scientist.'
According to Tushar, he took tuition from his teachers and spent 6-7 hours on self-study. Apart from that, during his free time, he enjoys watching cricket.
Tapan Debnath, father of Tushar, said, 'We knew that he would do well. He has met our expectations. Now it is up to him what he wants to pursue.'
Srijita Ghoshal of Sonamukhi Girls' High School in Bankura district scored 494 (98.8%) and is the first girl topper of this year, holding the fourth rank.
Speaking to The Indian Express, she said, 'I could not believe that I had scored so well. My teachers and friends had called to inform me. I was concentrating on the concepts. I did not have a fixed routine — at most, I would study 7-9 hours, but not more. I want to become an engineer. Since childhood, I have had many dreams, but those are changing.'
Srijita's free time is spent watching series on the phone, playing badminton, or with friends, though now she is concentrating on competitive exams which are right around the corner.
Bhagtadas Ghoshal, father of Srijita, said, 'She is our only child. I am very happy. We want her to become a good person, but career-wise she wants to be an engineer. We support her dreams.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Why did Jack Russell not brush for two days straight? Phil Tufnell answers: ‘…wanted to put the batters off'
Wicketkeepers usually tend to do unusual tantrums behind the wicket to put off the concentration of the batters. While chirping constantly is the most common method used, former England cricketer Phil Tufnell recalled how Jack Russell did not brush for a couple of days to deceive the concentration of batters. 'My wicketkeeper, Jack Russell, didn't use to brush his teeth for a couple of days. He said he wanted to put the batters off when he was standing up to the crease. Lots of little shenanigans go on there,' Tufnell said on the BBC. Agreeing with Tufnell, former West Indian cricketer Carlos Brathwaite said, 'Yes, there are some that, when you're batting, it's just like, shut up. But as a bowler, you just love it. It brings a different energy. When you have a quiet keeper, it feels like the game takes so long,' Brathwaite was quoted as saying. In the English summer of 1990 when Kiran More dropped a regulation catch of Graham Gooch at Lord's, the England skipper made the visitors pay by going on to score 333. That was one of the famous instances when a wicketkeeper's mistake cost the side badly. However, despite the dropped catch, More was a decent gloveman and belonged to a generation of 'keepers whose ability with the big gloves came before their batting prowess. 'Back in the 80s and 90s, the term was wicketkeeper-batsman, someone who was excellent behind the wickets and could bat a bit. Jeff Dujon, Rodney Marsh, Jack Russell, Alan Knott, Wasim Bari, Syed Kirmani,' recalls former Pakistan wicketkeeper Rashid Latif to The Indian Express. However, as the game evolved, teams have preferred 'keepers who can bat well. In recent times, the trend has got to an extent that batsmen who can keep are being picked for red-ball cricket. 'Instead of calling it wicketkeeper-batsman, the term should be batsman-wicketkeeper,' Latif said.
Indian Express
5 hours ago
- Indian Express
R Ashwin on Asia Cup 2025 squad: Jaiswal automatically gets a kick-in
Yashasvi Jaiswal, although he has piled on runs in red-ball cricket, he is yet to get a fair crack in the white-ball format, both in the ODIs and T20Is. Although the current set of openers in the shortest format of the game, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, are doing quite well, former Indian cricketer Ashwin thinks it is time Jaiswal is given opportunities as an opener. 'There are a few talking points regarding the Asia Cup. The first question that comes to everyone's mind is whether Shubman Gill fits into the T20 plans because in the last World Cup, Yashasvi Jaiswal was the backup opener. So Jaiswal automatically gets a kick-in. Rohit Sharma is not going to be a part of that team, so Jaiswal automatically gets a look-in,' Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. 'Now, who is going to be that other opener? Shubman Gill had an outstanding series. Can he return to the squad? Sanju Samson has had a fabulous run as a T20 opener for India. So I think it is a tricky state for the selectors. Can Shreyas Iyer make a comeback? There is a lot of decision-making that the selectors have to make. Even if there is a lot to talk about, the Indian T20I side has been a successful unit,' he added. Jaiswal, in 67 matches, has scored 2166 runs in the IPL so far. However, The Indian Express understands that Jaiswal is not part of the T20 plans and so is the case with Rishabh Pant. Since winning the T20 World Cup, this set of players haven't lost a single series. Their series wins against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Africa and England have all been statement making ones, the sort of one that has already made fans sit on the edge of their seats. In 15 matches, they have won a staggering 13 across different conditions, challenging themselves to raise the bar.
Mint
7 hours ago
- Mint
Will Jasprit Bumrah play Asia Cup 2025? Pacer declares availability ahead of selection committe meeting, says report
Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah has informed the selectors that he is available for the upcoming Asia Cup, according to a report by The Indian Express. The ace pacer reportedly spoke to the selectors a few days ago and confirmed his readiness for the tournament. The Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from September 9 to 28 in the T20 format in the UAE. While India were the official hosts, the tournament is being staged in the UAE as part of an agreement between the BCCI and PCB to hold international events at a neutral venue. The Indian selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, is set to meet on August 19 in Mumbai to finalize a 15-member squad for the Asia Cup. 'Bumrah has informed the selectors that he will be available for Asia Cup selection. The selection committee will meet and discuss it when they meet next week,' the Indian Express report stated, citing a BCCI source. Bumrah's workload management was a key focus during the recent England series, where he played only three of the five Tests. He featured in the opening Test at Headingley, skipped the second at Edgbaston, and then returned for the third and fourth Tests at Lord's and Old Trafford. Across the series, Bumrah bowled 119.4 overs and picked up 14 wickets, including two five-wicket hauls. With around 40 days of rest between his last Test appearance and India's opening Asia Cup game, Bumrah is expected to be fully fit. The shorter four-over spells in T20 cricket are also unlikely to place excessive strain on his body. The 31-year-old last represented India in the 2024 T20 World Cup final, where India defeated England by seven wickets to lift the trophy. Team India are expected to travel early to the UAE for the Asia Cup, with most players entering the tournament without much recent match practice. While the BCCI considered holding a short preparatory camp in Bengaluru, the team management felt it would be more beneficial to fly out early and acclimatize to conditions. 'Instead of having a camp here, the team will fly three-four days early so that they can get decent practice before the tournament starts,' a BCCI source told the publication.
