Rajkot toppers weave IIT dreams

Rajkot: "Success embraces those who sweat for it." The saying rings true in the case of Sameer Gohel of Rajkot, who emerged as a state topper with 99.99 percentile. Coming from a modest background, Sameer scored 593 out of 600 marks, securing full marks in science, social Studies, English, and Sanskrit, and 99 in mathematics.

Talking to TOI, Sameer said, "My father Jitendra Gohel is engaged in furniture and painting work. My parents always dreamed of seeing me top the board exams, and I'm glad I could make it come true. My aim is to do computer engineering from IIT Bombay."

Equally inspiring is Krisha Mulia, a lawyer's daughter, who also scored a perfect 100 in Sanskrit, science, mathematics, and social Studies, finishing with 592 out of 600.

"I used to study 7–8 hours daily at home, in addition to six hours at school. I plan to take up Group A in Class 11 and aim to get into IIT Madras. I want to become an engineer and make my parents proud."