Mangaluru (The Hindu): While Anita secured the first rank in the Arts stream, Neelima came second in Commerce

It takes grit and determination to top the fiercely competitive Karnataka II Pre University examinations and, this year, among some extraordinary toppers, the story of one girl stood out in the results announced on Wednesday.

P. Anita’s father, P. Basappa has struggled as a street vendor selling bananas in the small town of Kotturu in the Ballari district to ensure that he earned enough for his daughter’s education.

Years of struggle
On Wednesday, years of toil bore a brilliant fruit — Anita got the top rank in the Arts stream. She scored 585 out of 600 (97 in Kannada, Sanskrit and History, 99 in Education, 96 in Political Science and 99 in optional Kannada).

The girl, youngest of three children of Mr. Basappa and Kenchamma who are both uneducated, wants to prepare for the civil services. “We have struggled to give our children education and bank on scholarship,” said an elated Mr. Basappa.

Another extraordinary student is Neelima Adimulam from the Universal Education Trust PU College. Married at the age of 18, she is the mother of a two-year-old. She refused to give up on studies.

Her score of 593 out of 600 is the second highest in the commerce stream. She bagged three centums — in Business Studies, Accounting and Computer Science. So, how did she manage household chores and studies? She says she has mastered the art of reading while cooking.

Studied while cooking
She plans to continue doing that and has set her sights on becoming a Chartered Accountant. “I would like to thank my family and teachers for being supportive. I plan to continue studying in this college for my under-graduation as they have constantly helped me balance my academics with household work,” she says.

“Playing with my two-year-old has been the best stress reliever,” she adds.

Overall, the pass percentage was 57.2 in the State, a dip of 3.34 per cent compared to last year. Out of the total 6.36 lakh students who appeared for the exam, 3.64 lakh students passed the exams. Students from Dakshina Kannada district secured the highest pass percentage.