Zahid Ansari, one of the 32 Garib Nagar residents who appeared for the SSC exam right after losing their homes to the devastating fire this March, is the only one to have passed in all the subjects
Zahid Ansari, one of the 32 Garib Nagar residents who appeared for the SSC exam right after losing their homes to the devastating fire this March, is the only one to have passed in all the subjects
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Meet Zahid Ansari. When the leaping flames devoured all his possessions during one of the most significant exams of his student life, he forged ahead, appearing for all the papers, relying on the memory of what that he had studied all year round.
Zahid Ansari had to appear for all his SSC exams alternating between the only two shirts he had, as he lost all his books and clothes in the devastating fire that gutted his Garib Nagar home on March 4
A student of Bandra Urdu High School at Bandra (West) and a resident of Garib Nagar, Zahid (17) passed his SSC examination, securing 40.73 per cent.
According to the Student Islamic Organisation of India (SIOI), Zahir is one of the 32 students who appeared for the SSC examination despite losing their homes and possessions to the devastating fire earlier this year.
His distinction lies in the fact that while all these students passed in their respective aggregates, Zahid was the only examinee from Garib Nagar who passed individually in all the subjects.
These students exhibited great grit and determination, rallying forward with exceptional discipline in the face of great loss. The devastating fire broke out and gutted their homes on March 4, the tongues of fire swallowing their books. Only a day later, these resolute kids appeared for their second and third language papers.
Speaking to MiD DAY, Zahid said, "I studied all year round, and had not left any section of the syllabus for last minute preparation.
Maybe that's the reason I managed to clear all my papers. When my house was gutted in the fire, I had just appeared for two papers. On the day of the calamity, I was writing my Hindi paper. It was so traumatised by the incidents that I found it difficult to concentrate."
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Lost everything
He added, "I lost everything in the fire. I was given books, study materials and clothes from the relief centres. I appeared for all the exams alternating between the only two shirts I had.
I was accustomed to my own books, and had marked out relevant sections in them while studying. When I was given the new books in the eleventh hour, I found it rather disorienting.
Speaking about his results, he said, "I had dreamt of securing above 60 per cent marks, but perhaps owing to the upheavals taking place in my life at the time, my score came down to 40 per cent."
Downplaying his achievement, the self-effacing Zahid added, "I scored poorly, and so no one at my place celebrated. But my friends have lauded me for passing even though I was going through such a trying time. My friends have asked me to throw a party, but I do not wish to celebrate a poor score."
Since his score has put his dream of studying science subjects in Rizvi College on the backburner, he has decided to settle for commerce subjects at the Bandra Urdu High School.
Ansari, said, "I don't know what I will be in the future, but I will continue with my studies as of now. I thank God for granting me the good fortune of obtaining pass marks in all the subjects. If I had failed, I would have lost interest in my studies. I am destined to study further."
Kamran Mirza, president of the Mumbai division of SIOI said, "We will conduct a survey to ascertain the number of dropouts, and encourage them to study further. We will rope in counsellors to convince them, and assist them financially."
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