The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) on Thursday announced the Higher Secondary examination results, recording an overall pass of 91.23 per cent. Sixty-four students featured among the top 10, which included 56 boys and 8 girls, with scores above 97 per cent. Purba Medinipur emerged as the best-performing district with a pass of 94.19 per cent.
Adrito Pal of Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, South 24 Parganas district, emerged as the topper, securing 496 out of 500 (99.2 per cent), while Ritobrata Nath, also from the same school, came second with a score of 495.
“I was hopeful of getting a good rank because my exams had gone well. I missed the rank in Madhyamik (Class 10 examination) by just one mark. It motivated me to work even harder for the Higher Secondary examinations,” said Adrito, who added that strict discipline and the absence of mobile phones helped him remain focused on studies.
He said he used to spend nearly six hours a day in self-study apart from regular school classes.
“At our boarding school, mobile phones were not allowed, which helped us concentrate more on academics,” he said.
‘Studies have always been my main focus’
Adrito said he wants to pursue Pure Science and later on Astronomy. Unlike many students of his age, he said he is not particularly interested in sports or outdoor activities and prefers to devote most of his time to academics.
“Studies have always been my main focus,” said Adrito, whose favourite subject is Chemistry.
Apart from textbooks, Adrito also enjoys reading extensively about environment out of personal interest and curiosity.
Adrito’s father said the family has no pressure or expectations regarding his son’s career choices and would fully support whichever path he chooses.
“We only want him to pursue what truly interests him. Our blessings and support will always remain with him,” he said.
‘Full credit to my teachers, parents’
Second rankholder Ritobrata Nath credited the discipline of the residential school and the role of his teachers and parents behind his achievement.
“I want to give full credit to my school teachers for guiding us throughout the journey, along with my parents who were my biggest supporters,” he said.
According to Nath, who aims for IIT, students at the boarding school were not allowed to use phones or electronic gadgets, which helped them remain focused on academics. He had earlier secured the seventh rank in Madhyamik (10th) and has already qualified for JEE Mains. He is currently preparing for JEE Advanced, scheduled on Sunday, May 17.
“We are proud of our son. Now he needs to focus more on the future,” his mother said.
The third rank was shared by Tanmoy Mandal from Purulia district and Subhayan Mondal from Birbhum district with a score of 494 marks.
‘Never followed a fixed study routine’
For Tanmoy Mandal, a student of Ramakrishna Mission Vidyapith, consistent hard work played a major role in his achievement. He had earlier scored 14th rank in Madhyamik.
“There was never a fixed study routine that I followed. I studied whenever and however I could,” he said.
According to his mother, Tanmoy was academically focused and has always scored above 98 per cent in all examinations since childhood. Apart from studies, he is also involved in drawing and karate, and currently holds an orange belt in karate.
Tanmoy, who is also interested in research, has already cleared JEE Main with a 99.6 percentile and secured a rank close to 6,000. He said he now wants to qualify for JEE Advanced.
‘Loves playing cricket, guitar’
Mondal, who studied at Suri Public and Chandragati Mustafi Memorial High School, said he spent most of his time focusing on studies and often studied for long hours during examinations.
“I do not have any fixed routine. Sometimes I study for five hours, sometimes eight hours. During examinations, it often crossed ten hours a day,” he said.
Mondal said he enjoys playing cricket and guitar, and also watches science fiction and thriller movies during his leisure time.
Mondal, who wants to become a neurosurgeon, said he has received a good score for NEET, and is preparing for the upcoming re-examination process.
“This is not the end. It is just the beginning,” he said.
‘I wish to become a surgeon’
Aritra Kumar Chakraborty from Baradongal R N Institution, Hooghly district, who secured the fourth rank with 493 marks, said he is now focusing entirely on his medical entrance. He had scored 690 marks in NEET and is currently preparing for the re-examination.
“My main focus now is to become a doctor. I want to become a surgeon,” he said.
Aritra said he was mostly focused on studies throughout the academic year and did not spend much time on hobbies.
“Sometimes I used to read books or paint, but studies remained my main focus,” he said.
He also mentioned that he does not own a personal mobile phone and uses his parents’ phone whenever necessary.
“I never felt strongly about having a personal phone. As long as I can use my parents’ phone when needed, it is enough for me,” he said.
Meanwhile, newly elected West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari interacted with state toppers Adrito Pal and Megha Majumder of Serampore Ramesh Chandra Girls’ High School, Hooghly, through a video call following the declaration of the results. Majumder, who secured a fifth rank with 492 marks (98.4 per cent), emerged as the highest-ranking female student this year. “The entire people of West Bengal are proud of you. Everyone’s blessings are with you. The blessings of our great Rabindranath Tagore are also with you,” the CM said during the interaction.
CM Adhikari said the two students would soon be invited to the state secretariat for an in-person felicitation ceremony.
As the results sparked celebrations across households and school campuses, many of the toppers said the real challenge still lies ahead, with national-level entrance examinations and career goals now becoming their primary focus. From engineering aspirations at IITs to dreams of becoming doctors and researchers, the students reflected a shared belief that the Higher Secondary results were not the destination, but only the beginning of a much longer journey.
(Avantika Basu is an intern with The Indian Express)