Pune: Academics is not the only gateway to success. And this has been proved by students who have balanced academics and extra-curricular activities and yet excelled in their Std XII board examination declared by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Thursday.
An international archer and awardee of TIMES power women, Divya Dayal, a student of Army Public School (APS), Khadki scored 92.8 per cent in Commerce. Dayal received five medals which include Silver medal in World Cup, Turkey (May 2018), one Silver and one Bronze medal in Asia Cup, Phillipines (April 2018), Bronze Medal in Asia Cup, Bangkok (March 2018), Silver Medal in Asia Cup, Taiwan (July 2018) during her Std XII.
Balancing academics and sports was a difficult task for Dayal. She said, “Managing studies and sports was difficult. I had missed the first four months of my Std XII classes because of back to back seven months’ tournaments which got over in July 2018. Even in Std XI, I never focused on my studies because of my games. However, I took a break of a month after I returned from my tournaments to cope with my pending studies.”
Dayal, who has played in Asia Cup, World Cup, World Championship Cup believes that one who genuinely loves sports should pursue it as a career. “Sports gives you a wider vision in life. It builds your personality. We get to travel around the world, which helps us gain so much knowledge. We meet so many people from around the world, some come from humble backgrounds, while there are a few who never go to school or colleges because of sports. We learn adjustments as well. The losses and wins in any competition are big lessons. Coping with severe competitions builds up sportsmanship,” said Dayal.
Shubha Mukherji, student of Humanities topped in city-based Delhi Public School (DPS) by scoring 97.8 per cent. She believes that one shouldn’t ignore hobbies. “I believe in maintaining a balance in studying and everything else. I have always been inclined towards music, and I continued it throughout my board year as well. You cannot only win with the help of studies. I feel one should never give up on their hobbies. As far as career is concerned, I wish to pursue psychology either at Ashoka University or JJ College, or Christ College,” said Mukherji who composes songs, and has played at several local gigs. She has uploaded her songs on some music streaming platforms like Saavn, Spotify, etc.
Siddarth Mungale, another student from Sanskriti School scored 93.2 per cent in Science and is a musician. Mungale loves to play the guitar and aspires to learn base piano in future. He recently wrote lyrics for a song and sang it in a competition held in Delhi along with his colleague from school. “Music has been a respite during my Std XII. The song ‘off-tune’ which I had written was dedicated to my fellow teenagers who suffer depression or ill mental health. It was like extending helping hands to them. Although I haven’t thought about pursuing music as a career, it will remain a major part in my life,” said Mungale, who aspires to become a physics researcher or professor.
