Dhruv Dhananjay Tapasvi (16), a class X student of the British School, New Delhi, has made history by topping the additional math International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE — class X) exam of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE), UK, written by students of 3,700 schools in 160 countries. This global #1 spot apart, the young scholar was also ranked India #1 in history, international mathematics, and eight Cambridge IGCSE subjects in exams held in November 2012 and June 2013.
CIE confers annual awards to students who score the highest per subject in the world or India. The all-India topper award is given to a student scoring the highest total across eight subjects. “I had prepared well for these exams and I’m glad my efforts have borne fruit,” says Dhruv. This year CIE celebrated 109 students worldwide for exceptional performance in the IGCSE secondary and higher secondary exams.
One of two children of Gauri and Dhananjay Tapasvi, managing director of Emission Control Technologies at Manesar, India — a subsidiary of Johnson Matthey, UK — who was posted to Delhi three years ago, Dhruv was admitted into class VIII of the national capital’s highly reputed British School in January 2011, after completing his primary education at the Yarm School, Stockton-on-Tees in north-east England.
Contrary to expectation, this young achiever didn’t experience adjustment problems. “The curriculums of both schools is almost identical. Both prepare students for CIE’s IGCSE exams. Moreover, the warm welcome I received in the British School put all fears to rest and enabled me to settle down quickly. One of the positive merits of this school is that anyone can find their particular niche and thrive within it. For this, I am very appreciative of all the school staff and students,” says Dhruv.
Fresh from his triumph, this topper readily hands out advice to peers and juniors preparing for exams. “Excellence in maths requires constant practice and concerted effort to thoroughly grasp basic principles. Reading world literature expands the mind and imagination. It’s also good to Google authors on the internet before reading their work, to understand them better,” he says.
A believer in continuous preparation — rather than last minute cramming — for examinations, this budding genius plays tennis and is also a grade 6 piano enthusiast. “Academic success requires leading a balanced life,” he philos-ophises.
Way to go!
Autar Nehru (Delhi)
Maana Patel
Ahmedabad-based Maana Patel (13) has set new records in the 50 metres, 100 metres and 200 metres backstroke events at the 67th Senior National Aquatics Championship staged in Trivandrum on November 20-24, and more recently at the School Games Federation of India-sponsored National School Games held in Pune from December 10-15. She bagged six gold medals at the two meets taking her personal medal tally in her five-year swimming career to 92 (71 gold, 16 silver and five bronze) to date. With the recent medals haul, Maana became the youngest swimmer in India to break three senior national records.
The only child of Rajiv Patel, an investment advisor, and Anal, a homemaker, this tall aquanant became interested in swimming from the time she jumped into the pool of the Sports Club, Ahmedabad, five years ago. “I took to swimming like fish to water. So it was natural to take to competitive swimming which received the full backing of my parents,” says Maana.
Her swimming career began at the Gujarat Vidyapith in Ahmedabad in July 2010, where she drew a blank. But in the 66th Enerzal Senior Nationals at Balewadi, Pune, she bagged a bronze and got an entry into the record books as the youngest ever senior nationals medals winner.
Since then, it’s been laurels all the way for Maana who is being forecast as a promising international medals hope. Despite her tender youth, this ambit-ious swimming star-in-the-making knows that great achievements don’t materialise from thin air. “I average four to five hours of practice a day,” she says.
By no means a uni-dimensional teen, this class IX student of Ahmedabad’s EW Top 10 Udgam School also boasts an excellent academic record and has been averaging 80-90 percent. “She is mentally very strong and is doing equally well in studies and swimming,” says her father Rajiv, who has made repeated appeals to the state govern-ment to encourage sports other than cricket in the national interest.
Meanwhile, Maana has set her sights on the Incheon (Korea) Asian as well as Commonwealth games (Glasgow) in 2014, for which she has intensified her training sessions.
Water wings!
R.K. Misra (Gandhinagar)