Mid-Day

Nagpur, Jun 7: Maharashtra HSC topper Ojasvita Harish Parate (17) from Nagpur slept nine hours a day during her exams — three hours more than usual — and still scored an amazing 97 per cent.

Parate is a student of Shri Shivaji Science Junior College, Nagpur, and belongs to a middle-class family. Her father Harish is a manager in a Vijaya Bank branch in Nagpur and her mother Sunita is a housewife. Parate’s brother Abhay is in Std VII.

Mera number aa gaya: State topper Ojasvita with her parents

She told MiD DAY, “I have always wanted to be a doctor. I have seen doctors attending to patients and have always wanted to do what they did. Now, it all depends on my Common Entrance Test scores.”

“I did not let the exam scare me. I treated the HSC exam like a college unit test. This attitude helped me relax,” she added. This year, the board has decided not to felicitate toppers, but that has not upset Parate. “My friends, neighbours and the media gave me a lot of affection. That was enough for me,” she said.

NN Saste, her principal, said, “Parate is a very disciplined student who always initiates group discussions and question-answer sessions with teachers.”