The merit list for Higher Secondary exams this year has a maximum number of toppers from Hooghly, 18. A student of Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya (Residential), Narendra Nath Banerjee, a resident of Bhadrakali, Hindmotor secured 493 and ranked 4th in the state merit list.

A student of Kapsit High school, Gourhati Arambagh, Koustav Kundu secured 492 marks and was ranked 5th in the state merit list. He obtained 100 in math, 99 both in English and physical science.

Koustav said, “In between my nine hours of regular studies, I would find time to read books to keep my mind refreshed.” Both Soham Chatterjee, a student of Dwarhatta Rajeswari Institution, Haripal, Hooghly and Roopsa Upadhyay of Hindmotor High school secured 491 and were ranked 6th in the state merit list. Soham obtained 100, both in math and computers.

Roopsa Upadhyay obtained 100 in English and 99 in history. Parents of Roopsa, both of whom are school teachers, said they helped her in studies and she never attended any private coaching classes. Her hobbies are reading books and traveling. Soujantyo Mukhopadhyay from Chinsurah Deshbandhu Memorial High school, a resident of Bandel has secured 490 (98%) and ranked 7th in the merit list.

Smaranya Ghosh of Janai Training High School and Koushik Kundu from Kapsit High school, Arambagh, both were ranked 7th. A student of Krishna Bhabini Nari Sikha Mandir, Chandannagar Additiya Sinha secured 489 and was ranked 8th in the state list. She received maximum help in her studies from her pare nts, who are school teachers.

She aims to go ahead with civil services preparations. Eshika sil of Rajbalhat girls high school, Atreyee Sahana from Kokhono Kalika Siksha Sadan, Badangani, Shrestha Adhikari from Krishna Bhabini Nari Siksha Mandir, Sandip Bhattacharya from Pandua Sasi Bhusan Saha High School have all secured 489 and ranked 8th in the merit list.

A student of Hatbasanta Hara Parvati Institution, Arambagh, Trishita Karmakar got 488 to get 9th rank. The 10th rank with a grand total of 487 have been secured by Koyel Kundu of Ramnagar Atul Vidyalaya and Anjuma Dilruba from Hanspukuria, Nadia.