Jangalmahal’s Bankura is shining bright as star student Sili Tudu grabbed the topmost spot in Santali medium in this year’s higher secondary exams.
In 2020, for the first time ever Santali medium was introduced in HS. Amardip Tudu of Chandra KSH High School of Saltora in Bankura had emerged as the first boy. The same school had seen Budhhadeb Mandi as the Madhyamik first boy in Santali medium that year. Sili Tudu comes in the top of the state merit list from Pandit Raghunath Murmu School of Sidho-Kanho Nagore in Bankura’s Raipur.
Headmaster of the school, Kaushik Chatterjee, said, “Sili comes from a marginal family and her success has set a new milestone for our school. She scored 488.” Sili hails from Danrkedi village in Ranibandh block here and her father Parimal is a marginal farmer.
Sili said, “I want to continue my further education in Santali medium and my mission is to secure a PhD in Santali literature, the oldest in Asia, I suppose.”
Bankura has earned the chief minister’s praise for its academic success with 58 students from different schools in the district securing ranks from 1 to 10. Arpita Mondal of Patharmora High School has scored 495 marks and grabbed the 4th rank. Four students each shared the 5th and 6th ranks. Eleven students each shared 7th and 8th ranks, 12 shared 9th ranks and 15 secured 10th rank of the state merit list this year.
In neighboring Burdwan East, 9 students shared the state merit list. Of them, Avik Das of Katwa KD Institution scored 496 marks and secured the 3rd rank. Avik incidentally, was the 2nd boy in Madhyamik in 2020. In this year’s higher secondary, the students from most of the Burdwan town based schools however failed to mark their presence in the merit list. Two students – Srijoni Kundu and Neha Nasrin from the RM Institution of Maldanga in Manteswar block shared the 6th and 10th ranks.