Amrabhai Al’s home in Rangpar, a small village of 1,000 people in the Wankaner taluka of the Morbi district, was nothing less than a festival.
Bharat, Amrabhai’s 17-year-old son, who achieved a 99.99 percentile in the Class XII commerce stream exams administered by the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB), has been receiving visitors since Wednesday morning. Bharat, a student in the Gujarati medium, obtained 667 out of 700, or 95.29 percent, in the exam.
A cattle breeder, Amrabhai said, “I am illiterate but my son got such good marks without any guidance. I am proud of him.”
“Those who could come visited our home and the ones from far-off places wished us on the phone. We have been busy since morning attending to calls and guests,” Kalubhai (36), Bharat’s cousin, said.
Bharat, the eldest among three, after completing his primary education in the village government school, had shifted to Faiz School Wankaner, a private school around 18 km from his village. Though the school had hostel facilities, Bharat would commute more than 15 km from his village everyday by shared autorickshaws.
He wants to continue with higher studies but is not sure which field he should choose. “I will study further but have not decided which branch and where,” he told to sources.
Amrabhai, who owns 20 cattle, said, “With no secondary school in the village, my daughter had dropped out from school after Class VIII. We are from Maldhari community and do not know much more than rearing cattle.” While Bharat’s sister had dropped out after Class VIII in 2020, his brother is in Class X.