Carpenter’s son carves out a niche

Mohit Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 26

Densely populated Bapu Dham Colony, known for anti-social activities, was yet again in the spotlight but this time for a positive reason.

Salman, a boy from the colony and a student of St John’s High School, scored 90.8 per cent in the CBSE Class XII exams (medical).

He feels that when the focus is clear then negativities around do not affect a person in achieving the goal.

“I had a busy routine. After school, I used go for tuitions and thereafter I used to study at home. I was left with no time to venture around in the area,” says the son of Anish Ahmad, a private carpenter.

Ahmad was a proud father on Saturday. He was busy receiving calls from friends and relatives congratulating him over his son’s achievement.

Salman has become a role model for children living in the area and among his relatives. He thanked his teachers, school management and friends for motivating him to maintain focus on studies.

While expressing her delight, Salman’s mother Firoza Parveen said all her prayers were answered on Saturday. “My son aspires to become a doctor. May all his wishes come true,” says Parveen.

Proud moment for widowed mother

It was a proud day for 43-year-old Deepika, a widow, whose son Shivam Ahuja, a national-level wrestler, scored 86 per cent marks in the Class XII exams in the commerce stream. Having lost her husband at the prime of her life, she was allegedly thrown out of the house by her in-laws along with her two little sons.

She did odd jobs to support the education of her children. While thanking the management of Sharda Sarvhitkari Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 40, Deepika said the school authorities gave full fee concession and also provided free books to support the education of her two sons. “Providing quality education in a city like Chandigarh is not easy. I am working as a telesales person in a private company on a meagre salary,” said Deepika. Shivam aspires to become a lawyer.