Imphal:
Mohammad Ismat lives in a small Manipur village that gets two to four hours of electricity a day. So he had to plan his eight hours of study. For he had a dream and he realised it. Mohammad has topped the CBSE class 12 board exams, all-India, with a score of 495 out of 500.
The son of a primary school teacher, Mohammad Ismat attended the Zenith Academy Sangaiprou in Imphal. His success in Class 12 is no flash in the pan. The bright student says he did very well in his Secondary School Certificate exams too.
Mohammad thanks his parents Bashirur Rahman and Shahidan Bibi for their support in helping him get here. His father is not a rich man, but Mohammad says he knows he can depend on him for financial support as he sets his eyes on bigger achievements. Mohammad's next stop he says is being the all-India topper in the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) entrance examination.
Odds don't frighten him. Lack of electricity in a remote corner of the country was not the only hardship that this resident of Lilong Haoreibi Mayai Leikai had to battle. He says he has also battled ill-health and there were times when, "I did not give one second to study because of pain."
Mohammad's success mantra is simple. He says he believes in hard work. "I knew that I can do that. I tried my best to get this."