NEET toppers celebrate success with families

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 17

It was a day of contentment and excitement for the successful candidates of the NEET-2020 as they celebrated with their families after results were declared here on Friday.

Satyam Wahi secured first rank in the district, while Nipun Aggarwal became the first candidate from Batala to score maximum marks ever in NEET. Nipun scored 670 out of 720 and his AIR stands at 130. He is third in the Amritsar district.

His father owns a rice sheller and his elder sister, who is studying BDS from Manipal University, is his inspiration. “I want to pursue cardiology as I have always been curious about it. I think that my result was quite satisfactory as the lockdown and uncertainty over competitive exams this year was quite taxing for students," Nipun said.

A student of Sidana International School, Amritsar, Nipun attributes his success to his family. "They sacrificed a lot to ensure that I got enough study time and my focus never shifted because of any other distractions. I had stayed away from social media completely and my parents limited their social interactions as well as they provided me with all resources to pursue my goals," he said.

His father Rohit Aggarwal was evidently proud of his son's academic success. "I am happy that both my kids will become doctors and pursue noble profession. This pandemic has made us all realise the importance of doctors and healthcare professionals. It's a proud moment for me as a father," he said.

Hardik Vyas, who scored 665 marks out of 720 and bagged fourth position in the district, said: "I dedicated the lockdown completely to my studies and I did not let the stress of pandemic affecting exams get into my head."

His AIR is 1,634 and coming from a family of doctors, he is ready to dedicate his life to the profession. “I want to pursue cardiology and since my parents are both doctors, they are my biggest inspiration," he said.

Dr Seema Vyas, a dentist and Hardik's mother, said that as doctors their advice to their son would be to just stick to basics and focus on his job as a doctor. "Usually, doctors are taken for granted as they are not duly appreciated for their job. During pandemic, doctors have performed their duty on the frontline and took major risks just to do their duty. That's what the profession is all about," she said. Hardik's father Dr Rajesh Kumar is the RMO at the Manawala government hospital.

All the toppers agreed that the number of hours did not matter or ensured success in competitive exams. "One can study for 15 hours but if you are not focused, it doesn't quite help. The quality hours spent on studying is what makes the difference," Nipun added.