Atop the success ladder

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of hard work, persistence and learning from failure. City-based Muskaan Dadu of Nasr School made Telangana proud by securing 98.2 per cent in the 2017 ISC Board Examinations thereby securing the first position in the State.

It’s interesting to note that becoming the State topper was not this youngster’s goal; she only wished to bag the first position at her school. But, fate would have it differently for this 18-year-old.

As her father battled liver disease and underwent organ transplant, which was donated by her mother all during her examination period Muskaan did not give up her dedication towards her dream. What made it manageable was the constant support of her parents and her self-belief that she was working hard.

“My secret was meditation. I practice it whenever I am free,” says the youngster. “It makes me calm. My mother always taught me that no matter what happens, have the capability to defeat your failure.”

Muskaan missed the national highest by a small margin (the national highest is 99.5 per cent) but, she’s ok with it. “Humans should be satisfied with what they have. The topper must have done something better than what I did. I look upon it as an inspiration and will try to perform better in the future,” she says on a mature note.

For someone who always enjoyed studying, Muskaan’s method in the classroom was to ask questions to her teachers; she was a keen learner. She passed her ICSE Board Exam with 94 per cent. “Studying wasn’t never really a burden for me. There were a few topics that were tedious and Business Studies was boring, but my teachers made it worthwhile,” she smiles.

Interestingly, she scored full marks in Business Studies. “Throughout my school life I had a consistent preparation pattern. The only difference for my 12th Board Exam was that I had a set goal in my mind that I wanted to achieve at any cost,” she adds.

Every great achievement has a preparation routine. For Muskaan it was to study the entire portion twice before the Boards. “I used to get up at 4am, have a cup of coffee that my father made and start studying. To keep myself charged I had a lot of dry fruits with juice and glucose,” she shares.

For a teenager in the Millennial era, Muskaan’s role model is a simple concept. “It’s my mom,” she says. “I’ve always looked up to my mother. She inspires me. In spite of suffering from medical problems my mother never kept her work aside. According to my mother, ‘work is worship’. She looked after the house and also the business. When I saw her I could understand how one should never run away from problems,” she adds.

Muskaan feels that there is a small line between the best and the good. To become the best one must be curious and goal-oriented. “I believe that to secure the highest marks one must give at least some importance to studies throughout the year. I don’t believe in last moment studies, even though they can be effective sometimes. It is always good to be relaxed and tension free during the exams and being prepared is how to do it,” she concludes.

By Ujjwal Agarwal