By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
Shekh Muhammad Khan has done what a Muslim student of class X could not do in the last 20 years in Rajasthan. He is the first Muslim student in two decades to come in the top 20 rank in board exam in the state. He got 16th rank in the exam held by the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education whose results declared in the first week of this month.
TwoCircles.net phoned him in Jaipur and congratulated him on his historic success. TwoCircles.net was the second media organization after ETV Urdu to reach him.
Shekh Muhammad comes from a lower middle class family. His father works with a private company. Whose contributions you think was crucial in your success? “My parents, brothers and sisters and my school,” says the boy who has taken no private tuition so far in the age when more than 95% students are dependent on coaching and tuitions.
Your ambition? “I want to become a doctor,” says Shekh who has got highest marks in Math (98) and Science (97). Why doctor? “I want to do social service and that is the only way I can honestly do my work,” says he unsuccessfully hiding his happiness at his success.
Besides English, he also studied Hindi and Sanskrit and did well in these languages. Why didn’t take Urdu as a subject? “Urdu was not taught in my school and in many other schools in my area,” he points out while making it clear that he knows Urdu. Asked how did he learn it? He said at local mosque where a maktab was run.
Shekh Muhammad Khan’s sister Nisba Khan has also made history in her time. She came 4th in class VIII in Rajasthan. Nisba, who is now doing graduation, got 26th rank in the board exam in the entire state in 2003. She has ambition to go for Civil Services.
Since the board result came out, Shekh Muhammad Khan has been felicitated by some organizations. First was Mansoori Samaj. On 20th of this month, Rajasthan chapter of the Students Islamic Organization of India (SIO) is going to hold a programme in Jaipur to honour him.
Best of luck, Khans.