Nikhat Fatima, TwoCircles.net
Kolkata: Nilufa Yasmin has scored a perfect 100% in the University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) held in June 2025. She has qualified for the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in Bengali.
The UGC NET is a national-level exam that determines eligibility for the award of the JRF, a scholarship awarded to postgraduate students to pursue research that leads to a PhD.
Her result is being celebrated as an achievement. It came after two previous unsuccessful attempts. She appeared for the exam along with more than 7,52,000 candidates. Her score of 100% has placed her right at the top.
Belonging to the state of West Bengal, she feels proud of her language and identity.
“I am proud to be a Bengali. I take even greater pride in my subject, which is Bengali language, and I am determined to hold onto it as I move forward in life,” she told TwoCircles.net, with a sense of pride.
Nilufa, 26, comes from Katwa town in Purba Bardhaman district of West Bengal. Her academic performance from school through college has been excellent.
Lauding her success, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Congratulations to Nilufa Yasmin of Katwa in Purba Bardhaman for scoring 100 percentile and securing first position in India in UGC-NET June, 2025 in Bengali and to Rikta Chakraborty of Kolkata for securing second position in India in UGC-NET June, 2025 in Mass Communication and Journalism. Your achievements have made our State proud. Congratulations to your parents/ guardians and teachers too.”
Nilufa said this recognition from the chief minister is an honour and a reminder for her to strive even harder in the future.
She is currently pursuing her PhD on Sangeet O Sahityer Melbondhon from the Burdwan University. Her research explores the connection between music and literature.
She has an interest in music. She learnt Rabindra Sangeet during her school years and has taken part in many singing competitions. She has won prizes in various categories, including a gold medal in Rabindra Sangeet, Nazrul Geeti and classical ‘bhaktigeeti’.
“I am inspired by legendary singers like Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar,” she says.
She is a singer herself and has hosted a musical show titled ‘Eto Sur Eto Gaan’ on Doordarshan. She shares her singing performances on her YouTube channel.
Her ambition is to become a professor in Bengali literature.
An avid reader who is inspired by her favourite authors such as Sarathchandra Chattopadhyay, Rabindranath Tagore, Procheta Gupta, among others, she aspires to be a professor of Bengali language and literature.
She has written 16 stories on themes such as women, social issues and romance. She hopes to publish them one day. She also wants to write a book.
Nilufa says she owes her success to her sister and her parents who are in the field of education. She has a message for aspiring young girls and women: “Stand on your own feet first as financial freedom is the greatest form of freedom. Education brings dignity and teaches us to respect others. It is more important to be truly educated than just formally literate.”
She believes that food and language should not be used to create barriers.
Speaking about the alleged harassment and targeting of Bengali-speaking Muslims in different parts of the country, she says, “I am heartbroken by these incidents. One’s language, food and attire are personal choices and fundamental rights. Even though our country is independent, our mindset is yet to attain that freedom. Had we been free in thoughts, then no one would attack another for their language. This causes pain.”