It is not every day that a student scores 625 out 626 in the Secondary School Leaving Certificate examinations. That is what Amit Madar who comes from the Jumanaala village in the Vijayapura district, Karnataka did.

The 16-year-old boy who joined his village’s Government High School had set his eyes on becoming the State topper and was keen to see his name on the school’s topper board. Talking about him, his elder brother, Kenchappa said that is what motivated him.

Sharing details with the media, Kenchappa said: “Madar doesn’t talk much but his work speaks a lot. Since I am pursuing B.Ed in Sanskrit, we both converse in Sanskrit at home. He has learnt over 100 Sanskrit verses and he believes it has increased his memory power. Moreover, he is a yoga practitioner. This has contributed significantly to his academic performance.”

Madar got first place in a district-level Sanskrit competition.

Son of a single parent, Madar lost his father seven years ago and his mother works hard as a labourer in Vijayapura to bring up her children.

Fond of volleyball, Madar could not continue the sport due to lack of money and so he concentrated on his studies. “I usually keep my entire focus on studying and I study for 6-8 hours a day. I was really tense about scoring in science because learning this subject was a challenge. I would like to pursue engineering or medicine in the future.”

Apart from studies, Madar helps his mother and family by doing household chores like fetching water and getting milk.

Describing Madar as sharp and promising, C.A. Rudragoudar, a retired headmaster of the Government High School in Jumanaala, said: “He comes from a very economically backward family. However, he performs very well in academics and extracurricular activities. His favourite subject is mathematics.”