Like in many states, Karnataka's SSLC examination results are out and the toppers have had their share of limelight locally. But one high-scorer stays unsung in his village, 52 km from Bangalore, uncertain of what the future holds for him.

He is the first boy in his entire village and school to score an impressive 92 per cent in the state SSLC exams.

But when the results came out, 17-year-old Shivakumar was busy - breaking stones at a construction site. The daily wages of Rs 140 that he receives feeds him and his widowed mother.

"I would tell him, I can't buy any more kerosene for the lamp. My son would then go and study by the light of the temple," says Narsamma, Shivakumar's mother.
 
Saroja, a social worker who had rescued him 5 years ago from a hotel where he used to wash dishes sees him as a true motivation.

"My mother has struggled all her life for me. I want to look after her well so that she doesn't have to work again," says Shivakumar.

Shivakumar wants to be a teacher of Mathematics, a subject he says that many village students fail in. This shy bookworm hopes to remove that fear factor.

Who would imagine that a boy living in such poverty, in a rented hut with barely anything to eat would clear the boards with such distinction?

If more people come forward to support, there could be more Shivakumars in every village.