A student from West Bengal's Bardhaman, who took the Class 10 state board exams while extremely ill, has come first in her school. But Thoibi Mukherjee is no longer around to celebrate. The 16-year-old died days ahead of the results, battling jaundice.
The high fever with which she took the exams was the herald of the disease. But she got diagnosed only after the exam. By then her liver was completely damaged. She was taken to Hyderabad for treatment, but lost the battle for life on April 16.
The results for the Bengal board exam came out yesterday, and few at her school, the Uma Rani Gorai Mahila Kalyan School, were dry eyed.
Headmistress Papari Mukherjee told reporters how the 16-year-old was extremely sick through the exams, raising concern of teachers at the exam centre.
"From time to time, she could write no longer and would rest her head on her arms," Ms Mukherjee said.
"Her 674 marks is no consolation. We wish she had not tried so hard... Could have skipped the exam this year. At least she would still have been among us," the headmistress said.
"She would have been so happy but it was not to be," her grandmother Sabita Mukherjee said.
"Everyone said she would come first or second. We never believed it. We thought she would come within the first 10th. She just could not see this result. She would have been so happy. Had she been here she would have been sitting in front of the television all day," she added, breaking down.
"She was excellent in studies. She got four scholarships. But she came under too much pressure. They could not diagnose her in time," wept her grandfather Basanti Das Mukherjee.
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