Fragile body, but determined in spirit
Parikshit Shah got up on Thursday, was carried to his exam centre and placed on a wooden plank, where he lay down on his left side and wrote his first SSC paper.
Parikshit Shah got up on Thursday, was carried to his exam centre and placed on a wooden plank, where he lay down on his left side and wrote his first SSC paper.
The 16-year-old is suffering from osteogenesis imperfecta, commonly known as the brittle bone disease. The genetic bone disorder doesn’t allow him to do anything because of his fragility. Anything can lead to a crack in the bone.
But for the last two months he has been very careful because of his exams.
“I love my books. Reading is what I can do by myself without any assistance, which is why this exam is important to me.
I am hoping to get 80 per cent,” he said. Barely 2.5 feet tall, Parikshit is so confident he even refused a writer.
In Class 6, he enrolled in V.K. High School but always studied from home. His teachers visited him regularly to solve his doubts.
Unlike every other Class 10 child, Shah did not attend tuition after tuition.
“Only for the last six months, he took maths and science tuitions. Till Class 5, he studied in Gujarati medium and then shifted to Marathi, but he managed it beautifully,” said his mother, Vijaya.
His school, which has accommodated him despite not being a special school, is sure of his success. “He is a very bright child. We have arranged a special room for him and there is a special supervisor for him,” said Principal Kedi Mhatre.
“He always scored above 70 per cent. Till last year, he could sit, but this year he has to lie down. Still his determination is commendable.”
But after Class 10, what is Parikshit’s next goal? He has two obsessions — cricket and the stock market. While cricket is not a viable option, he wants to do commerce and try his hand at the volatile stock market.
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