The higher secondary students from the Hooghly district have proved their worth by clinching ranks within 10 in the merit list.

Soham Das of Hooghly collegiate school secured 496, standing 3rd in the state toppers list.

Soham said hard work has no alternative, it always pays. “I ranked 6th in Madhyamik and strived hard for a higher rank in higher secondary. Mathematics is my favourite subject. In my free time I play cricket and read story books,” said the son of a school teacher, who hopes to be an engineer.

“I thank my parents and school teachers and my private tutors for their able guidance towards me,” he said.

Titli Banerjee of Arambagh Girls School secured a total 495, with 99 per cent to achieve the 4th rank in the state toppers list.s

Titli said she worked hard for a good performance in the HS examination but the 4th rank in the state is not what she could imagine. “I didn’t go for fixed study hours but stressed on studies with full concentration. I even carried on with my yoga and dance practice to unwind. I thank my parents and teachers for the good show. I will be appearing for different competitive examinations and then go ahead with my future plans and ambitions,” said Titli.

Both Anandarupa Mukherjee of Rahimpur Nabagram High School and Nitish Kumar Halder of Hooghly Branch School, secured 4th place in the state with 495 marks.

Chandra Mondal from Haripal Gurudayal institute ranked 5th in the state with 494 marks and 98.8 per cent.

Chandra comes from a poor family. “My father works hard to meet the needs of the family and my studies. I did not waste time and concentrated on studies. I thank my parents and teachers for helping me so much. At present I will take admission in BCom (honours) and aim to become a chartered accountant but I fear our financial constraints may pose a major obstacle in achieving my goal,” he said.

KH Mushaib Nawab from Dakhindighi High School has also ranked 5th in the state toppers’ list.

Agnik Bhoumik from Bengai High School in Goghat got 6th position in the state. He secured 493 marks, whose parents are both teachers. His father said that Agnik secured 100 in English, however he could not do well in physics. He is also getting prepared for competitive examinations.

Mohamed Bulbul Islam from Muktapur High School also ranked 6th in the state.

Ankit Bhar of Hooghly Collegiate School stood 7th in the state with 492 marks.

Soumi Pramanik from Anand Nagar Ramnath High School also ranked 7th.

Pratay Mukherjee and Anibrata Deb Burman, both from Mahesh Ramakrishna Ashram Vidyalaya have ranked 8th with 491 marks.