Rangachari Anand
August 31 2004
In most high schools in America, the athletes tend be the people with the highest status. Things are a little different in India where exam results are the ultimate indicator of success. A "topper" as you can possibly guess from the word, is a colloquial name for the students with the highest marks in an examination.
After high school public (i.e. standardized) examination results are announced in the months of May and June, all newspapers interview the toppers. The toppers of the entrance examinations for IIT (Indian Institutes of Technology - where I studied) and the medical colleges are treated as national celebrities and are venerated. I have collected a number of newspaper clippings during my trip to India this year that you might find interesting.
This article is from the front page of the Deccan Chronicle, the chief English language newspaper of Hyderabad. The students in the picture are toppers in a regional entrance examination for medical and engineering colleges in Andhra Pradesh. The quote from the girl, Sankara Surekha is particularly revealing: "My parents always wanted me to become a doctor and it is my desire to fullfill their dreams". Both of the students in the picture studied 6 to 8 hours a day for these exams over and above regular school work!
This next clipping (on the left) is froma local newspaper, the Mylapore Times that covers events in the Mylapore neighborhood. This boy attended the Vidya Mandir (literally: temple of learning!) school. I my self studied in Vidya Mandir for a few monthis in 1967 before I went to Washington with my family. I have no doubt that this boy's family will enjoy tremendous prestige in the neighborhood after this article came out.
A note about centum. This is just a way of indicating the highest possible marks in a subject.
This little gem is
also from the Mylapore Times and fully illustrates the cult of the
topper! A picture framing store in the neighborhood has published an
offer to laminate the mark sheets. presumably, the proud parents will
hand these mark sheets in their living rooms for all to see!
Finally, this little snippet from the Deccan Chronicle about additional acclaim for toppers. What makes this clipping interesting is that the orgaization presenting the awards to the students is a caste based organization. Its a little odd to see the caste angle played up so prominently in this day and age.
Copyright © 2004 Rangachari Anand, All Rights Reserved.
August 31 2004
In most high schools in America, the athletes tend be the people with the highest status. Things are a little different in India where exam results are the ultimate indicator of success. A "topper" as you can possibly guess from the word, is a colloquial name for the students with the highest marks in an examination.
After high school public (i.e. standardized) examination results are announced in the months of May and June, all newspapers interview the toppers. The toppers of the entrance examinations for IIT (Indian Institutes of Technology - where I studied) and the medical colleges are treated as national celebrities and are venerated. I have collected a number of newspaper clippings during my trip to India this year that you might find interesting.
This article is from the front page of the Deccan Chronicle, the chief English language newspaper of Hyderabad. The students in the picture are toppers in a regional entrance examination for medical and engineering colleges in Andhra Pradesh. The quote from the girl, Sankara Surekha is particularly revealing: "My parents always wanted me to become a doctor and it is my desire to fullfill their dreams". Both of the students in the picture studied 6 to 8 hours a day for these exams over and above regular school work!
This next clipping (on the left) is froma local newspaper, the Mylapore Times that covers events in the Mylapore neighborhood. This boy attended the Vidya Mandir (literally: temple of learning!) school. I my self studied in Vidya Mandir for a few monthis in 1967 before I went to Washington with my family. I have no doubt that this boy's family will enjoy tremendous prestige in the neighborhood after this article came out.
A note about centum. This is just a way of indicating the highest possible marks in a subject.
This little gem is
also from the Mylapore Times and fully illustrates the cult of the
topper! A picture framing store in the neighborhood has published an
offer to laminate the mark sheets. presumably, the proud parents will
hand these mark sheets in their living rooms for all to see!Finally, this little snippet from the Deccan Chronicle about additional acclaim for toppers. What makes this clipping interesting is that the orgaization presenting the awards to the students is a caste based organization. Its a little odd to see the caste angle played up so prominently in this day and age.
Copyright © 2004 Rangachari Anand, All Rights Reserved.