Ballia (UP), February 8
A teenager from this district of Uttar Pradesh has managed to get the top slot in the International Scientist Discovery competition held last month in London. After getting the top slot, Saurabh Singh is all set to study aeronautical engineering at NASA for a year. “If I perform well, chances are that the organisation will help me further my studies in the subject,” he claimed with pride.
In 2004, when advertisements were placed in newspapers for the event, Saurabh managed to get his father’s approval to fill up the form.
A school teacher in Narheji village of Ballia, his father Ramkeshwar Singh was initially reluctant to give his son the go ahead. “Money”, he said, “has always been a hurdle for me.”
At that time, Saurabh was undergoing coaching for the IT entrance exam at Kota in Rajasthan. “In class X boards, I had managed a mere 72 per cent...the marks were not enough to boost me for the IIT.”
According to Saurabh, he competed with 1.5 lakh other children in India during the prelims. “Later, when the finals were held at the prestigious Oxford University in Britain, I competed with 100 others from across the globe. I topped the list of eight children who were finally selected,” he said.
The teenager informs in 1960, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam had managed the seventh slot in the finals of the competition. “In 1988, NASA’s braveheart Kalpana Chawla had managed the 21st spot,” he said.
— UNI
