#OmanPride: All work no play not the way for Oman top scorer

More sports Wednesday 25/May/2016 22:40 PM
By: Times News Service
#OmanPride: All work no play not the way for Oman top scorer

Muscat: Vishaal Udandarao hasn’t attended any tuition classes, but that did not stop him from becoming CBSE Oman’s topper for Class XII with a grade of 98 per cent.
The 16-year-old is hooked on music and regularly plays his keyboard, as well as cricket and computer games.
He spends at least two hours in the virtual world, every day. “I think if you pay attention in class and practice at home, then you are ready,” said Udandarao, whose mark sheet bears a striking resemblance to his cricketing hero, Sachin Tendulkar’s scorecard during a good test match series.
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A century in Chemistry and Computer Science, 98 in Mathematics, 97 in Physics and the lowest score of 95, in English. “I believe private tuitions are a waste of time, especially when I had such wonderful guidance from my school,” Udandarao, who is a student of Indian School Wadi Kabir, said.
“I followed what was taught in school and my parents always guided me,” Udandarao said, adding that he never skipped playing with his brother Vikranth even during the exams. “It is my source of relaxation and I prefer playing with him,” said the boy who hails from Visakhapatnam in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
His mother, Usha Rani and father, Sreenivas became proud parents on Wednesday, with their hours of hard work monitoring their son’s progress paying off.
“We are happy with this success. We were hoping that he would top his school but the news that he emerged as Oman topper came as a bolt from the blue. It was God’s grace, his sincere and consistent efforts, submissive behaviour, immense support and encouragement from his teachers and school management, mentorship by friends and last but not least the best wishes and blessings from all the near and dear ones made this possible,” his mother Usha said.
“I was in India when my grandmother broke the news, but it was much later that I realised that I am Oman’s topper,” Udandarao said.
Regarding his future plans, he said he wants to study at IIT Kharagpur in West Bengal and then become a computer engineer. “Besides my parents, this feat would not have been possible without the guidance and constant inspiration from my friends, teachers, principal and school management,” he said. DN Rao, the principal of ISWK, said Udandarao’s performance will be a joyful and unforgettable moment for the entire ISWK community.
“Happiness has no boundaries, and everywhere there is celebration of academic success. Year 2016 has so far been a very fruitful year for ISWK—winning the TOO Quiz, winners of the Science India Forum, the Golden award for the best school website at the Oman Tech awards etc.
Smart work
“It’s all a result of teamwork, coupled with hard work and smart work. Our students becoming toppers in both the science and commerce streams in CBSE schools in the Sultanate of Oman gives immense pleasure to all of us and we are proud of them,” Principal Rao added.
“Vishal is a joint topper across all Gulf CBSE schools in the Class XII science stream with Kuwait and Dubai scoring 98 per cent (490/500). He scored 2400/2400 in the SAT examination. Keziah Elizabeth Johnson is a topper for the Class XII commerce stream in the Sultanate of Oman and bagged the fourth position across all Gulf CBSE Schools with 96 per cent (480/500). The 2015-2016 batch of the Indian School Wadi Kabir also created history, with two all-time top ranks in the school and they made it eventful and colourful with their astounding success in the CBSE Grade 12 Examination of 2016 as a befitting tribute to their alma mater.”
The president of ISWK, Harshendu Shah, and members of the school management committee also appreciated the efforts of all the teachers, students and parents.