'Lived In A Slum, Studied Under Streetlight'; Chandni Tops MP Board, Defying All Odds

Talent knows no boundaries or restrictions. This holds true for the 18-year-old Chandni Vishwakarma from Bhopal’s Bhim Nagar Slum, who has topped the Madhya Pradesh Board class 12 topper, securing a staggering 98.8% marks in the commerce stream. Chandni has emerged as the topper with a total of 494 marks out of 500 marks, out of the 7 lakh students who sat for the MP board exams this year.

The Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) announced results on Wednesday on its official website – mpbse.nic.in.

Chandni’s family lives in Bhim Nagar, and her father, Rambhuvan, is a daily-wage carpenter. She attended the free school for slum children run by Jagran Social Welfare Society. No fees, but the opportunity was the motto of her school, she told ToI. “May father’s weary eyes every evening screamed: succeed or we will sink forever”, she said.

While describing her journey, she mentioned how she studied on the roadside pavements, battling mosquitoes and flickering bulbs, just to revise accounts and economics. Chandni used to study up to 8-9 hours daily with quite a determination.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav who has personally congratulated the teen, has called her ‘a beacon for underprivilaged youth’ and vowing state support.

Now, Chandni set her eyes on CA exams, dreaming financial independence to pull her family from the slums.