4 min readLucknowMay 21, 2023 01:31 PM IST
First published on: May 4, 2023 at 03:32 PM IST
Salauddin is elated that his son Irfan has topped the Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Sanskrit Shiksha Parishad Board’s Uttar Madhyama-II (Class 12) examinations. The 17-year-old boy has scored 82.71 per cent, beating Gangotri Devi, who scored 80.57 per cent, to secure the first place.
Irfan, who wants to become a Sanskrit teacher, is the only Muslim among the top 20 scorers in the Class 10 and Class 12 examinations. He beat 13,738 students who sat for the Class 12 examinations. In the Class 10 examinations (Poorva Madhyama-II), Ballia district’s Aditya stood first with 92.50 per cent.
Asked if there were any issues after Irfan chose to study Sanskrit, Salauddin (51) said, “No, nothing at all. I was happy he had chosen a different subject to study and I encouraged him. It was a different choice as we are Muslims, but he was keen on it so I did not stop him. These things do not matter to us.”
“We do not subscribe to this thinking that only Hindus should study Sanskrit and that only Muslims should study Urdu. If he is studying the subject in primary and junior classes, he can study it further too. What is wrong with that? I do not see anything wrong,” said the elated father. “He wants to study Sanskrit literature and I will never stop him from pursuing something he is keen on. I am very proud of him.”
Results of the Board’s Class 10 and Class 12 examinations were announced in Lucknow on Wednesday. The examinations were held from February 23 to March 20.
Irfan, a single child, is a native of Chandauli district’s Jindaspur village under the Sakaldiha tehsil. Salauddin, who has completed his BA, is a farm labourer. Explaining how Irfan developed an interest in Sanskrit, Salauddin said, “He started studying Sanskrit in junior classes when it was a compulsory subject. He liked the subject and said that he wanted to pursue it further. It was his choice, so I encouraged him to study Sanskrit,” he said. “He wants to do Shastri (equivalent to B Ed) and Acharya (equivalent to MA) and then wants to become a Sanskrit teacher.”
“Irfan has always been quite self-motivated. We have never had to push him to study. He had no help from anyone at home because none of us know Sanskrit. He would seek his teachers’ help at school and would study at home for three to four hours daily,” said his father.
Irfan studied at Sri Sampurnanand Sanskrit Ucchtar Madhyamik School in Prabhupur. Principal Jai Shyam Tripathi told The Indian Express, “He has always been a good student. Even in earlier examinations, he has done well. We are happy for him.”
Irfan, however, missed his moment of glory when he was declared the topper. According to Saluddin, the boy left home on Wednesday morning and has not returned since.
“He said he was going somewhere, and I did not ask more questions. He is a young boy so I do not ask too many questions. He has not taken a phone with him, so I have not been able to contact him. I do not even know if he has learnt that he has stood first in the examination. When he comes back, we will tell him that he has stood first. Maybe he already knows,” Salauddin said. “All the journalists came to our house, but Irfan was not there. He said he was going on a trip and would be back in a few days. He is quite sincere, so I did not question him.”
Salauddin, nevertheless, did wonder if Irfan would regret his decision to go on the trip.
Irfan, who wants to become a Sanskrit teacher, is the only Muslim among the 20 top scorers in the Class 10 and Class 12 examinations. 
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