Sayan Saha: This soft-spoken student — a big fan of Feluda's intrigues — is among the highest scorers in the city, having notched up 463 out of 500. Sayan, a student of Jodhpur Park Boys' School, is very proud of his achievement. He says, “I went for tuitions after school but mostly studied on my own.” His dream is a berth at the Jadavpur University's Electrical department. His mother endorses this decision but purely for geographical reasons. “It is better he stays at home and gets a degree,” she said. Sayan has scored 92 in Physics and 98 in Mathematics. “I love detective novels. Satyajit Ray's Feluda series relaxes me,” Sayan says.

Abhishek Biswas: A big buff of Hindi cinema, Abhishek is also a student of Jodhpur Park Boys'. He is at a whispering distance of Sayan with 462. But Abhishek has a grouse against the higher secondary council. He says, “The council should upgrade its syllbus to match that of the IITs. We have a tough time preparing separately for HS and the joint entrance examinations.” His mother Chandrima Biswas says Abhishek had always worked hard. Though Abhishek would love to pursue Electrical engineering, his parents are trying to sell the Indian Statistical Institute. But other 'figures' also interest Abhishek. “I like Rani Mukherjee,” he says, adding as an afterthought, “And Sonu Nigam is an amazing singer.” The family did make a few 'sacrifices' to see Abhishek through. But his father, a small-time businessman Satyabrata Biswas, says, “Don't call them 'sacrifices'. Only adjustments.”

Abbhuday Das: Abbhuday is in the thick of things — in Singur. Having scored 457 from the Singur Mahamaya Vidyalaya, Abbhuday says, “Singur is a huge political issue. However, though my house is barely two kilometres from the factory, we never felt anything.” He has big plans for the future, just as the government has plans for his home town. Abbhuday wants to get an M Tech degree after completing engineering. He then plans an MBA from one of the IIMs. Another fan of Satyajit Ray, Abbudhay is strictly against going abroad for jobs. “I don't want to leave India. I will stay here and work for my country,” he says.

Sobhon Karmakar: Sobhon takes his marks in his stride. Topping from Hare School with 452, he says, “I always wanted to be a doctor. I hope I get through in Calcutta Medical College.” Sobhon's favourite subject is Maths and he has scored full marks in it. His mother Kabita Karmakar says, “He has always been a good student. We expected him to to well.” In his spare time, Sobhon likes reading novels by Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.

Anjan Nandi: District boy Anjan Nandi of Arambagh High School was told by relatives and friends that his strange combination of subjects would be an impediment to good results.

On Tuesday, Anjan proved everybody wrong by scoring 449 in the HS examinations. Anjan had chosen Geography, Computer Application, Bio Science and History. “I went to school rarely. The teacher-student ratio is poor in a school. One is not given any personal attention,” Anjan says. “He opted for Computer Application but I could not afford a computer at home. Anjan had to go to an internet café for practice,” said his father, a primary school teacher.

Puja Bhattacharya: With Economics, Statistics and Mathematics, Puja Bhattacharya of Chandernagore Bangya Vidyalaya did not expect to come out with flying colours. She scored 448. “I did put in a lot of effort. Right before the examinations, I studied for six to eight hours everyday,” Puja says. Puja dreams of enrolling in the Indian Statistical Institute. Her mother Gopa Bhattacharya says, “Puja has always come first. We were confident of her.”