SOLAPUR, July 1: Till the other day, Tanveer was one of the hundreds of students waiting anxiously for the results of the SSC examination. Today, as he stands proudly as a first ranker in the state list, he has become the apple of the eye of the entire Solapur city.

Not only has the Solapur Social Urdu High School, his alma mater, been adorned with colourful lighting to signify the festive spirit, but a local daily has gone to town with an editorial titled Taqdeer-e-Tanveer (Fortune of Tanveer).

Euphoria rules the citizens of Solapur as their lad has won them accolades and suddenly the entire city seems to have turned into a Tanveer Admiration Club! His house is thronged by well-wishers and there is a virtual traffic jam in the narrow lane that leads to his house.

Even the police commissioner, Maheshgauri, showed his appreciation by lending him a police vehicle for a couple of days to facilitate his commuting. As the premises of the Solapur Social Urdu High School glittered with electrifying lights.

And when their Hero no.1 entered the school building for the felicitation , children in rows showered rose petals on Tanveer. The headmaster of his scool, Karim Shaikh was angry when he heard the news bulletin in Marathi on the day when the SSC results were announced, which stated ``one urdu high school student'' instead of naming his school. Thanks to Tanveer, the name of the school has assumed much importance.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.