THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Hrithik U Hari was busy selling fish on his bicycle at his native place of Kandanassery near Guruvayur in Thrissur district when he came to know his Plus II exam results on July 15. He was informed by his class teacher Reny Sebastian of St Joseph’s Higher Secondary School at Pavaratty that he had secured 97.25 per cent marks and got A-plus grade in all subjects in the commerce stream. Hrithik, 17, son of Hareesh and Shaija, started selling fish when the nationwide lockdown was announced.
At that time, he had already appeared for exams in a few subjects. He start selling fish after his family stopped having any income. His father was a driver and mother a salesperson in a local shop and both of them were left jobless. His father is now going to a construction site as a helper while Shaija is confined to home due to some health issues.Every morning, Hrithik reaches Kechery market for collecting fish and travels around his hometown to sell fish. When the examinations resumed, he appeared and sold fish after the examinations.
“I had to start fish sale due to the financial circumstances in my house. All persons close to me supported me in this part-time job. I earn C450 per day and it means a lot for my family. The sale did not disrupt my studies. I had set aside three to four hours per day for studying and now my hard work has yielded the results,” Hrithik says. His academic brilliance is not new. He had secured A-plus grade in all subjects in SSLC examinations too when he was a student of another school at Chittattukara. He had also secured 96 per cent in Plus I.
According to Reny, Hrithik is a brilliant student. “He never skipped the classes and he was the class leader. He is a great orator. He had participated in school-level essay writing competitions too. Moreover, he was an active participant in the National Service Scheme activities in the school. Above all, he has become a pride of our school,” she says.
Hrithik’s next plan is to join BA in history or politics as he wants to do LLB after graduation. His ultimate aim is to become a civil service officer. “It is not an instant ambition. It has been in my mind from my high school days. I will study hard to attain my goal,” he says with confidence.
Hrithik has an elder sister, Harya, who is doing her BCom. Thrissur MP T N Prathapan has come forward to sponsor his higher studies to help him attain his dream.