Gadag girl overcomes heavy odds to top Arts

HUBLI: Israrbanu Ballary of Gadag is yet another example of grit and hard work paying off. Despite staying in a slum in Rajiv Gandhi Nagar of Gadag and being part of a large, poor family, she set her goals high. On Tuesday, her efforts resulted in a score of 572 out of 600 (95.3%) which got her the II PUC Arts (Kannada medium) topper’s rank.
She is a student of Hulkot Cooperative Educational Society’s PU College in Gadag.She had scored 88% in the SSLC exam and 92% in I PUC. Her father Mansur Ahmed is a DTP operator a local press, earning Rs 800 weekly which is barely enough to maintain his family of six. Israbanu is supported by her lecturers and college management.
Israrbanu told TOI: “We’re very poor. My parents and lecturers helped me a lot. I’d study for about 5-6 hours daily. I never thought I’d come first in the state. I’m really excited that my hard work yielded such results,” she said. She added: “I want to study BA and then MA because I want to become a lecturer. I like History a lot and would like to teach it.”
Her father Mansur Ahmed said, “Though I had lot of financial problems, I managed to provide her all facilities. She has lived up to our expectations.” Ramesh Hebsur, lecturer of HCES PU College, said, “Israrbanu’s performance has been good throughout her studies here. We recognized her talent and supported her by providing textbooks. She has made us proud by coming first in the state.”