Dharavi residents and siblings Jyoti (18) and Naresh Girigiri (16) celebrated their Secondary School Certificate results without words, because both are speech- and hearing-impaired. While Jyoti got 76.80%, her younger brother Naresh scored 76% in the SSC exam.
That Jyoti was differently-abled was discovered early on by her family, who put her in a special school where such children are taught. She was admitted in the Shivaji Park Lions Club School for the hearing-impaired. Naresh's being different-abled was discovered later. By the time the family discovered he was of school going age, they admitted him in the same school and same class as Jyoti.
Kavita, Jyoti and Naresh's elder sister, said, "I have three sisters and one brother. Both my elder sisters got married a few years ago. My father is a gardener and mother is a homemaker. We are very happy with Jyoti and Naresh's achievements. The reason both got similar percentages is not that they are twins, nor that they were sitting one behind the other. In fact they were seated quite far away from each other. There were couple of students between them, according to their hall ticket numbers."
Kavita said the siblings never studied together or helped each other in studies. They preferred studying individually.
She added, "I remember Naresh came down with jaundice two weeks before his board exams started. He was so weak, but still used to spend the whole night in studies. We did not admit him to hospital, because he was given ayurvedic treatment which made him better. But he used to feel weak sometimes, and that made him feel giddy during exams. That he gave all his exams and passed with good marks makes everyone in the family very proud. The people at Jyoti and Naresh's school were shocked to know that both have scored similar marks and have stood first in the school. Now they will look for a suitable college where students like them go for further education."
