Sharjah: Divya Shishodia slipped on the stairs in school after writing her first paper of her CBSE Grade 12 exams. In the process she tore a big ligament of her right ankle and was left with no choice but to go through the rest of her papers with her right leg in a cast. Yet, she came on top in her school.
A pupil of Delhi Private School, Sharjah, Divya has always been a good student, but coming on top was a little surprising even for her.
“I was confident of doing well in the exams, but what I have achieved is beyond my imagination, particularly after the accident just after my first paper and the trouble I went through after that. But I am glad that the hard work paid off,” said Divya, who was crowned Miss DPS earlier this year.
Divya slipped on the stairs while she was coming down after writing her English paper on March 1. She was in immense pain, but she couldn’t let that get in her way of writing her next paper on March 3.
“I was coming down with my friends after writing the English paper and all of a sudden I slipped and it all went downhill from there. I was in pain but I somehow managed to go back home. By evening my leg was swollen so my parents took me to the hospital. After an X-ray we found that there is a tear, an injury to my right ankle and it was put in a temporary cast. I carried a text book and I continued to study for my next paper. My parents helped me stay calm and concentrate,” said Divya, who scored an overall aggregate of 94.4 per cent. The next day, Divya was at the hospital again and after another X-ray revealed a big ligament tear, her leg was put in a permanent cast.
Now, with her right leg in a cast and her movement seriously hampered, Divya was obviously disturbed, but her father said the girl’s mental toughness helped her pull through the difficult time.
“It obviously came as shock for all us. What was particularly difficult to digest was the time at which this accident happened. But Divya was strong enough to realise that what happened to her was beyond anyone’s control, but what she could do was obviously in her control. So, she chose to fight the situation with courage and she came out with flying colours,” said Rajiv Shishodia.
He agreed with his daughter that the accident might have proved to be a blessing in disguise.
“She has always been among the top five students, and we never imagined she would come on top after all this. But the accident made her stronger and work harder than usual,” added Shishodia.
Divya, who will soon head to Singapore to pursue her bachelors in Business Administration, hailed her parents as the two pillars of her life and credited them for her success.