Seventeen-year-old Irfan, the only Muslim boy in the list of top 20 scorers in Class 10 and Class 12, has topped the Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Sanskrit Shiksha Parishad Board’s Uttar Madhyama-II (Class 12) exams. Scoring an impressive 82.71 per cent, Irfan topped the exam, beating Gangotri Devi, who got 80.57 per cent marks in the exam.

The results of the Board’s Class 10 and Class 12 examinations, held from February 23 to March 20, were declared in Lucknow on Wednesday.

Also Read: Big blow to Nitish Kumar: Patna High Court stays caste-based census in Bihar

A single child, Irfan is a native of Jindaspur village under the Sakaldiha tehsil of Chandauli district. His father Salauddin has a BA degree and works as a farm labourer.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Saluddin said he never had any reservations about Irfan choosing to study Sanskrit. “I was happy he chose a different subject to study and I encouraged him. It was a different choice as we are Muslims, but he was keen on it so I did not stop him. These things do not matter to us,” he told IE.

Also Read: Amartya Sen moves Calcutta HC against Visva-Bharati eviction order

Salauddin further said that he does not subscribe to the thinking that only Hindus should study Sanskrit and Muslims, Urdu. If he is studying the subject in primary and junior classes, he can study it further too. What is wrong with that? I do not see anything wrong,” he said.

“He wants to study Sanskrit literature and I will never stop him from pursuing something he is keen on. I am very proud of him,” he added.

Salauddin said Irfan started studying Sanskrit in junior classes when it was a compulsory subject but developed a liking for it and said he wanted to pursue it further. Irfan now wants to pursue Shastri (equivalent to B Ed) and Acharya (equivalent to MA) and then wants to become a Sanskrit teacher.

Saluddin said Irfan had no help from anyone at home since no one in his family knew Sanskrit. “He would seek his teachers’ help at school and would study at home for three to four hours daily.”

Irfan is currently on a trip and his father said he has no knowledge of his whereabouts. According to Saluddin, the boy left home on Wednesday morning and has not returned since. “He is quite sincere, so I did not question him,” Saluddin said.