When the entire Mondal family enrolled together in Hazrapur High School in Nadia district of West Bengal, they had created a record of sorts. On Tuesday, 30 May, the results of the Class XII exams of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education were announced and the news was mixed for the Mondals.
The family comprises 32-year-old Kalyani, her 42-year-old husband, Balaram, and their 18 year-old son, Biplab. According to a report in the Hindustan Times, with scores of 228 and 253 respectively, both Kalyani and Biplab passed the exam. However Balaram didn't get through.
Kalyani, who married Balaram when she was in Class 8, studied under a tree and scored 45.6%. However, between tilling the land where he grows vegetables and working as a labourer, Balaram's preparation fell short.
The family studied and appeared for the same combination of subjects — Bengali, Sanskrit, English, Education, History, and Philosophy. Biplab would take tuitions and in turn, teach his parents what he had learnt.
While an unhappy Balaram is going to request for a review of his paper, his wife and son are are planning to take the same subjects in college now. Kalyani told the Hindustan Times that studying together cuts the cost of books and other materials for the family.