Students of the Poona School and Home for Blind Boys & Girls did not just battle their disability, but also overcame several external hurdles, including delayed delivery of Braille books, to pass the secondary school certificate (SSC) exam, many of them with flying colours.

Gaurav Ahir stayed in a hostel, away from his parents, so that he could concentrate on his studies. The 15-year-old visually-impaired student said, "I had all the necessary resources with me to study well, including writers for the exam. I do not live feeling sorry for myself," he said. Ahir said that he and his peers received Braille books on the new syllabus in December, but they coped with it, thanks to iPods. "Children who are healthy and got their books early made me feel bad about not being able to see. But that feeling was soon replaced with a sense of thrill. The harder the path I walk, the sweeter the results," said Ahir, who scored 84% and wants to become a music director.

Sixteen-year-old Anita Navgire, who hails from a farmer family in Aurangabad district, scored 81%. What helped her most was early preparation. "I worked hard and began studying from the very start. I want to pursue law when I grow up and a good percentage in Class X will make for an ideal base. There is a purpose why I want to become a lawyer - to set right the wrongs. The injustice that common man goes through has to be done away with," she said.