How milkman’s daughter made it to top 10 in Nagaland Class X exams

Kohima: Momita Karki, 16, lives on the outskirts of Kohima, about 11 km from the state capital. Even from her house located inside a farm in L Khel village, she had had to walk to school — for which she used to end up spending 35 minutes of her time — in Thizama every day.

However, Karki never let such obstacles get in the way of her success. In the Class X board exams held in February this year, the results of which were declared on May 2, Karki secured a spot in the top 10.

It doesn’t matter what socio-economic background one comes from. There are no secrets to success, except hard work. This was aptly proven by Karki, who is the daughter of a milkman looking after a herd of cattle that includes 10 cows and 14 goats.

A student of Regimental School, 4th NAP, Thizama, Karki secured 95.33% with distinction in all the subjects in this year’s High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) exam conducted by the Nagaland Board of Secondary Education (NBSE).

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Karki’s family has been living on the hilly farm for almost 25 years. “Climbing up the hill to reach school had become a habit. I didn’t feel tired after a point of time, even when I reached school in the morning,” she told EastMojo.

The young girl’s perseverance towards studies has been consistent as she regularly topped school through Class II to IX.

Karki was inspired by her elder brother Manoj, who was also one of the toppers in the HSLC exams in 2014. Interestingly, their landlords were so happy at Manoj’s achievement that they got an electricity connection secured at the Karki family’s house after that.

She credits her landlord Vinyüzo Mepfhüo, whom she called ‘godfather’, as the real person behind her success.

Unfortunately, Mepfhüo passed away just before her exams. “I would have been the happiest person if he was alive to witness my success,” said Karki, who now wants study commerce at Rüzhükhrie Government High School in Kohima.

Karki believed in her own efforts. That’s the reason she never took any tuitions. At the most, she would seek the help of her brother and sister when need. “I wish to become an accountant or run a business in the future,” she said without, however, mentioning any particular subject as her favourite.

However, things were not always easy. “There were times when I thought I couldn’t study and wanted to give up. But I kept trying. I received motivation from my family, teachers, friends and my landlord and his family,” said Karki, who loves to participate in quiz competitions besides finding pleasure in caring for dogs and cats.

Her mother added: “She helps me a lot in my work. At the same time, she gives her heart to studies as well; that’s how she achieved success.”

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Sending out a message to fellow students, Karki said: “Never give up. We need to have faith in God. We need to understand the sacrifices of our parents and increase the determination in us. We need to believe in ourselves.”