This Bengal medical topper is also a painter: Meet NEET AIR 19 Soumyadip Halder

Soumyadip Halder had prepared well for NEET 2021 and he expected a good result. "But I did not imagine I would be the state topper!" exclaimed the elated youngster who secured an All India Rank (AIR) of 19. Bengal boy Soumyadip hopes to study at AIIMS Delhi.

Soumyadip hails from the Bankura district in West Bengal and chose to be coached at Aakash Institute's Durgapur branch for his medical prep. He is a student of Bankura DAV School and aced his Higher Secondary results as well with a whopping 95.6 per cent. "Online classes needed some getting used too and the internet was also glitchy at times but I managed. It wasn't any trouble after a while. The situation was adverse for everyone. I tried to gain perfection in the midst of this adversity," said Soumyadip.

Soumyadip stated that he has been smitten with Science since high school and decided to take up medical education. "I always liked Biology, Physics, Chemistry and by the time I was in Class IX, this love for Science subjects grew," he said and added that while his parents had always wanted him to be a doctor, he locked in on the field about the same time he discovered his love for Science. Soumyadip's father owns a medicine shop in his hometown.

Soumyadip was determined to get a good score and had prepared well. "I wanted to study at AIIMS Delhi and to get in I needed to rank in the top 80. I never thought that I would get such a great rank," said the youngster, with a smile on his face that he just couldn't wipe off. But Soumyadip is not all work and no play — he is a trained artist and likes to paint in his free time. "That's my hobby — I draw when I am free or I want to relax," said Soumyadip, whose phone has not stopped ringing ever since the results were declared on November 1.