Times of India
18 June 2010
By Parvathy Gopalakrishnan
Mumbai, India

A partially paralysed right side and failing eyesight did not dampen the spirit of Christopher Rodrigues. Overcoming many health hurdles, the fifteenyear–old Holy Family High School student scored 75.64% in his SSC exams.

In July last year, he was bedridden with a bout of malaria and typhoid.

It caused serious medical complications that left his right side paralysed. And although he has been recovering steadily, he cannot move his right hand and leg without support. In January this year, Christopher had to be operated on for acute sinus problems.

But once again tragedy struck. In February, when he was taking a walk with his parents, a group of boys playing with stones missed their target and the stone hit his left eye, damaging the eyeball. “In unbearable pain, I was rushed to the hospital, where the doctor advised me to get operated on as soon as possible,” he recalls.

The paralytic attack also affected his memory. He was attending coaching classes at the beginning of the academic session, but after his health started deteriorating, he was unable to attend coaching classes or go to school.

“I only studied at the beginning of the session and a month prior to the exam,” he says.

Fortunately, the school provided him with a writer. “I had to go to the All India Handicapped Hospital and get myself certified before I could avail of a writer,” said Christopher.


His highest score was in Science where he got 90 marks out of 100. “I only wanted to pass. The blessings of my parents and teachers have helped me get such a high score,” he says. Meanwhile, his family is overjoyed with the results. Christopher's mother is a housewife and his father works with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

His parents, along with his 20–year–old brother, played a pivotal role in his success, he said.