News Wave Waves of News
Navneet Kumar Gupta
Newswave @ ROORKEE
An IIT-Roorkee Student has emerged as the National Topper in the GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) Examination’s Chemistry Paper, the results of which were announced recently.
Ms. Diksha Saklani is a final year student of M.Sc. Chemistry at IIT Roorkee and clinched AIR-1 in Chemistry Paper in her maiden attempt.
An aspiring scientist, Ms. Diksha Saklani clinched the top rank in her first attempt & never went to any coaching classes
Interestingly, Ms.Diksha Saklani never went to any coaching classes or tuitions. All she relied on was her self-belief, hard work and a planned schedule. She aspires to become a scientist.
GATE is conducted jointly by the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and seven Indian Institutes of Technology and the score is used for admissions to various postgraduate education programs.
Her Professor Dr.K.R.Justin Thomas, Associate Professor, Deptt. of Chemistry, IIT Roorkee, said, “It is always encouraging to see students hailing from rural area excel in science education despite the steady decline for interest in science studies and careers. Ms. Diksha Saklani is an illustrative student who overcame the negative vibrations by hard work and perseverance. She is working in my research group for her M.Sc. project.”
Further, Dr.Justin added, “Within a short span of three months, she contributed significantly to the development of organic emitters capable of harvesting triple excitons in organic light-emitting diodes. This attests her commitment and devotion for learning newer concepts.”
Ms. Diksha Saklani did her B.Sc. from Dehradun and joined IIT Roorkee through Joint Admission Test for M.Sc. (JAM)-2016. She has always worked hard throughout and was also the topper of her class.
Aptitude indicates the sharpness of mind
Ms. Diksha Saklani, who comes from a humble background, said, “Initially, I felt inferior to the other students since I hailed from a local place but then I decided to prove myself and my abilities.”
Regarding her strategy for preparation, she said, “I first looked for the topics where I was not confident and tried to get command on the concept underneath, especially in organic chemistry. I also solved the previous year papers side-by-side periodically to monitor my progress. I took help from all sources available: teachers, friends and the Internet.”
Students should place emphasis on strengthening their basics instead of learning tricks and shortcuts. Referring to aptitude section, Ms. Diksha Saklani says, “Aptitude is something that is a part of every examination, be it a written exam or an interview. Aptitude indicates the sharpness of your mind and must not be neglected.”
According to her, aptitude is an important field of life that needs to be mastered. She says, “I never felt my preparation as a burden because I looked for coordination between class lectures and preparation.” But she is never satisfied with her performance.
She wants to learn more and further refine her concepts. Apart from studies, she loves singing and writing. “I write poems whenever I am free. It gives me great satisfaction.”
She also obtained All India Rank No: 11 (JRF) in the CSIR NET Chemistry exam held on June 2017 on her maiden attempt. She has also been a recipient of DST (Department of Science and Technology) INSPIRE (SHE) Scholarship since 2013.
