‘Sometimes I’m the only girl in a class room full of boys, it’s not good’ IIT topper among girls slams society for skewed sex ratio

She comes across as any city girl, giggling at any given opportunity and cheery and chirpy with her set of friends. But when she says, “IIT is not tough to clear, It’s easy,” one sits back to take a more serious note.
But these are no hollow words as Sumegha Garg has indeed not only cleared the IIT JEE 2011 but has also topped among girls in India with an All India Rank of 12.
Sumegha completed her class twelve from DAV Public School in Bhatinda, Punjab with 90.4 % marks but preparing for JEE required special attention. “I needed to prepare systematically and so I shifted to Delhi where I studied at the Narayana IIT Academy. This was a good move as my teachers helped me focus and work hard on my weak areas,” she says.
And when the results showed that she has topped, Sumegha’s joys knew no bounds. ”It is one of the toughest entrance exams in the world and clearing it with such good position is pure joy. With a good rank I can now also choose the stream I want to pursue. I am thankful to Narayana for giving me personalized training and paying extra attention to my queries,” she exclaimed with joy.
So how long were her studying hours? “Three to four hours at the institute and around 3-4 hours of self study was enough for me,” says Sumegha about her study routine.
Chemistry was her weakest link and she devoted a lot of time on the subject. The subject required memorizing quite a few things as well. For Physics and her favorite subject Mathematics, she was happy solving problems and having clear concept.
But it is not Maths, Physics, Chemistry alone that Sumegha cares about. She has a good understanding of the world around her and has strong views on some of the ills of society, most noticeably – gender inequality.
A recent Lancet published study has revealed the increasing gender gap in India. In the study the authors analysed 2011 census data and have come to startling numbers. The study has revealed that the girl-boy ratio has fallen from 906 girls per 1000 boys in 1990 to just 836 in 2005. The 2011 census figures also show that in the age group of 0-6 there are 71 million fewer girls than boys.
While numbers and figures can only say so much, Sumegha reveals the pain that even she has to undergo at times. “There are times when I am the only girl in my classroom. That’s sad. Aisa nahi hona chahiye (This should not happen),” says the girl who regularly reads newspapers to be in touch with the world.
“Girls have the same potential as boys and can beat them in any department. It is just about giving them opportunities. If you don’t give them same opportunities as boys how can you expect them to be at the top always. Still girls in India have shown the results,” she adds.
“Thankfully my family supported me. I liked mathematics and they also supported my decision to take non-medical stream in plus two. My brother, who has just passed out from IIT Delhi also guided me,” says Sumegha. Just like her elder brother, she wants to study computer science at IIT Delhi.
Sumegha has dreams in her eyes and also the will to achieve them. She is a girl next door. Just like any other girl who can reach the skies when given right opportunity.