Dombivli Boy Gets 80% Marks in SSC Exams Just Days After Father Shot Dead in Pahalgam Terror Attack; Wants to Become a Doctor

In a display of sheer willpower and mettle, Maharashtra boy Dhruv Hemant Joshi, 16, has scored a remarkable 80% marks in the SSC (Class 10) board exams — just days after his father was killed in the recent terror attack at Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

Dhruv, a student at Omkar International School, received his Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education results earlier this week. The occasion, otherwise one of pride and joy, was one of gloom and quiet, as Dhruv's father, Hemant Joshi, was among the victims of the brutal April 22 attack.

Hemant Joshi, one more three Dombivli resident, Sanjay Lele and Atul Mone, two among the 26 civilians who lost their lives in the attack, were present at that very location when his son Dhruv was a victim of the fatal accident. His fatherless family, shocked to the core, were confused between joy and sadness due to the success of the little boy. "He and his family are so disappointed that his dad is not around to see him succeed," said a relative.

Even though he carries the emotional baggage of abandonment, Dhruv is determined on his course. Dhruv wishes to follow the science stream and become a doctor now, his maternal uncle Mohit Bhave said. "He was a very good, dedicated child all the while. Whatever he has been able to do under such poor conditions is just phenomenal," Bhave said.

Dhruv's tale is a testament to the strength of the human spirit — how, out of unimaginable personal tragedy, a young mind can still retain hope and will. His academic triumph, won in the black context of tragedy, is a moving reminder of the price of violence and of the modest strength which endures so much longer than it.

Even as Dombivli mourns the loss of lives in the attack, it finds hope in Dhruv's courage — a testament to determination, hope, and an existence that is worth fighting for.