Mohan S.L., son of a farmer, secured the second highest marks (595 out of 600) in in Science, in the State.

His family lives in Shantigrama village in Hassan taluk but he remained with his grandparents in Hassan town so that he could concentrate on attend classes at Masters PU College in Hassan town and focus on his studies.

He scored 100 each in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology.

“My teachers helped me a lot. I used to study till midnight and get up early at 4.30 a.m.,” he said.

His parents were farming their tomato crop when they learned that their son was ranked second in Karnataka.

“I have studied only up to class 4. My dream is that my only son studies well,” said his father, Lakshme Gowda, who owns 33 guntas of land in Shantigrama, and grows tomatoes and potatoes for a living. Mr. Mohan wants to study MBBS and later prepare for the IAS.

“My son studies hard and supports the family in agriculture activities. He looks after our cattle, and gets hardly four hours of sleep in a day,” added Mr. Lakshme Gowda.