Kerala engineering entrance examination: Shafil keeps his winning spree intact

KOZHIKODE: Shafil Maheen from Kozhikode has been on a winning spree. He has secured the fourth rank in the JEE advanced entrance examination and the first rank in the state engineering entrance. But he is in love with mathematics and not keen on pursuing engineering streams. Shafil has joined the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, for the bachelor's degree in science. Though Shafil has no idea how to develop his skills in mathematics, he hopes to become an acknowledged mathematician in future.

"My intention was to score the first rank, but I missed it for the JEE. I fulfilled my dream in the Kerala entrance. This should not be termed as arrogance, but is my ardent wish to secure good score. I started to love mathematics at the age of 12w. I could solve the problems quickly and teachers appreciated me for it. My games, entertainment and everything else were limited to mathematics and resolving problems," he said.

Originally from Tirur, the family had moved to Kozhikode for education at Rays Public School here. "We are happy. Shafil has been preparing for this for long. He was focused on this examination and deserved this win," said his parents Niyazi and Dr. Shamgida Niyazi. Shafil, who secured 8th rank at the national level in JEE mains and first in state, got 168 marks in paper one and 163 in paper two for JEE. He scored 331 out of 366 in the advanced round securing 90.43 percent, the highest score yet by a Kerala student. For the Kerala entrance, Shafil's score is 587.1312.