Thane: Fighting great odds and overcoming seemingly insuperable obstacles, a 16-year-old tribal boy has scored 54 per cent marks in his Class X exams, using his leg to write his answers as he has been without his arms since birth.

Scoring 54 per cent marks in board exams sounds no big deal when 80 per cent seems more like the norm now, but the achievement by Vasant Raote of Nandore village in Palghar stands out as an inspiring tale of struggle and determination.