In the 44-year-old history of Rajasthan University Students Union polls, a girl student was elected president for the first time on Saturday.

Independent Prabha Chaudhary defeated her nearest rival Mahendra Singh Shekhawat, another independent, by a margin of 224 votes. The RUSU vice-president's post, too, was wrested by a girl and independent candidate, Abha Singh Gurjar, a final year student of Maharani's College.

While independent candidates dominated the student union elections in Jaipur, ABVP scored over the NSUI in the rest of the state. At Ajmer's Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati University, the president's post was captured by ABVP's Vikas Chaudhary, while at Udaipur's Mohanlal Sukhadia University, the top post was notched by independent Paramveer Singh Chundawat. Similarly, the Kota University president's post was won by ABVP's Saurav Khandal.

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The Indira Gandhi National Open University’s (IGNOU’s) School of Foreign Language (SOFL) and School of Agriculture (SOA) has extended the last date for submission of application forms for Russian language and Post Graduate Diploma in Food Science and Technology (PGDFT) respectively to August 12, 2011 for July 2011 session.

The last date to apply for the Certificate course in Russian Language was 29th July earlier which is now extended. The programme aims at acquainting the beginners with the basics of the Russian language.

Students with 18 years of age and above with class 10th level of English proficiency are qualified for admission. Classes will be conducted at IGNOU headquarters in Maidan Garhi on weekdays. Each session will be of two to three hours per day. The admission fee for the programme is Rs. 2500 (excluding other charges) and will be on first-come-first serve basis. There are 30 seats in all and the last date for applying is 12th August 2011.

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The story of this year’s topper in engineering admissions is one of tears, struggles, dreams and a surprise.

Ranked 37 in the academic stream of engineering admissions, M. Ashok Kumar was waiting for his turn at the counselling centre at Anna University on Friday when he was told by officials that he was the topper. He could not believe it. “I felt extremely happy,” says the boy, who was born on July 4, 1993.

That date of birth, before the use of a random number used during admission, made him the oldest among 17 students who had scored 200 out of 200 in four subjects, and therefore, the topper in engineering. After scoring 198 in computer science, he applied for re-totalling. Another 200 in this subject put him at the top of the list of toppers.

Eighteen years ago, soon after his birth, Ashok lost his father Manivasgam, who was running a textile shop in Boothipuram, a hamlet in Dindigul district. His mother Murugeswari started working at a watch showroom to take care of the new born and his two older brothers aged three and six.

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