Academic achievement

Seventeen-year-old Natasha Sarosh Bala was adopted as an N. M. Wadia Scholar by the N. M. Wadia Charities during their centenary celebrations in Bombay in October 2009. The young medical student received a citation and cash award of Rs 50,000 from the trustees for securing the 34th state merit rank and 20th regional rank (Bombay) in the MHT-CET medical entrance examinations held by the Maharashtra State Board on May 12, 2009. Over 200,000 students appeared for this common entrance examination for medical studies. Bala is the first in the community to achieve a rank this year, as per her curriculum vitae received by Parsiana from her mother Kashmira.

The Malcolm Baug resident has now secured admission to the Seth G. S. Medical College (KEM Hospital) where she will study for her MBBS degree over the next five years. Later, Bala hopes to pursue postgraduate studies in medicine from the same institution. Incidentally, her sister Sharmin is also a medical student in her final year MBBS at Pravara Medical College in Maharashtra. Bala describes her career goals thus: "to alleviate sickness and promote good health for all human beings.” She also hopes to render good medical facilities for the poor in our community. "I would like to set up a free medical center at Malcolm Baug along with my sister Sharmin to treat the residents and the poor,” the write-up quotes her as saying.

Natasha Bala: meritorious medico

Bala’s academic record is impressive. She scored 90.33 percent in her HSC examinations from Sathaye College in Vile Parle. In the year prior to that she secured 88 percent and stood third in the college from the science stream. She earned 92.43 percent in her ICSE (school leaving) examinations from Juhu’s Arya Vidya Mandir School, standing fourth among Zoroastrians, receiving awards from both the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations for Welfare and Culture (FOZAWAC) and The Zoroastrian Student Teacher Association (ZOSTA). In September 2009 she received yet another cash prize from FOZAWAC.

Apart from academics, Bala’s record in extracurricular activities is revealing. She has received many prizes for creative writing in English, English recitation, Dharam Shiksha Sanskrit inter­school exams, ASSET examinations and the Green Olympiad sponsored by the Ministry of Environment. In 2005-06 she participated in an interschool elocution competition for Bombay’s ICSE schools and came home with a consolation prize. When in standard IX she appeared for the All India Open Mathematics Scholarship exams in 2006 and ranked 680 out of 2,035, aggregating a total of 86 percent.

Hard work is her mantra, but Bala relaxes by reading, listening to music, swimming and traveling. A devout Zoroastrian, she visits the agiary daily. She credits her success to the good living environment at Malcolm Baug, the values and encouragement received from her parents, inspiration from her sister and good tutors who groomed her.