Prachi Nigam, who scored an astounding 98.50 per cent in the Uttar Pradesh Board Class 10 examination, and who was ridiculed online for having facial hair, voiced her dismay at being a topper and gaining traction on social media. In an interview with BBC News Hindi, the beaming young girl resented the fact that her looks was garnering more attention on online platforms than her accomplishments.
Prachi Nigam said, “A few lesser marks in exams wouldn’t have made me popular on social media, and I wouldn’t have faced such trolling for my facial hair. The first time I noticed long hair growing on my face after topping the high school board was because of the trolls. But, a few people even defended me and shut off trolls by educating them that such facial hair in girls is often a result of hormonal changes.”
Prachi’s physical features elicited no comments from anyone at home or school and she never paid any attention to it either. However, the girl revealed the constant harassment she has now been facing in person due to her physical attributes. “It obviously feels bad, but people write (on social media) what they think and nothing can be done about it,” Prachi Nigam added.
The never-ending phone calls and media interviews have also irritated Prachi. “A common topic of conversation in each interview is trolling. For the past week, people have been asking me how I look. I want to concentrate on my studies for the time being and I will take treatment when I need it”, she added.
Prachi Nigam also mentioned that she is determined to follow her aspirations to become an engineer after passing the IIT-JEE exam. After the first two days, Prachi abstained from using social media so that troll statements wouldn’t interfere with her academic progress. Nonetheless, she expressed gratitude to them for bringing her such early social media fame. She observed that if her facial hair weren’t so prominent, she wouldn’t be trolled and that there wouldn’t be as many people around her. However, she wants to concentrate on her education right now to pass the IIT JEE exam and pursue a career in engineering.
Mamta Nigam, her mother, also talked to the broadcaster about how she helped her daughter stay motivated when trolls interfered with their festivities. “I encouraged my daughter to not pay heed to the trolls, and to my surprise, many social media users even supported my daughter after a couple of days”, Mamta Nigam said.
Mamta Nigam also disclosed that she had intended to take her daughter to the doctor, but “the results happened, and the trolling came her way before we could take action.” She further informed, “Her treatment will now be undertaken by the government.” Prachi’s father, Chandra Prakash Nigam, maintained that although he and his family were concerned by the trolling, he wasn’t bothered by it. He said, “There are all sorts of people in society. We naturally felt bad, but at the same time, we are proud of our daughter for having achieved the maximum marks.”
In addition to her family members, Prachi’s friends and school principal also spoke out in favour of the brilliant student and labelled the trolling regrettable. Her school principal asserted, “We were already hoping to find Prachi’s name amongst the toppers, and by securing such marks, she has made the entire Uttar Pradesh proud.”
Watch the entire video below:
