Saurabh Singh
Encyclopedia
Saurabh Singh is a boy from Narhi village (about 55 KM far from Ballia
town) in Uttar Pradesh
. His father (Ram Keshwar Singh) is a school teacher while his mother is a health worker with the local government and belongs to ordinary middle class family.
A sudden news came in the beginning of year 2005 which was made the boy like a Hero in front of all India
ns and also made the nation proud. But as the news spread nationally as well as globally, people started searching the truth behind the success story of the boy.
named Saurabh Singh has topped Houston-based International Scientist Discovery (ISD) examination which was organized by NASA
(National Aeronautics Space Administration) and had beaten around 2,00,000 students in the examination. Afterwards, nationwide news papers picked the same story up and the boy became a rock star overnight. In story, the boy claimed that he secured first rank in ISD examination and his ideal president APJ Abdul Kalam and the late Kalpana Chawla
were also appeared in the same exam and secured 7TH rank in 1960 and 21ST rank in 1988 respectively.
According to the boy, the prelim ISD exam was conducted at Girls’ Inter-College in Jaipur
on 26-Sept-2004 and the result was declared in Oct-2004. After result declaration, I got a call from Bansal at my native place Ballia
to take the main exam to be held at London
. After expressing inability to afford the travel, Bansal told him not to worry as the Indian Government will pay the passage. We went to London on 3-Jan-2005 and the last paper was on 8-Jan-2005.
The boy said that Bansal Classes Kota
arranged his all travel documents to London
trip and escorted all ISD examination activities from 4-to-8 January 2005. He also stated that there were three more Indian students (Himanshu from Mumbai
, Shatrughan from Mangalore
and Rohit from Delhi
) had gone along with him.
decided to honour the boy “Saurabh Singh” and created history as the first ever tribute of its kind. In addition, it was the first time in Vidhan Parishad
existence in last 53 years the legislators decided to donate one month basic pay to him as a contribution towards his higher studies.
The boy’s school Gyan Peethika principle Reena Singh was so excited for his achievement and played major role to broadcast the story. She approached to the Indian President and report said that the honourable President of India agreed & invited to meet the so called Hero Boy. Finally, she succeeded 10-minute meeting along with Saurabh & his father to the President of India at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
was also scheduled to meet the boy but he cancelled his appointment with the miracle boy at the last moment. There were also village level, district level and state level administrative ceremonies had organized to reward the boy.
reporter decided to collect the more information about the examination and contacted NASA too. The NASA denied the existence of such kind of any examination till date. Few hours later, NASA spokeswoman Debbie Rahn, told to the BBC news website that "I have been unable to confirm that such an exam exists. I have checked all the appropriate offices in NASA."
The President APJ Abdul Kalam’s spokesman, SM Khan, told the BBC that, the President Kalam had never appeared for such an examination of NASA. Prime minister's press adviser Sanjaya Baru said that the already scheduled meeting has been cancelled with the boy and his father after the President’s statement.
The police investigation team has investigated around two hours and found that the certificate that Saurabh Singh claimed to have received from NASA was fake. The district magistrate of Ballia, BK Malik, who examined the documents provided by the boy, found no authenticity in them. Even the boy also failed to produce his passport. At the end, the family members tried to put all blames on BK Bansal.
. But the chief judicial magistrate's court refused to send him to judicial custody. As the boy was still a minor, he referred the whole matter to the juvenile board, Mau
. Saurabh and his father refused to talk and left on a motorcycle without talking to the media persons.
The police are investigating the hoax and calculated fraud that took attention of an entire nation. Due to credit of the Indian media, this all drama happened success and it shows fallen standards of journalism in India.
Ballia
Ballia is a city with a municipal board in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The eastern boundary of the city lies at the junction of the Ganges and the Ghaghara...
town) in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
. His father (Ram Keshwar Singh) is a school teacher while his mother is a health worker with the local government and belongs to ordinary middle class family.
A sudden news came in the beginning of year 2005 which was made the boy like a Hero in front of all India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
ns and also made the nation proud. But as the news spread nationally as well as globally, people started searching the truth behind the success story of the boy.
Initial Highlights of the Hero
Initially, a story was published around on local media that a boy from BalliaBallia
Ballia is a city with a municipal board in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The eastern boundary of the city lies at the junction of the Ganges and the Ghaghara...
named Saurabh Singh has topped Houston-based International Scientist Discovery (ISD) examination which was organized by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
(National Aeronautics Space Administration) and had beaten around 2,00,000 students in the examination. Afterwards, nationwide news papers picked the same story up and the boy became a rock star overnight. In story, the boy claimed that he secured first rank in ISD examination and his ideal president APJ Abdul Kalam and the late Kalpana Chawla
Kalpana Chawla
Kalpana Chawla was an Indian-American astronaut with NASA. She was one of seven crew members killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.-Early life:...
were also appeared in the same exam and secured 7TH rank in 1960 and 21ST rank in 1988 respectively.
According to the boy, the prelim ISD exam was conducted at Girls’ Inter-College in Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
on 26-Sept-2004 and the result was declared in Oct-2004. After result declaration, I got a call from Bansal at my native place Ballia
Ballia
Ballia is a city with a municipal board in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The eastern boundary of the city lies at the junction of the Ganges and the Ghaghara...
to take the main exam to be held at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. After expressing inability to afford the travel, Bansal told him not to worry as the Indian Government will pay the passage. We went to London on 3-Jan-2005 and the last paper was on 8-Jan-2005.
The boy said that Bansal Classes Kota
Kota
Kota or KOTA may refer to:* Kota brahmin, a sub-caste of Brahmins in Karnataka*The Kota tribe whose members live in the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu, South India*The Kota language, a Dravidian language spoken in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu...
arranged his all travel documents to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
trip and escorted all ISD examination activities from 4-to-8 January 2005. He also stated that there were three more Indian students (Himanshu from Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, Shatrughan from Mangalore
Mangalore
Mangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located about west of the state capital, Bangalore. Mangalore lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in south western...
and Rohit from Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
) had gone along with him.
Rewards and Ceremonies for the Hero
First of all, the Vidhan ParishadVidhan Parishad
The Vidhan Parishad is the upper house in those states of India that have a bicameral legislature. , six states have a Legislative Council: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh...
decided to honour the boy “Saurabh Singh” and created history as the first ever tribute of its kind. In addition, it was the first time in Vidhan Parishad
Vidhan Parishad
The Vidhan Parishad is the upper house in those states of India that have a bicameral legislature. , six states have a Legislative Council: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh...
existence in last 53 years the legislators decided to donate one month basic pay to him as a contribution towards his higher studies.
The boy’s school Gyan Peethika principle Reena Singh was so excited for his achievement and played major role to broadcast the story. She approached to the Indian President and report said that the honourable President of India agreed & invited to meet the so called Hero Boy. Finally, she succeeded 10-minute meeting along with Saurabh & his father to the President of India at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...
was also scheduled to meet the boy but he cancelled his appointment with the miracle boy at the last moment. There were also village level, district level and state level administrative ceremonies had organized to reward the boy.
When Hero Slips to Zero
After few days following the story, a Rediff.comRediff.com
Rediff.com India is a news, information, entertainment, and shopping portal. It was founded in 1996 as "Rediff On The NeT" and is headquartered in Mumbai, India with offices in New Delhi and New York City, USA....
reporter decided to collect the more information about the examination and contacted NASA too. The NASA denied the existence of such kind of any examination till date. Few hours later, NASA spokeswoman Debbie Rahn, told to the BBC news website that "I have been unable to confirm that such an exam exists. I have checked all the appropriate offices in NASA."
The President APJ Abdul Kalam’s spokesman, SM Khan, told the BBC that, the President Kalam had never appeared for such an examination of NASA. Prime minister's press adviser Sanjaya Baru said that the already scheduled meeting has been cancelled with the boy and his father after the President’s statement.
The police investigation team has investigated around two hours and found that the certificate that Saurabh Singh claimed to have received from NASA was fake. The district magistrate of Ballia, BK Malik, who examined the documents provided by the boy, found no authenticity in them. Even the boy also failed to produce his passport. At the end, the family members tried to put all blames on BK Bansal.
Judicial Activity and Investigations
Finally, Saurabh Singh surrendered before a court in BalliaBallia
Ballia is a city with a municipal board in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The eastern boundary of the city lies at the junction of the Ganges and the Ghaghara...
. But the chief judicial magistrate's court refused to send him to judicial custody. As the boy was still a minor, he referred the whole matter to the juvenile board, Mau
Mau
Mau , formerly Mau Nath Bhanjan , nearly 90 km from Varanasi is the powerhouse of textile weavers in Eastern UP, India. It is a small industrial town on the banks of Ghaghra . The Tamasa river flows through the city...
. Saurabh and his father refused to talk and left on a motorcycle without talking to the media persons.
The police are investigating the hoax and calculated fraud that took attention of an entire nation. Due to credit of the Indian media, this all drama happened success and it shows fallen standards of journalism in India.