From Classrooms to Club Tents: Mohun Bagan Fan Sampurna Shines with 99.6% in ICSE

Sayak Banerjee / 06-05-2025

Mohun Bagan fan and academic star Sampurna Sinha was felicitated on Monday at the Mohun Bagan club tent after securing 99.6% in her ICSE board exams, placing third nationally. Despite being in the midst of her Class 10 exams, Sampurna did not let that stop her from supporting her beloved club—even attending Mohun Bagan’s crucial league-winning match just two days before her mathematics exam.

Sampurna’s love for the green-and-maroon runs deep. When asked which day caused more anxiety—an exam day or a match day—she had no doubt: “Match days, especially when Mohun Bagan is chasing the league shield!” Her presence at the Salt Lake Stadium for the thrilling match against Odisha FC, which featured a 93rd-minute goal by Petar Petaratos, is now part of her exam success story.

Remarkably, almost every exam day coincided with a Mohun Bagan match. Sampurna attended nearly all the ones held at Salt Lake, even when time was tight. The toughest was before the math exam, but she remained undeterred. “Who would stop me?” she smiled. “My father, Supriyo Sinha, is a die-hard Mohun Bagan supporter himself.”

She added, “My parents always support me. If I’ve studied the entire year, what I do the day before the exam doesn’t really matter. Only my grandparents occasionally worry. I always tell them—league shield matches come once a year, exams are every year!”

Sampurna, a student of DPS New Town, dreams of studying Sports Medicine or Sports Psychology in the future. But would she ever work for rival club East Bengal if an opportunity came up? “Never,” she said firmly. “Mohun Bagan is in my blood. It’s my only identity. I will always stay with Mohun Bagan.”

With East Bengal trailing Mohun Bagan in recent performance metrics, Sampurna finds herself winning school debates about the rivalry more often. However, she also expressed hope that more Bengali players rise to the occasion. “I want to see more Indian talent next season in the ISL. That would be great for everyone.”

Her father, Supriyo Sinha, topped his Madhyamik (Class 10 state board) exam in 1995 and received sweets from the Mohun Bagan club. Now, years later, his daughter was honoured at the club itself. He proudly said, “This is a much bigger achievement. She has surpassed me.”