CA Intermediate results: AIR 2 Nishtha Bothra believes meditation helped her focus on preparation

Bothra cleared the intermediate (as well as foundation) level in her first attempt. She had earlier decided to attempt the exam in December 2021, but was unwell after her sister’s wedding in November.

“I was focused on giving the exam in November and therefore, I had planned and prepared accordingly. But I was not fit as I was unable to write for 15-20 days,” she told indianexpress.com. She later contracted Covid in January 2022.

She resumed her preparations in February 2022 and believes that consistency is the key to success. “We cannot be relaxed or think there is time and procrastinate like many do. We should be consistent and disciplined, especially in the Covid age where everything has shifted to the online medium. Nobody is after us to attend classes or forcing us to study, so we have to be accountable to ourselves and be disciplined,” she said, while adding that when appearing for such exams, one should have a positive attitude.

When Covid hit the country and everyone was stuck in lockdown, Nishtha returned from her college in Calcutta to her hometown Guwahati. “For the first month, I played games and tried my hands at cooking, however, I realised that I need to judiciously utilise the extra time I have since have to appear for the exam someday. I started studying in a disciplined manner and made sure that the online mode does not let me get demotivated. Some of my friends who were also appearing for the same exam kept me motivated,” she said.

Nishtha is currently living with her mother who is a homemaker and her younger brother who is completing his second year of graduation while handling the family business. Her elder sister also pursued CA but had to give up in between as she was the sole earning member of the family after her father passed away early in their lives.

This is not the first time that Nishtha has obtained good score. “I had achieved 323 out of 400 in my foundation exam but the ICAI had removed the rank system till then,” she said.

When not studying, the Guwahati girl likes to watch Suits and sitcom Friends. She also likes to listen to music and meditate, which calms her mind and helps deal with her anxiety. “I stress a lot and I have anxiety so I meditate for nearly 10 minutes before every exam,” she said.