Twin brothers top district in Odisha Class X exam with identical scores

Twins Dambaru and Daniel Lenka score identical marks in 2025 matriculation exam, emerging as joint toppers in Malkangiri.

Life often turns on the wheels of coincidence — and sometimes, fate writes such perfect symmetry that it feels like fiction.

Take Dambaru Lenka and Daniel Lenka, for instance. Born minutes apart, the twin brothers have always shared more than just a birthday. This year, they shared the spotlight too — both scoring a remarkable 560 out of 600 marks in the 2025 matriculation examination, emerging as joint toppers of Malkangiri, a southern Odisha district.

“Since childhood, they have lived together, cared for each other, and shared whatever little they had. As parents, we always hoped they would stay close. Perhaps the Almighty heard our prayers—both of them scored exactly the same marks and emerged as toppers in the High School Certificate examination in Malkangiri,” said Mohan Lenka, a primary school teacher and father of the twins.

Mr. Lenka said he was happy that securing the same marks would allow them to choose the same college and stay together, which eased his anxiety.

When the twins were born, their parents were anxious about their health. Influenced by a curious belief, they gave them names from different faiths—one Hindu and the other Christian. “However, we made sure that both names began with the same letter so they would sit together in class and during exams,” he said.

Daniel and his brother Dambaru scored surprisingly identical 93.33% in their matriculation exams—far beyond their expectations. “Since childhood, our marks were usually similar, though never exactly the same. Dambaru, who is slightly older, has always been better at science, while I enjoy mathematics more,” Daniel said.

This year, Malkangiri—the southernmost district of Odisha, bordering Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh—performed remarkably well in the annual matriculation examinations. The district rose from 25th to 17th place among Odisha’s 30 districts.