Bagalkot/Sirsi: Seema Hegde of Sirsi hogged the limelight at the 8th convocation of the University of Horticultural Sciences here by bagging a staggering 17 gold medals in BSc Horticulture, setting a record for the highest number of gold medals in the university's history.

"I am going to Israel for research but I will return to Sirsi, where my heart lies and carry out my work at my ancestral farm," said Seema even as her father Ganapati Hegde struggled to wipe his tears of joy.

The only child of the Hegdes from Kabbe near Unchalli in Sirsi, Seema is pursuing her MSc in Plant Biotechnology at University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru.

"Ours is a joint family. My father is an SDA at a high school. I have grown up on our farm. It was my dream to do something at the farm. Hence, I opted for the Horticulture Science even after scoring 96% in II PU. My father has areca and coconut plantations. I will use my knowledge to develop the farm," she said. R Meghashree of Doddaballapur and B G Jasmitha of Mysuru won four gold medals apiece in PG.