Double delight as sisters tied at No. 2

Lucknow: It was a day of double delight for the family of Iqra and Umrah Mehmood, cousins who secured second rank in the state in the UP Board class X examination. Students of Vibgyor Public Inter College, Rae Bareli, Iqra and Umrah scored 98.17% marks.
Living next door to each other in Rae Bareli's Patwan locality, the sister-duo belongs to a family of humble means.Their fathers are petty shopkeepers-Iqra's father Maqbool Hasan sells sewing material, while Umrah's father Mahmoodul Hasan Siddiqui owns a small general merchant shop right outside the house.
Staying in a one-room house, the Hasan's are a contented family. "She (Iqra) asked me to stay at home as she was expecting a good rank but I had to go to work. By the time I closed my shop at 5 pm and returned home, the results were declared. I only had blessings to give her as reward,'' said Maqbool. At their usually deserted homes, there was a flood of media persons, relatives and neighbours, leaving little time for them to cook. "All day, there were people walking in and out of our homes and we had to eat just milk and bread for dinner,'' said the girls.
The sisters went to school together and competed not only with other students of their class, but with each other too. "Inside the classroom, we sat next to each other and at home, we discussed lessons. To relax, we play badminton and enjoy each other's company. Both of us spent 15-16 hours everyday on studies,'' said Iqra. Umrah was confident enough of a place in the merit list, while Iqra was uncertain. "I was expecting to top in my district but being the state topper was beyond my dreams,'' said Iqra. Umrah added, "I was sure I would make it to top five and I studied so hard only to see my name on top.''
Scoring a centum in English, Iqra had 99 each in mathematics, science, and social sciences. In Hindi, she scored 98. For Umrah, it was 99 in English and social sciences followed by 98 in mathematics and science. In Hindi, she scored 97. After finishing school, Iqra wants to be an IAS officer, while Umrah aspires to be a doctor and treat her father, a heart patient.