Trikarpur (Kasargode Distrtict), KERALA :

Ramsina and Rissana

Kozhikode :

The twin sisters – Ramsina Rasheed and Rissana Rasheed – hailing from the small town of Trikarupur of Kasargode district in Kerala have brought laurels to their auto-rickshaw-driving father.

One of them graduated in engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology at Roorki, the other from Kharagpur. Both are on the job and working in Bengaluru.

The educational journey of the twin sisters is a source of inspiration for the girls of the country and abroad.

At a time when a particular section is targeting the Hijab and Hijab-wearing girls are not allowed entry into schools and colleges, Ramsina Rasheed and Rissana Rasheed have set a record by graduating from IIT while attending classes in Hijab.

Ramsina and Rissana completed their JEE Advanced examination in 2017. While Ramsina did an   M.Tech from IIT Kharagpur in Aerospace Technology, Rissana did a B.Tech. from IIT Roorkee in electrical engineering. Both the sisters are in jobs now.

Ramsina and Rissana’s father is not an ordinary auto-rickshaw driver.  Despite his modest income, he made sure his daughters received higher education despite taunts by the people in his group.

The twin sisters come from an area of Kerala where girls are married off at a tender age.

Interestingly, the father of the twin sisters was also suggested by people in his circle to save money, like other parents do in the area to buy gold for the daughter’s marriage. But Rasheed ignored them and gave priority to the education of his daughters.

The mother of the twin sisters also helped them in their studies. Their mother did not budge against the taunts of people about her daughters. Rather, she ensured that her daughters were not burdened by the household work as they required more time to study.

Ramsina and Rissana are the first IIT pass out from their village. Both are working in a top firm in Bengaluru. They have become ideal for their area.

In a country where girl children face discrimination on economic, social, religious, and gender bases, Ramsina and Rissana overcame difficulties with grit and set a record by graduating from the top IITs.

As their father is an auto-rickshaw driver, they had to face economic challenges in addition to the social barriers of Indian society.

It can be easily understood that for a father of limited income, it is beyond the reach to get an education for talented children according to their strengths.

One can understand the role of a father through the success of Ramsina and Rissana. Their father dared to get his daughters educated while driving an auto-rickshaw. He dedicated his life to the education of his daughters.

Ramsina and Risssana faced religious discrimination which Ramsina has discussed in her Instagram post.

It will be appropriate to discuss that.

Ramsina discusses discrimination because of wearing a Hijab while replying to a comment of a user to her post.

Ramsina writes, “I was treated differently in the lab while doing practicals due to my Hijab.” She says, “However, my colleagues at Airbus do not judge me on my clothes, instead they see me through my abilities.”

On the other hand, Rissana says that one professor had asked her to remove her Hija in the electrical machine lab.

It is clear from their accounts that talented girls like Ramsina and Rissaana face administrative hurdles due to the Hijab in India.

If there is no discrimination against Muslim girls due to their Hijab, there would be many girls like Ramsina and Rissana progressing in different fields and making the country proud.

source: http://www.indiatomorrow.net / India Tomorrow / Home> Education / by Huma Masih / August 19th, 2024