Two for joy: A battle won against odds

NEW DELHI: Class XII results occasioned redoubled celebrations at the Verma household in Khanpur. Their limited means notwithstanding, Himanshu Verma and his twin sister Vishakha completed their schooling with 83.2% and 80.8% respectively. Interestingly, both also scored exactly the same percentage in the best of four subjects. While Himanshu plans to try his hand at engineering or become an economist, Vishakha wants to pursue psychology or law.
The joy that the twins felt on Monday was definitely hard-earned. Youngest of the four siblings, they lost their father four years ago after which their elder brother financed their education. “I helped Himanshu with his studies but Vishakha studied on her own since we could not afford any tuition for them. But I felt the need to guide Himanshu only when he came to Class XII,” said Aditya Verma, their elder brother, who is himself pursuing a diploma in civil engineering from a polytechnic institute.
Students of Springdales School at Pusa Road, the twins are thankful to their school and friends for supporting them through the odds. “We supported them as much as we could with tuition and other forms of support. I am happy with their performance. The fact that they did not have the same opportunities as the others did not deter them,” said their school principal Ameeta Mulla Wattal.
Himanshu will apply to DU for pursuing economics, though he hopes to crack IIT JEE next year. Though Vishakha could not be contacted, Aditya shared she is keen on working for society.