In Kashmir, sweet success for lucky two

SRINAGAR: Despite chaos, there are stories of hope, promise and a better tomorrow in the Valley where even attending school is a daily struggle for the region's 15 lakh children. Adeeba Tak and Muhammad Moin have been selected into Ivy League colleges of the US, University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) and Princeton University.

Adeeba, a resident of south Kashmir's volatile Harigam Shopian used to travel 52 km thrice a week to attend coaching at Rise Institute in the summer capital. After two years of hard work, a mail that Adeeba received in March gave her the happiest news: her application has been accepted and she has been selected at the University of Pennsylvania in mechanical engineering with a minor in aeronautical engineering. Adeeba says this was a dream that she nurtured since childhood. Adeeba has received full scholarship, which her teachers say is a very rare feat for a Valley student.

UPenn is one of the most prestigious universities in the world. It boasts of producing 30 Nobel laureates, 25 billionaires — the most by any university at the undergraduate level, and a significant number of Fortune 500 CEOs.

The Rise Institute is run by three IITians, who train the students for JEE exams. Mubeen Masudi is an IIT Bombay graduate, Imbesat Ahmad and Salman Shahid, are from IIT Kharagpur and Saifi Karim is from Delhi Technical University. They started the institute in 2012.

Another student, Muhammad Moin, 18, a resident of Sanat Nagar in the city, has also scored full marks (800/800) in SAT and has been accepted at Princeton University to pursue his under-graduation in computer sciences. “The main issue with students in Kashmir is lack of awareness,” says Moin. “I always like maths. I am very encouraged to work harder for whatever I do in life. There will be a lot more opportunities in the US,” he said. — Rifat Mohidin