By Aas Mohammed Kaif, TwoCircles.net
Bushra Arshad is being lavished with praise for achieving 6th rank in UPPCS, after the results were recently announced, and for being selected as SDM. This girl from Saurikh village is the only Muslim participant to become SDM in UPPSC-2017. She is the same Bushra Arshad who scored 277th rank in UPSC, results of which were announced in July, and subsequently was selected for the IRS, but she was not satisfied with her achievement.
She is not satisfied even with her latest achievement shows her grit and passion to achieve her dream of being in top 20 in IAS. The reality, however, seems that Bushra is fond of breaking the myths and proving the stereotypes wrong.
Her family, relatives, and husband all believe that she will not settle for anything less. They have a good reason for their belief: If a village girl, married with kids, after four surgeries and overcoming the pain of those surgeries, could score such a high rank in one of the prestigious exams and stamp her presence, then everything is possible for her.
Bushra smiles and reacts: Though we could find exemplary achievements from persons faced with each of those obstacles, my facing every one of those hurdles, probably, resulted in my being strong-willed in my quest.
Bushra’s father is a farmer and her mother is a housewife. A lone brother and a sister are also well-educated. Both parents are graduates. But Bushra, in her mother Shama’s words, is definitely the “Extra-ordinary” one, packed with talent and way better than us.
Bushra graduated at the age of seventeen and a half. She had an MBA degree before she turned 20. She completed her studies up to class XII from Kannauj and went to Kanpur for graduation.
Bushra says that she wanted to give the UPSC exam right away, but couldn’t since she didn’t meet the minimum age requirement. Her mother says that Bushra was admitted directly into the second class at the age of four and a half years. She adds “She already had learned so much at home itself that she never came even second (in her class).” She says Bushra is habituated to be a topper. My multi-talented daughter topped in everything”.
““Make this girl a collector” was the constant advice of anyone and everyone who visited us to my Abbu and Ammi,” says Bushra. “It got me fixated. (Again) Since I did not meet the minimum age requirement of UPSC, I prepared and appeared for JRF test.”
She cleared JRF in her first attempt and achieved a Ph.D. in Distress Management from AMU and that’s how the title “Doctor” got associated with her name. Right after that, she married Asmar Hussain. A little while later Engineer Asmar Hussain and Bushra moved to Saudi Arabia. Asmar started his studies at Jazan University, while Bushra obtained a high-ranking position. Leaving a well-placed position and an excellent package that came along with it, Bushra returned to India along with her husband.
Bushra says, “There was only one reason for our return to India, limitless love and ‘patriotism’, I often used to contemplate that the knowledge that I gained in my country through its residents, the skills born from that knowledge ought to benefit the same citizens, and that is their right.”
Her husband, Asmar Hussain, says that after this he took up a job at Coal India, they had two children. His wife underwent four major surgeries. It has been ten years since, but her desire to become a collector from within egged her constantly.
Bushra adds: “I did my job honestly. I did my duty as a mother. I also performed the responsibilities of a wife without neglecting my husband. I did not use the excuse of constant pain after surgeries to set me back and now I am appointed a deputy collector.”
Asmar Hussain, who is pursuing a Ph.D. from AMU, is a resident of Aligarh. He says that Bushra sits in the front seat of the car as a habit. Once she sets her sight on something, she achieves it at all costs.
Mohammad Akmal, a youth from Kannauj, says, “In four months, this is the second news that a girl from Saurikh has made history.Four months ago, this same girl did wonders. Bushra’s success proves that excuses are for weak-willed people. She is truly an example of positivity and she is the talk of Kannauj ”.