English writer George Herbert rightly said “Where there is a will, there is a way”. After the control of Taliban, Afghan women’s were forced to remain in home and drop out from there educational institutions. But for Behishta Khairudddin her will to study chemical engineering was more strong than Taliban’s invasion. Hiding from Taliban’s eyes, Behishta created a small science lab in her home using borrowed beakers and studied chemical engineering from IIT Madras.
With unstable internet connectivity, fear of Taliban and no proper equipment, Behishta Khairudddin bags IIT Madras degree in Chemical Engineering. It was in the 2021, when 26 year old Behishta fought with Afghan forces and decided to pursue her education remotely and cleared her semesters from IIT Madras. In a phone conversation with Times Of India the 26 year old invincible girl said “I don’t feel any regret. If you stop me, I will find another way. I feel sorry for you (Taliban) because you have the power, you have everything, but you are not using that. It’s you who should be sorry, not me,”
Due to diplomatic fall out, Behishta Khairudddin missed her admission in IIT Madras even after clearing interview. In the interview she said that she did not receive any response from ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations, which provided scholarships to students from Afghanistan). Further the Council, also deactivated her account on the portal. It was then Behishta Khairudddin connected with a professor from IIT Madras, Raghunathan Rengasamy.
IIT Madras gave scholarship to the Afghan girl and she started her education from the prestigious institute after a month. For the first two semesters, she struggled but got acquainted with the syllabus and excelled. In the phone conversation Behishta Khairudddin said she stayed glued to the computer screen and rest four to five hours. The 26 year old Afghan girl said her family has supported her immensely in this journey.
Taking about her family, she said her father is a social science graduate and her mother a doctor. Behishta’s elder sister is an IIT PhD student, who was stuck in Afghanistan while her sister had studied law, and her brother studied social science. Behishta Khairudddin is the youngest of all who received support from her family. Behishta Khairudddin aims to bridge the gap between education in Afghanistan. She is not interested to take up any industrial job but wants to make her career in academic field.
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