Sabrina Khaliq advised other married women to never stop following their dreams. (Representational)
In an inspiring feat, a mother of three from Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir has topped the Class 10 bi-annual board examination by securing 93 per cent marks.
Sabrina Khaliq, who left her studies after Class 9 following her marriage, made up her mind last year to study and appear in the examination as a private candidate.
"I had to look after my family. I devoted myself to the family, my kids. However, after 10 years, last year I decided to study and take the exams," Ms Khaliq, a resident of Awoora village of the remote district, said.
She said her family supported her move but juggling between household chores, looking after children and studies was difficult. However, the mother of three -- two daughters and a son -- was determined.
"It was very difficult, but both my families supported me," she said.
Ms Khaliq spared a couple of hours every day to prepare for the examination.
"Many times, I studied during the night. My sisters, my sisters-in-law and my husband helped me in studies," she said.
Her hard work paid off when the results were declared on Tuesday.
"I felt very happy when the results came in. It was an overwhelming feeling," she said, adding she wants to continue her studies.
Ms Khaliq advised other married women to never stop following their dreams.
"Do not stop chasing your dreams, work hard to realise them," she said.
Khaliq scored 467 marks out of 500 -- 93.4 per cent and got A1 grades in four out of five subjects -- Maths, Urdu, Science, and Social Science.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)