Family celebrates double degrees

Family celebrates double degrees July 18, 2008 - England: A mother and daughter with strong Indian connections have both graduated with the same degree from the same English university. Amrat Bhogal, 43, and Gurpreet, 21, from the English city of Birmingham, each completed a three-year BSc optometry course at Aston University. Mrs Bhogal told the BBC that she was inspired to take the degree in part because of her Indian heritage. She said she inherited her work ethic from her parents in Punjab state. "I am proud that my family came from India, proud to be a woman and proud to be Asian," Mrs Bhogal said after receiving her degree. "Although my parents came to live in England from Punjab in 1947, they instilled in me the discipline to work hard which they themselves had learnt in India." Mrs Bhogal said that she was also inspired to take the degree by her husband, Jaswant, whose mother still lives in the state of Uttar Pradesh. She said that will now work as an optician with her husband at their shop in Birmingham while her daughter has a job with another optician nearby. Her daughter said that during the course she and her mother sat next to each other in lectures and had lunch together. "My mum and I are like sisters, rather than mother and daughter, so I didn't feel uncomfortable about us taking the same course together," Gupreet said. Mrs Bhogal said that she and Gurpreet did not plan to enrol on the same course together at the same time - "it just happened like that". She said her daughter had been a great friend to her throughout the course in the true Indian and Asian tradition of valuing family members. "We've always had a great relationship and, although I gave her the space I thought she needed, the support we gave each other throughout the three years was invaluable."