Asha Khemka of Bihar, is now a renowned figure in Nottinghamshire, where she established herself as an educationist. But coming from a very mediocre background to going all the way to Britain and establishing herself in such great position in life is seriously inspirational.
Khemka was honoured with one of Britain’s top civilian awards, Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2013, which is the female equivalent of knighthood. She was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2008.
“To receive such recognition is deeply humbling. This is a shared honour, shared with everyone who I have worked with over the years,” she said in an interview with Hindustan Times.
Khemka, who is the chairperson of the Association of Colleges in India, added, “My passion for Further Education is impossible to describe and grows more so every day. I am immensely proud to be part of this amazing sector.”
Khemka is only the second Indian women to be honored with Dame Commander, whilst the first one in the history is Maharani Lakshmi Devi of Dhar in 1931. This indeed was a great achievement for her, considering a fact that she never knew English before she stepped in the great lands of United Kingdom.
She married a Patna based Doctor at a meager age of 15. She was forced to drop out of school early at the age of 13 and with her new family, they landed in United Kingdom when she was 25. Her journey after arriving in England with her husband has been unique.
Watching Children’s television channels, she learned English and resumed her education again after giving birth to 3 children. She gained a business degree from Cardiff University before embarking on her teaching career.
For all those people who think its impossible to achieve anything just because their language skills are not proper, Asha Khemka stands as a great example
