'The journey is long and tough. Be consistent and persistent. The end result will be rewarding.'
Dinner conversations in the Parolia household are mostly about investments.
The family, which is passionate about numbers, already has three chartered accountants -- dad Atul Parolia is the chief financial officer at Cello World Private Limited, son Tushar works with Deutsche Bank and daughter-in-law Krupa is a manager at KPMG.
Joining them now are Tushar's 22-year-old twin sisters, Sanskruti and Shruti, both of whom passed the tough chartered accountant's final exam.
While Sanskruti stood second across India in the CA finals, Shruti ranked eighth on the all-India list.
Shruti and Sanskruti passed their Class 10 at the Mary Immaculate School in Borivali, north west Mumbai, and their BCom from H R College in Churchgate, south Mumbai.
After graduation, both decided they wanted to study chartered accountancy.
They did their articleship at the same audit company, Deloitte Haskins and Sells.
While they do things together and share common interests, their paths diverge when it comes to food.
Sanskruti hasn't ever eaten a pizza or a burger.
"She has cut 22 birthday cakes but not tasted a single one," says her mother Anuradha. "She is very picky and enjoys home-cooked meals."
Shruti, on the other hand, is not as fussy.
"I like eating Chinese," she says. "But Sanskruti prefers Indian."
They both like the colour pink and are comfy in a jeans-top combo.
Like most young women their age, Sanskruti and Shruti enjoy watching Bollywood movies and K-pop dramas.
During their exam preparations, they would destress by playing board games with their brother and sister-in-law.
"I was not expecting them to get a rank," jokes Krupa, who gave birth to a baby boy in August 2023. "I just wanted them to clear the exam and didn't want to go through another phase where the two are locked in a room and we are not able to interact with them."
Sanskruti loved mathematics in school.
Shruti was equally interested in maths and chartered accountancy; her sister's decision tipped the scales in favour of the latter.
Since they were doing their articleship -- working in a CA firm for three years is part of the demanding course -- as well, time management was their biggest challenge; they were working, studying and making sure they had a social life.
"It's a sort of marathon one is running as it is a three year long journey; the last four months that comprised our study leave was about sitting at home and prepping," says Sanskruti.
In November 2020, they gave their CA Intermediate examinations for which the results came in February 2021.
Sanskruti stood third across India in the CA intermediate exams while Shruti ranked fourth.
They started preparing for the final exams, but the pace was comparatively relaxed as they were still doing their articleship.
When they started studying CA around two-and-a-half years ago, they put in around 1 to 2 hours daily on weekdays and 6 to 8 hours on weekends.
During the four months just before the CA final exams, the sisters put in 10 to 12 hours daily.
"The trick is to be consistent," says Sanskruti. "Most people wonder what difference a few hours of daily study will make in the initial stage. But it does. Every minute counts in the end."
Being surrounded by CAs immensely helped the twins in their exams.
From strategising to prepping to tackling difficult subjects to steering clear of pressure, their family's support proved to be a strong asset and helped them rank among the top 10 across India.
Psychological thrillers are Sanskruti and Shruti's go-to films, but when they were prepping for their exams, no television was allowed. It was only post the exams that the Parolias got a television set for their living room; the one in their parents' room has turned into a showpiece since it shut down a year ago.
"We followed the same study plan and would decide when we wanted to complete the first revision, which subjects to take up, the timeframe, etc," says Shruti.
But they never sat down together to study in the same room. Their parents would sleep in the hall so that the girls could study in separate rooms.
"At the same time," says Sanskruti, "it's easier to study as twins because we can always turn to each other for help."
During the months leading to their exams, their mother stopped going for family functions so that the girls didn't feel left out.
"She would stay back to cook delicious home-cooked meals for us because that was the only thing we'd look forward to during our study break," says Sanskruti.
Their father, who is their role model, always advised them to give their best so that they would have no regrets in the end.
He would say, "It is a competitive exam and re-attempts are pretty common. He gave us the assurance that, come what may, he would always be proud of us. So, without any fear and pressure, we gave us best."
Apart from studying, the two enjoy dancing, reading and playing badminton.
"We are very close to each other, but that does not mean that there isn't healthy competition between us.
"Our parents have always been happy about both of our achievements and that has helped us watch out for each other and be happy with each other's success," says Sanskruti.
"We enjoy each other's company, have the same set of friends and end up chilling at the same places as well," she laughs.
Everyone in the area knows that Shruti and Sanskruti have ranked within the top 10 in the CA finals and the twins are mini-celebs there.
"It's a good feeling," they say, revealing there is always cake in the kitchen to be served to people who drop by to congratulate them.
To celebrate their achievement, the family is planning to go to the US on a holiday.
"Let's hope we can coordinate our leave as all of us are working," says Krupa, who will soon resume work post maternity leave.
As for the future, Shruti and Sanskruti both hope to pursue an MBA.
"But we want to first get some work experience."
As of now, they are completing their articleship.
To future CA aspirants, this is what they would like to say: "The journey is long and tough. Be consistent and persistent."
"There may be times when you feel like giving up. Some days may not be as productive as other days."
"Keep going. Don't give up. Don't worry about your downs; focus on the highs. The end result will be rewarding."
