14 awesome sister teams that rule the world

Sisters often make the best teams. Whether it is fictional ones in Little Women and Parent Trap or real-life pairs like Indira Nooyi and Chandrika Tandon, sisters show they can muscle their way through anything when they combine forces. So here are 14 pairs of sisters, who may be great on their own, but as a team, make the world sit up and take notice.

Venus and Serena Williams – With the combined might of 28 Grand Slam titles (singles) behind their names, the Williams sisters are a superheroine pair. Coached by their parents since childhood, the Williams sisters changed the face of women’s tennis with their powerful style. Winning 22 doubles Grand Slams together is a testimony to how well they play together and are a rocking sister pair.

Barkha and Bahar Dutt – Barkha, the most well-known female journalist in India, became a household name across India post her exemplary coverage of the Kargil War. Barkha has won several awards, including the coveted Padma Shri. Her sister, Bahar Dutt, was the winner of the Green Oscar in 2006. She is a conservation biologist, environmental journalist and author of the book Green Wars. Daughters of well-known journalist Prabha Dutt, it is obvious that strong, intelligent and ethical women are a rule than an exception in this family.

Karisma and Kareena Kapoor – Though there are several other sister pairs in Bollywood from different generations, Karisma and Kareena of Bollywood’s numero uno Kapoor clan are extremely close. Kareena often has the nicest things to say about her sister. Though they both were reigning actresses almost one after the other, sibling rivalry is non-existent between the two.

Beyonce and Solange Knowles – Being the most nominated woman in the Grammy awards and having won 20 Grammys, Beyonce Knowles lives up to her nickname ‘Queen Bee‘. After her stint as lead singer of all-girls band Destiny’s Child, she continues to have a top-notch solo career in R&B and pop. Younger sister Solange Knowles, 29, is following in Beyonce’s footsteps and has a promising singing career herself. The sister duo are close and have modelled together for the fashion line run by the family called House of Deréon.

Brontë sisters – Brontë sisters Charlotte, Emily and Anne lived in the 19^th century and are authors of several novels. They were home-schooled and lived in an isolated manner most of their lives. The three sisters began to write stories at an early age. Charlotte’s Jane Eyre, Emily’s Wuthering Heights, Anne’s Agnes Grey are all classics and literary favourites.

Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle – At 86 years and 82 years respectively, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle are the veterans of the Indian music industry. Lata has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films. She has also received the Bharat Ratna. Asha Bhosle is also a prolific singer and was recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most recorded artiste in music history. Despite the much speculated sibling rivalry, with some even accusing Lata of trying to sabotage Asha’s career, the sisters speak of each other with warmth and respect and have lived in adjacent flats for years.

Tashi and Nancy Malik – Twins Tashi and Nancy were the first pair of siblings to climb Mount Everest together. The 24-year-old sisters are also the fastest South Asians to complete the ‘Explorers Grand Slam,’ which involves climbing the highest peaks in all seven continents and the ‘Three Poles Challenge,’ which covers scaling Mount Everest and reaching the North and South Poles on skis.

Kate and Pippa Middleton – Catherine Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, is the wife of Prince William of England. Though younger sister Philippa, known as Pippa, came into the public eye for being the sister of the future queen of England, she has come into her own as a socialite, author and columnist. Both the sisters are always fashionably dressed and have their own fan following.

Deepika and Anisha Padukone – As a teenager, Deepika Padukone played badminton in national level championships, but moved on to become a fashion model and film actor. Deepika also endorses several popular brands and is outspoken about issues like depression. According to her, her little sister Anisha is her most honest critic. While Deepika had played badminton like their father, Prakash Padukone, Anisha is an amateur golfer and has been training to make a mark in the professional circuit.

Malia and Sasha Obama – First daughters of USA Malia and Sasha might just be 17 and 14 years of age but have grown up in the White House with the focus of the world on them and, therefore, possess a sense of confidence and elegance, rarely seen in teens. They are also style icons, like mother Michelle.

Travancore sisters – Padmini, Lalitha and Ragini were known as the Travancore sisters. They were actors and dancers and have acted in South Indian and Hindi films. Growing up in a joint family tharavadu in Thiruvananthapuram, they acted in several movies in the 1940s and 1950s, and were popular due to their proficiency in classical dance.

Emily and Zooey Deschanel – The Deschanel sisters are both stars of hit TV shows. Emily is the star of popular crime drama Bones, while Zooey plays the protagonist in the sitcom New Girl. Zooey and Emily’s appearance at the 65th annual Emmy Awards is notable of their relationship, as they both took to the stage holding hands.

Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar – Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar are an interesting study in nature vs. nurture. Though they are half-sisters, they did not grow up together and met only as adults. Norah was estranged from their father and sitar maestro late Ravi Shankar, and spent time with him only before his death. While Anoushka Shankar has been nominated for four Grammys, Norah has an impressive nine Grammys in her kitty and was featured on Billboard magazine’s artists of the decade chart.

Kardashian sisters – A list of famous sisters would not be complete without the Kardashian sisters, Kourtney, Kim and Khloe. The Kardashian family is famous for just being famous! They might not be taken seriously by most ‘butt’ (pun very much intended) their net worth together is more than $ 100 million.

As the above list may indicate, sisters could have different personalities, vastly different interests, and at times be competitive. They could even go through intense phases of sibling rivalry. But as these women prove, sisterhood helps bring the best out of many women.