Purana Sunthari Secured AIR 286 In UPSC Exam Despite Being Visually Impaired. This Is An Extraordinary Feat To Achieve!
UPSC is hands down one of the most prestigious competitive exams in India, and so obviously, cracking it is no breeze. It is the most difficult exam in the history of difficult exams and thus preparing for it could be extremely grueling and challenging. About millions of aspirants sit for the exam every year for less than a thousand vacancies and only 25% of candidates qualify, so you get an idea about the brutal competition and the pressure it brings with itself!
However, here is an achiever who managed to not only clear the notoriously tough exam but also secured an all-India rank 286. The surprising thing is not this though. It’s the fact that she accomplished this despite being visually impaired. Yes, you heard that right. The result for the 2019 UPSC were declared last week and turns out, 25-years-old Purana Sunthari, a visually impaired girl from Madurai, Tamil Nadu emerged as an exceptional winner who qualified the exam against all odds.
The news caught the eye of former Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif lauded the extraordinary achiever via a tweet. He wrote in the caption, “25yr old visually impaired Purana Sunthari from TN beat the odds and cracked the UPSC exam. Since audio study material was hard to find, her parents and friends helped her in reading & converting books to audio so she could become an IAS officer. Never stop chasing your dreams.” Twitter also praised the hard work and devotion Purana put in to crack the exam.
25yr old visually impaired Purana Sunthari from TN beat the odds and cracked the UPSC exam. Since audio study material was hard to find, her parents and friends helped her in reading & converting books to audio so she could become an IAS officer. Never stop chasing your dreams. pic.twitter.com/3icQ6nPJPo
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) August 12, 2020
This was Purana’s fourth attempt and she had been preparing for the exam since last five years. Her determination to become an IAS officer is truly commendable. She credits her success to her parents. As Kaif mentioned in her tweet, they and her friends helped her study for the exam by reading to her and converting books to audios. In an interview she said, “My parents have supported me a lot. I would like to dedicate my success to them. This was my 4th attempt, I devoted 5 years to this exam.” I would have given up 200 times in five years and here’s this girl who didn’t back down despite all the difficulties. She is an inspiration for so many of us, and rightly so.
Twitter users were spellbound with the girl’s willpower and hard work. They also mentioned how we often take our weakness as an excuse to give up on our dreams but Purana proved that nothing is impossible. A user wrote, “I had goosebumps reading this story. It’s so motivating. Just goes to show what Mindsight can do even without the Eyesight…. So happy for her achievement. Wish her all the best in life. This is amazing.” Another wrote, “She is an inspiration. Wish we all can inculcate never give up attitude in life. Wishing her all the best for her future endeavors.”
https://twitter.com/anita_chauhan80/status/1294138838529372160
Also Read: Meet IAS Officer Tina Dabi, The Woman Behind The Most Sought After And ‘Ruthless Containment’ Model Of Bhilwara
This year’s UPSC result was remarkable in many ways. As many as 197 candidates among 829 were women. While this may seem a very small number, the success stories of some of these women candidates who qualified the exam are nothing less of extraordinary. Apart from Purana, there were many women who beat all odds and triumphed the exam. One of them was Anupama Singh, a mom of a three-year-old from Patna who separated from her child solely to prepare for the exam. She secured AIR 90 and proved that being married or having a child is not an obstacle in achieving your dreams if you are determined enough. Another amazing story was that of the former Miss India Finalist Aishwarya Sheoran who stood at 93rd rank and that too in her very first attempt. And, she is just 23 years old. These women are perfect examples of exceptional feat in the most difficult exam in the country.
Last year, Pranjal Patil became India’s first visually impaired IAS officer who showed you could achieve anything, even the toughest exam if you set your mind to it. This year, it was Purana who demonstrated similar strength of will and cleared the exam to become an IAS officer. Clearly, Purana’s determination knew no bounds and we are glad she didn’t give up. By emerging as an exemplary achiever who cracked the exam despite being visually impaired, she has become an inspiration to all the UPSC aspirants, especially women. She shows how a weakness should never be the reason for you to stop chasing your dreams. She is really incredible!
