Topper Talk: Ernest Hemingway helped Kerala girl battling cerebral palsy crack UPSC – EducationTimes.com – Education Times

As a student of English literature, while reading Ernest Hemingways novella The Old Man and the Sea, based on human resilience, Sarika AK was mighty impressed with the old man Santiagos spirit to fight all odds. Little did she know that Hemingways character would help her play the master stroke in the interview rounds in January 2023 of UPSC-CSE, where she was questioned about her favourite English classic. The interview panel also questioned her about the historical relevance of Sarikas hometown Kozhikode, which has a strong French colonial influence. Sarika spoke about the town beinga kingdom ruled by the Zamorins, who were feudal monarchs.

Wheelchair-bound Sarika from Vadakara, Kozhikode, who has been battling cerebral palsy (CP) since birth, is the first candidate from Kerala with CP, to enter the Indian Civil Services. Sarika can only move three fingers on her left hand, but this was not a constraint once she made up her mind to clear the UPSC exam. All of 23, this is Sarikas second attempt, where she got a 922 rank.

Appearing in the UPSC exam was an accidental choice. After finishing my graduation, I was unable to commute long distances for the masters course, as the colleges were far off. Staying at home made me think seriously about appearing for the UPSC exams, says Sarika, in an interview withEducation Times.

An academically bright student, Sarika graduated in English Literature from Calicut University, travelling to the college in an autorickshaw, with her mother helping her with the manual wheelchair.

Reading the bookCollector Bro: The Quixotic Thallals of a Civil Servantby IAS officer Prashanth Nair, further cemented Sarikas ambition. The book is about good governance and connection of the government officials with the common people. This was an inspiring book which fuelled my ambition, but increased my apprehension, says Sarika, who was offered free coaching at Absolute IAS Academy founded by Jobin S Kottaram.

The Academy runs Project Chithrashalabham offering free civil service coaching to students with disabilities. Jobin, being a motivational speaker, helps his students fight the fear within before starting the preparation. Differently abled candidates do not get a level playing field, due to the generic exam pattern in Prelims. For example, the CSAT paper consists of Maths, Reasoning, Reading Comprehension etc, which are tough. The candidates must score 66.33 marks, which is the standard marks for all. There is no reduction in cut-off, which is a barrier and many specially-abled students fail to clear the initial stage. The questions should be designed differently for them, says Jobin.

With Sociology as her optional subject, Sarika distributed equal time to prepare for general studies and the personality test, after clearing her prelims. Although her ranking is 922, Sarika is hopeful of getting into the IAS, which has two seats reserved for specially-abled candidates. Although my first preference is IAS, I will take any vacancy after the allocation. I may opt for another attempt next year, says Sarika. For the interview rounds, Sarika was mentored by former Kerala DGPs along with Prashanth Nair, which boosted her confidence. It was my first visit to Delhi, where I stayed for seven days to get accustomed to the weather and focus on the interview, says Sarika.

Her father Sasheendran, a delivery driver, who works in Qatar has flown down to participate in her daughters glorious moments. Mother Rakiya, her strong pillar of support, hasnt stopped smiling ever since. Her focus now is on her second daughter Devika, a student of class XII, who wants to follow in Sarikas footsteps.

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Topper Talk: Ernest Hemingway helped Kerala girl battling cerebral palsy crack UPSC - EducationTimes.com - Education Times