Kerala woman overcomes adversity secures 282nd rank in UPSC exam

Despite her right hand having been amputated below the elbow following a fatal accident at the age of 12, Gopakumar has been aspiring to become an IAS officer, fighting all challenges and odes in life.

PTI, April 16, 2024, Alappuzha (Kerala) : She was forced to write all the major examinations in her life with the left hand as fate claimed her right hand at a younger age. Parvathy Gopakumar, hailing from Kerala's Ambalapuzha, secured 282nd rank in the civil services examinations 2023 for which the results were announced by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Tuesday.

    

Despite her right hand having been amputated below the elbow following a fatal accident at the age of 12, Gopakumar has been aspiring to become an IAS officer, fighting all challenges and odes in life.

After graduation in law, she has been preparing tirelessly to realise her dream.

Gopakumar said that though the journey had been tough, she is feeling happy now that she has finally managed to reach her goal. Her parents are government staff.

As an artificial limb was stitched in the place of the right hand after the accident, Gopakumar, started practicing writing with her left hand.

"As it was a younger age, I could manage to start writing with my left hand gradually. I myself wrote all the exams during my study days. But I still doubt whether I have the same speed others have," she told the media.

During civil service exams, she got a mandatory 20 minutes of extra time per hour.

"But it was physically more tiring when we wrote all these exams back-to-back...compared to others, I had to write more hours," she recalled.

When asked whether she was confident about getting IAS post, the civil services exam achiever said she would prepare and write again till she achieved her dream career.