JOIN USRural background, Kannada medium education and poverty back home. This many would say are crippling disadvantages to get ahead in a competitive world. But for Arathi Anand, these were motivating factors to dream big in life.
What gives a bigger sheen to the achievements of the second rank holder in the KAS exams, results of which were out on March 15, is the way she balanced life as a wife, mother and teacher, while squeezing out time to prepare for the competitive exam.
Having served as a teacher for more than 14 years, she is presently working at the government primary school at Kunigal. She has obtained a degree, two post graduation degrees, two teacher training degrees and bagged ninth rank in KES examinations held in 2009. Arathi will be joining the State service shortly.
“Grit, determination and working towards realising the goal every moment are factors that ensured success,” an elated Arathi told Deccan Herald.
Arathi holds PG degrees in Kannada and Sociology, besides securing BEd and MEd degrees.
“Balancing multiple roles became easy once I learnt to manage time better. I could not clear KAS prelims twice in 1999 and 2005. I drew the best lessons from failures and understood my shortcomings. I worked on improving on them,” she said.
She is married to Anand who runs a diagnostic centre and has two children - Abhishek, a fourth standard student and Ananya, an LKG student, both studying in Tumkur. She commutes to work from Tumkur to Kunigal every day.
“I studied only two hours a day, but I did that scientifically,” she says. “I never attended any coaching class. But I must thank my friend Gangadhar, who is with the Indian Air Force in Punjab. He guided me with on the proper study material and gave critical inputs on preparation,” she said.
She chose Kannada literature and rural development for her mains.