Rahul lauds tribal girl from Wayanad for clearing UPSC

Close on the heels of Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s candidature at Wayanad, incidentally, the high-range district in Kerala has one more reason to cheer.

Sreedhanya Suresh, who hails from the Kuruchi tribal community in Wayanad district, has secured rank 410 in the Civil Services Examination. It is said to be the highest rank by a student of a tribal community in Kerala.

Rahul Gandhi had also congratulated Sreedhanya through a tweet: “Sreedhanya Suresh from Wayanad, is the first tribal girl from Kerala to be selected for the civil service. Sreedhanya’s hard work & dedication have helped make her dream come true. I congratulate Sreedhanya and her family and wish her great success in her chosen career.”

Since Friday evening Sreedhanya was being showered with congratulations from the who is who, including Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other political party leaders. Her achievement has also become viral on social media. Various political parties also planning a grand reception to Sreedhanya.

IAS officer Seeram Sambasiva Rao inspired me: Sreedhanya

“I had a desire to be a civil service officer right from the schooling days. But the spark in me got triggered by IAS officer Seeram Sambasiva Rao, the present Kozhikode district collector,” says Sreedhanya,

Sreedhanya, 25, is that daughter of Suresh and Kamala of Pozhuthana panchayat in Wayanad and has two siblings. The family is financially week and stays at partially constructed small house, which indeed reflects the backwardness of Wayanad district. She did her schooling at Wayanad and graduation and post-graduation at nearby Kozhikode district.

Talking to DH about her achievement, Sreedhanya said that after her post-graduation she used to work with the Wayanad district administration on contract basis. “I was very much impressed by the work of then sub-collector Seeram Samabasiva Rao, the respect he was getting for his sincere work. This actually fueled my long pending desire to chase my dream to become a civil service officer,” she said.

Sreedhanya cleared the mains and interview in the first round itself, while she cleared the preliminary in the third round.

In 2017, a boy from a tribal community in North-Kerala district Kasargod had reportedly secured a rank around 1,000 in the civil services examination.