Two visually-challenged persons from Tamil Nadu clear UPSC exam

Braving all odds, two visually challenged persons from Tamil Nadu, including a woman, have cleared the Civil Services exams, the results of which were announced on Tuesday.

While Purnasundari cleared the coveted exams in her fourth attempt, Balanagendran emerged successful in his ninth attempt.

Purnasundari, whose all-India ranking is 286, lost her vision when she was studying first standard, but nothing stopped her from pursuing the dream of joining the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). Having prepared for exams and interviews with the help of audiobooks, Purnasundari said it was her hard work and perseverance that has brought her where she is today.

“I wrote my exams in Tamil language having studied in Tamil medium since childhood. It was difficult but I was very adamant in pursuing my dreams and I am happy today that I could make it to the civil services. I will continue to work hard for the betterment of society,” she told DH.

Purnasundari, who hails from Madurai and wants to opt for IAS, says it was audiobooks that helped her prepare for the exams as she could not read. “I found it difficult to source audiobooks, but I did finally. Without audiobooks, I could not have prepared for the exams,” she added.

For Balanagendran, who cleared the exams in his ninth attempt, too, technology came handy for preparations. He says he could not have achieved the feat but for the support he received from his family, who “never treated me differently.”

“I have been visually challenged since birth and this has never come in the way of pursuing my dreams. And my family stood behind me like a rock. Civil services are always enticing, and I have learnt from my mistakes. Mistakes help you chart the path for success, and I am finally there in my ninth attempt,” Balanagendran told DH.

Though he did not rely on audiobooks, Balanagendran said technology helped him to access books in PDF format for his preparations.