A visually impaired candidate from Tumakuru, Kempahonnaiah, has secured a creditable 340th rank in the UPSC exam.
Kempahonnaiah, who works as a Kannada lecturer in Vontikoppal Government PU College in Mysuru, cracked the civil services exams in his third attempt. He hopes to get selected to IAS, his dream job.
Son of Honnaiah and Muniyamma from Chowdanakuppe village in Kunigal taluk of Tumakuru district, Kempahonnaiah lost his vision after retinal damage when he was studying Class IV. He also could not continue his studies and stayed in the village for a while.
However, his determination to continue the studies got a boost when he was offered a seat at a blind school in Mysuru. He did his graduation from Maharaja College, completed his masters at KSOU and MPhil at Kannada University, Hampi. as he prepared for the civil services exam.
“I have written the UPSC exam in Kannada. The interview was also held in Kannada. I am really happy with the rank,” Kempahonniah said.
He said it did not take any special coaching for him to crack the UPSC.
“All this happened due to the unflinching support by my friends. My wife, Anchita, has been a pillar of support all along by helping me read, make notes and making me listen to recordings. She is the main force behind this achievement,” he said.
Published 31 May 2017, 19:55 IST