Any Union Public Service Commission examination involves years of hard work and dedication. It especially becomes more difficult and a stiff challenge for aspirants who are visually impaired. Vision is the most important tool of information for us because with our eyes see and absorb knowledge.
But this tool was missing in Poorna Sundari’s preparation for UPSC as she is visually impaired. But the greatest of hurdles can be crossed with the right kind of attitude. And Poorna is an example. Despite loss of vision in both eyes, she cleared UPSC in 2019 with AIR 286. Hers is a story of how grit and determination can overcome any obstacle in life and lead one to victory.
CLEARED UPSC IN FOURTH ATTEMPT
Poorna was 25 year old when she cracked UPSC in her fourth attempt. She hails from Maninagram in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. She wasn’t blind since birth but started losing her eyesight in both eyes as she turned five. However, this did not make her lose sight of her dreams. In fact, she started trying even harder to achieve them.
SUPPPORT FROM FAMILY & FRIENDS
Poorna has gone on record saying that her family and friends supported her all throughout her UPSC preparation.
“My parents supported me a lot. I would like to give credit for this success to them. This was my fourth attempt. I took 5 years to prepare for this exam,” Poorna Sundari had told media soon after her UPSC results were out.
Poorna faced many problems while preparing for the exam. But she did not give up. She says that during her preparation, she took help of the study material available in audio format. She also took the help of speaking software that was installed in her laptop. “My parents used to read aloud the books to me. My friends and seniors also supported me a lot.”
IAS DREAM CAME TRUE
Poorna had very clear dreams right from her school days. She was not only sure about what she wanted to become but also sure about how to reach her goal. She had dreamed of clearing UPSC since class 11, and since then, she had started preparing for it.
She said that she always wanted to serve in areas like health, education and women empowerment. Eventually, after a lot of hard work, dedication and patience, she cleared UPSC.
She has also revealed how the stories of IAS officers like P Udhaichandran and U Sagayam used to inspire her lot to become a civil servant. And this inspiration fuelled her onwards towards her goal and she finally made her dream come true by getting selected to IAS in the year 2019.
