https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

75% Vision Loss and 4 Failed UPSC Attempts Could Not Stop Her!

Pooja Kadam from Maharashtra lost 75% of her vision before giving her first attempt at UPSC CSE. She failed in four consecutive attempts before finally clearing the exam on the fifth attempt. She achieved her goal of entering civil services by bagging AIR-577 in UPSC CSE 2020.
Indian Masterminds Stories

Even to think of a life without vision is frightening, yet there are those who not only live such a life but also excel in their academic and professional fields to emerge as big-time achievers. Uncomfortable as it may sound to be without vision, only those who shed their inhibitions, find a way to maneuver through life with discomforts, and face challenges strongly, become victorious in the end. Similar is the story of Maharashtra’s Pooja Kadam, who took up every challenge that came her way gracefully and cracked UPSC CSE 2020 while battling visual impairment.

Today, Indian Masterminds presents the story of this young girl who finally achieved her dream, even though it took her a long time and five attempts to do so.

EARLY LIFE

Pooja is the youngest among four sisters, who are highly educated and well-settled in life. Their father is a retired school teacher while their mother is a housewife.

A resident of Taka village in Ausa taluka of Latur district, Pooja has been living in the Hadapsar area of Pune since her Class XII. She studied up to Class X in Keshavraj Vidyalaya, Latur, and further completed Classes XI and XII from Dayanand College, Latur.

After completing her schooling, Pooja enrolled herself in Pune’s Fergusson College, where she completed her graduation in Arts. She further did her post-graduation in Political Science from Indira Gandhi National Open University.

LOSING HER EYESIGHT

The journey to the top was never easy and was paved with hurdles and nightmares for Pooja, the biggest being her loss of vision.

In 2014, while she was pursuing graduation from Fergusson College, she started losing vision in her eyes. After 2015, it became worse. Initially, she found it difficult to see at night. Gradually, it became a struggle for her to spot people or see things clearly even in the daytime. Reading and writing had become even more difficult for her. By the time, she appeared for her UPSC examination, she had lost 75 percent of the vision in both her eyes due to a rare retinal disease.

“I spent hours going to doctors who said it was a rare disease which happens to one in one lakh people. I kept taking medical treatment. However, there was no improvement in my eyesight. It kept falling regularly. Now, I am left only with around 25 percent vision in my eyes,” she said in an interview with the media, adding that her only hope to regain her eyesight remains with UK doctors.

“We have been told by doctors in the country that the UK offers treatment for my condition. I hope I will get a chance to go to the UK and improve my vision,” she said.

YOGA HELPED HER

Pooja panicked as she slowly started to lose her eyesight. She blamed her fate and started falling into depression, wondering why this was happening to her. It was yoga that pulled her out of this phase and helped her regain her will to move forward in life.

“I didn’t understand why it had to happen to me. I was cursing fate and was depressed. Yoga, especially Vipassana, helped me change my outlook and infused a sense of determination in me. I then decided to put in all my might to achieve my goal. And I am glad I was able to do that with full support from my family. I have three sisters and they have been my pillars of strength,” she said.

Pooja Kadam with her sisters

UPSC JOURNEY

Pooja studied hard and prepared for her UPSC CSE examinations but as fate would have it, she was unable to clear them in her first four attempts. These failed attempts were also a blow to her and broke her heart, but she wasn’t a quitter. She gathered her courage every time and gave her best into preparing for the fifth attempt at UPSC.

Her hard work paid off when she cracked UPSC CSE 2020 in her fifth attempt with AIR-577. “Of the four attempts, I had once reached the interview stage but still could not make it. There were several hurdles but I am not the one to easily give up. I made a fifth attempt and it was a moment of high five for me,” she said in an interview.

She now wishes to work for rural women’s empowerment and wishes to provide them with the life of respect that they deserve.

Speaking about her goal to help the rural folks, she said, “Urban women are better placed than rural womenfolk. Urban women have lots of opportunities, avenues, and platforms available for their growth. Unfortunately, this is not the case for rural women. Many of them are married off at early ages. They are not even allowed to complete their education. This is what I intend to change. I want to bring rural women into the mainstream of public life, encourage them to go for higher studies, help them in developing leadership qualities and find career opportunities for them. This will give me a sense of fulfillment.”


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
SEBI
SEBI Appoints 3 New Executive Directors: Amit Pradhan, Avneesh Pandey & Sanjay Purao Take Charge
Lateral_entry_resized
No Reservation in Lateral Govt Job Entries, Centre Tells Rajya Sabha Citing Single-Post Rule
DelhiPolice
Top-Level Shake-Up in Delhi Police: 3 IPS Officers Reassigned Amid Security Concerns; Chahal Named DG, Civil Defence
mp
MP’s ₹3 Lakh Crore Infrastructure Boom: 255 km Greenfield Highway, ₹5,500 Cr Tiger Corridor Among Key Road Projects
FINNOVATION 2025
SBI & IIT Guwahati Celebrate FINNOVATION 2025 Winners in Gurugram, Empowering Young Innovators to Solve Banking Challenges
nitish-kumar
Bihar: CM Nitish Kumar Inaugurates Rs 44 Crore Six-Lane Pull-Up Ramp in Patna, Aims to Ease Traffic Congestion- Know More
CM yogi
UP: CM Yogi Inaugurates Two New Kalyan Mandaps in Gorakhpur, Emphasizes Accessible Celebration Spaces- Full Details Inside
CISF
National Security at Risk: Centre Opposes Supreme Court Ruling Curtailing IPS Deputation in CAPFs, Says IPS Presence is Crucial
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr
Resisted Flawed Schemes, Transferred Thrice In Three Months, Found Solace In Writing
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-11 at 4.48
IAS SVR Srinivas on Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, Tough Calls, and the Real Power of IAS Officers | Video Interview
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-08 at 5.25
Dharavi Redevelopment: IAS Minds Turning 100-Year-Old Slum into a Modern City | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS Minnu P M
“Lazy, Sleepy, Yet Determined”: Minnu P M’s Honest Take on Cracking UPSC
Minnu PM, once a clerk in Kerala Police, cleared UPSC with AIR 150 after five years of struggle. Her...
IPS Ashish Tiwari
From IIT and Investment Banking to Public Service, Meet IPS Ashish Tiwari 
Ashish Tiwari, IIT graduate and former investment banker, chose public service over global finance. As...
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-12 at 7.27
First Attempt IRS, Fourth Attempt IPS: The Relentless Pursuit of Jitendra Kumar Yadav Who Cracked UPSC 3 Times
IPS Yadav is originally from Chhattisgarh. He was first selected for the IRS through UPSC and later for...
Social Media
Masahiro Hara
From Go Board to Global Use, How QR Codes Changed the World: IRAS Officer Ananth Rupanagudi Spotlights Masahiro Hara’s Vision
IRAS officer Ananth Rupanagudi shared a video on Masahiro Hara, the inventor of QR codes, highlighting...
IFS Susanta Nanda Video
A Mother’s Duty: Tigress Watches Over Cubs Splashing in Waterhole — Heartwarming Video Shared By Retd. IFS Officer Susanta Nanda
A tender wildlife video shared by Retd. IFS officer Susanta Nanda shows a tigress keeping watch over...
Mohanmala
Kaziranga Mourns: Beloved Elephant Mohanmala Passes Away After Five Decades of Service
Kaziranga National Park mourns the loss of Mohanmala, a beloved elephant who served over 50 years as...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Olive Ridley Nesting Site Odisha
Guardians of the Shore: How IFS Officer Sanjay Kumar Swain Protected the World's Largest Olive Ridley Nesting Site
SEBI
SEBI Appoints 3 New Executive Directors: Amit Pradhan, Avneesh Pandey & Sanjay Purao Take Charge
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-11 at 4.48
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-08 at 5.25
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT