Kozhikode (Kerala), March 7 Thirty-year-old Dr. Athira Suguthan, from Kozhikode, Kerala, who has been confined to a wheelchair since a road accident 10 years ago, secured 483rd rank in the civil services exam, demonstrating how true grit and determination can overcome any disability.
Athira said on Saturday that she suffered head and spinal injuries in the road accident while she was studying BDS in Bengaluru, and as a result, lost her memory for two years.
"Initially, doctors thought I would be bedridden for life. But, after a finger movement, things changed," she said.
She further said that during the two years of memory loss, she did not remember that she had studied BDS for three years.
"After I recovered, I decided to complete my BDS. But, I didn't remember anything I had studied in the first three years of my studies. I took a year to re-learn everything, and then I took the final exams," Athira told a TV channel.
Her parents and her sister, Anagha, were a great source of support for her during that period, she said.
"Anagha, who was a second-year psychology student at the time of the accident, gave up her studies and took up BSc Nursing to care for me. She is now working as a nurse," Athira said.
She said that she had always wanted to pursue MDS abroad, preferably in France, but the accident dashed her dreams.
"While in the wheelchair and after working in the disability wing of an NGO, I understood what I could do and what I had to do. That's how social commitment became a dream of mine," she said.
Athira said that if it weren't for the accident, she would not have even considered pursuing civil services.
She said that she intends to keep trying until she gets IAS.
She had opted for Malayalam literature as the subject for the civil services examination because she liked it and had the necessary materials for it.
Athira said that she writes stories in Malayalam, and her most recent one was about her mother, who was her "greatest support" in her journey back to life after the accident.
The UPSC released the rank list on Friday, in which 958 candidates have qualified and will receive appointments to various services.