THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Gokul has not seen the world as most of us do, right from the time he was born. Despite living with total vision impairment, the 23-year-old has never let it create a roadblock in his path to success. And when news came that he had found a place in the civil services ranklist, the youth from Thirumala in the capital was clearly overjoyed as it was his very first attempt. It was while pursuing his MA in English language and literature at Mar Ivanios College in the capital that Gokul came to know about the stellar work of a bunch of young IAS officers during the time of the 2018 flood.
While following the daily news and developments around him, Gokul heard how a young IAS officer carried sacks of relief material in Wayanad when faced with manpower shortage or how another woman IAS officer worked 24x7 with a team of young interns and volunteers to provide flood relief. “These were instances which made me realise that the civil services is where I should be. Earlier instances of visually-challenged youngsters successfully entering Civil Services further inspired me,” said Gokul.It is hard to believe that the 23-year-old appeared for the exams without rigorous coaching that one undergoes while preparing for the tougher Mains exam.
“I could not undergo several mock tests that my peers underwent. Hence I was unaware where I stood in the overall scheme of things. During the interview, I adopted a very honest approach,” said Gokul. Since Gokul is ranked 804, he will give the exam one more shot in case he is not allotted IAS or IFS. But with reservation in place for the visually-challenged, he is hopeful that he may get a higher service.
So what is his message for civil services aspirants, especially those battling disabilities? “Physical impairment is noticeable but what we don’t realise is that many people are emotionally impaired too. It is very rare to find a person without any impairment. What we need to ensure is not to let that impairment become a roadblock,” says Gokul.