MUMBAI: Visually impaired Jayant Mankale from Beed fought many odds throughout his life on his way to secure All India Rank (AIR) 143 in the civic service examinations. Mankale, 27, studied mechanical engineering from Amrutvahini College of Engineering, Sangamner and even worked as a maintenance engineer in a private firm before cracking the UPSC exam.
He lost his water pump operator father at the age of 10. His mother and two elder sisters took the responsibility of his education in Pune. Mankale lost 75% of his vision after suffering retinitis pigmentosa, a rare genetic disorder that breaks down cells in the retina which leads to loss of vision, when he began to work.
But he never lost hope and continued to work with help from his teachers, and friends. The Mankales saw tough times — the pension was not sufficient to run the household. So, his mother sold homemade pickle, spices and food to support her son’s education.
Mankale said he lost his eyesight but not the vision of his life. “When I was working with a private firm that, I lost 75% eyesight in 2015. At that point life was completely dark... My father was already not there. It became a huge task. But UPSC gave me the hope to live a new life and I am happy that I overcame all physical and financial odds in life to achieve the success,” he said.