| Anu, Edakkad, Kollam |
Her struggle to get into Civil Service was a secret that she camouflaged from her father, who donned the role of both parents after the death of her mother when she was 6.
Anu had wanted to please her father by a rank in the 10th standard, but neither that nor one in the medical entrance came her way. The only time she could feel satisfied was when she secured 3rd rank in the undergraduate studies in veterinary science. So she did not feel confident to ask him to bear her expenses for a crack at Civil Service.
Instead, with the money she could save as a research fellow for three months, she set out to Chennai. To her father, she lied that she had got admission for a post graduate course there.
By the time she paid course fee, there was nothing left even for living expense, let alone buying books etc. But close friends, came to her rescue. And her roommate shared her books. Although she spent 8 months in Chennai, she failed miserably in the preliminary exam as well as all others like bank tests etc which she attempted.
After joining a veterinary institute in Haryana for post graduate studies, she switched over to sociology as Civil Service exam subject. With no guide to help her, she used the gap between the assignments and test papers of her post graduate course to study for for Civil Service, all the time relying as beacon, a childhood advice from her father, to revise. She had no money to go out with friends. Even finding Rs. 6000 to take part in online test series was a struggle.
But one by one she crossed the prelims and mains and interview and secured 43rd rank. As she was proceeding to the airport, to reach home and break the news personally to her father, he called to ask why she was coming in a hurry.
The surprise news produced a sob from the other end.
Courtesy: Rajeev Mankottil (text), J.Suresh (photo), Vanitha, July 15-31, 2017
