Kartik Kansal, a Divyang from IIT Roorkee and a working scientist at ISRO, has made his dream come true by cracked UPSC examinations.
Digital Desk: Since the UPSC civil service results were announced, toppers' tales have
inspired UPSC aspirants around the country, and one such story is that of scientist Kartik Kansal, who overcame all odds to attain his ambitions.
When he was eight years old, Kartik was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy, a degenerative illness in which your limbs gradually stop working. His life was forever affected as a result of this illness. So instead of going out and playing with the kids, he spent much of his time in treatments and yoga to help him cope with the disorder's effects.
On the other hand, physical frailty did not discourage him from bolstering his determination. He put in a lot of effort and got a good score on the civil service exam.
Knock-back helped to achieve the goal:
Kansal graduated from IIT Roorkee in 2018 and passed many exams, including the GATE and the Union Public Service Commission Engineering Services Exam. Still, due to his physical impairment, he could not get placement.
Going through all these, he recalled his memories. He stated to a national news agency, "I did good in the prelims of the engineering services exam, but when the list for the mains examination came, I got to know that I wasn't eligible for any of the posts due to my condition. It was a difficult phase for me. Mentally, I was prepared, but what could I do about my physical condition? My whole world was shattered."
He said that being turned down for technical jobs drove him to pursue public service and improve policy.
"My rejection made me realise that a few policies in the system needed to be changed to make it more accessible to mentally powerful but not physically strong students," Kansal said.
It made him realise that obstacles like this stifle a person's ability to progress and lower morale. But on the other hand, this encouraged him to put forth the extra effort.
The third time is always the lucky ones:
Kansal took the civil service examination three times. In his first attempt in 2019, he received the 813th position. He wanted to better his grades and attain an administrative position, even though he earned a good job.
He reapplied for the UPSC civil service tests in 2020, and while he passed the prelims, he failed to secure a rank after the mains.
However, his failure fueled his desire to study hard and achieve a desirable rank. Despite his difficulties with writing, he prepared for the written exam every day.
Kansal stated, "In such exams, I believe it is always advisable to write the answer yourself. Therefore, despite the challenges, I practised for four hours every day for three months to sit for UPSC Mains and complete my paper."
Along with his profession at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), he achieved his goals by adhering to a tight regimen.
"I used to organise my academics carefully because I worked nine hours on weekdays. On weekdays, I used to get up at 6 a.m., study until 8 a.m., and then get ready and work. I used to study till 11 p.m. after getting home from work at about 6:30 p.m. I used to spend more time on weekends, "He went on to say.
He took the UPSC civil services test in 2021 and got a rank of 271.
Kartik devotes all his hardwork has shown results and the credit and devotion he owes to his mother since childhood Kartik had her as the best support system.
The Change Needed Immensely:
The most significant change he wants to see in society is in the mindset of those who believe that a person with a disability cannot attain their goals.
According to the 25-year-old scientist, "Disability is more about mentality than external factors. As I have seen, society isolates such children. There is a psychological barrier that comes with this. I want to focus on changing that mindset to make India more accessible to everyone."
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