By Archana Sharma
Jaipur, Jul 18 (IANS): The social media is buzzing since July 13 sharing the success stories of Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) candidates who beat the odds to come out successful in one of the toughest exams in India. No matter if they had no money or were visually challenged, had no strong background or resources, but they managed to crack this exam and their stories are now inspiring other youths too.
Looking at their success stories going viral on social media, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also took to Twitter on Saturday and said: "It's the result of the hard work of all the RAS candidates that they have been successful in one of the toughest examinations of the state and the country. I congratulate and extend my best wishes to all these candidates. Their success stories are reaching to everyone through media and social media and are inspiring other students.
"I especially congratulate the successful candidates, including sanitary workers, physically challenged and economic backward students who cracked RAS, despite facing all the difficult situations."
Surprisingly, most of these stories come from small towns.
In one case, three sisters from a farmer's family in a small village of Hanumangarh district passed the elite exam scripting history. These three sisters, Ritu, Suman and Anshu Saharan, have been selected in RAS-2018. Two other sisters, Manju and Roma, are already working in different government institutes. While Manju was selected in the cooperative department in 2012, Roma cracked RAS in 2011.
The most inspiring factor is that all five sisters went to school only till class 5. Thereafter, they pursued higher education till PhD privately, passing exams.
Another inspiring story is of a visually challenged youth Devendra Chauhan who lost his eyes in an accident in 2011. His family, being poor, was advised to drop him at Govardhan so that he could beg for his livelihood.
However, he had big dreams and started collecting funds by working. He collected sand and dumped it in a tractor and accumulated some money for further studies. After getting the number of a school for the blind from the radio, he came to Jaipur and learned Braille language. Many people made snide comments when he started preparing for RAS but it did not demotivate him and finally he qualified RAS-2018.
My final aim is to serve the country by becoming an IAS officer, he says.
Another 29 year old visually challenged man, Kuldeep Jainam also cracked the exam but had to fight a legal battle too. On August 5, 2018, RAS pre=exams were held in which he wanted a helper to write. However, the RPSC denied his plea and hence he could not read his questions and failed in the pre-exams.
He filed a plea in court which was dismissed by a single bench. Thereafter, he went for a double bench where Kuldeep was permitted to appear in the Mains exams. He was told that if he cracks the Mains, he will be passed in Pre too. Finally, he was announced successful in Tuesday's results.
Asha Kandara is yet another inspiration for she became a deputy collector after working as a sanitary worker in Jodhpur Municipal Corporation. After separating from her husband, she completed her graduation in 2016 and then started preparing for RAS.
Twelve days after her RAS-2018 exam, she was appointed on a permanent basis as a sanitary worker and worked for two years sweeping the streets of Jodhpur, for she had to bear the expenses of her two children. A year after her graduation, she got a divorce and thereafter she immersed herself in her studies to finally come out a winner when the RAS results were declared.