Blind Ajit Fought for 3 Yrs to Become an IAS Officer

Bangalore: Professor-turned-IAS aspirant Ajit Kumar fought a 3 year long battle to claim his rightful place in the Civil Services, reported Careers 360. Ajit Kumar Yadav said “My prolonged illness took away my eyesight forever. But it was not my biggest challenge.” He recently received an appointment letter for the Indian Administrative Services (IAS).

Even after securing a rank of 208 among 791 successful candidates in the Civil Services examination, Ajit was deprived of an IAS appointment due to his blindness. But he was not discouraged by this. He fought a three-year legal struggle to get his due place.

Ajit lost his vision fully at the tender age of five after suffering from acute diarrhoea. But he went on to finish his schooling from Springdale School in New Delhi. Ajit said “In spite of being differently-abled my confidence was always high and I never get bogged down when faced with any difficulty. I always stood first in class,” as reported by Careers 360.

He had no access to computers in the 1990s and only few technical aids were there. Even Braille books were available on very limited topics. Soon after completing his Master’s in Political Science from Ramjas College, Delhi University, Ajit began teaching at a government school in Haryana. He then cleared UGC NET-JRF and joined Shyamlal College of Delhi University as Assistant Professor.

Ajit said “I never took my blindness as a physical challenge but society has a different thinking about a person who is physically handicapped. In the college lectureship interview I was asked how I will manage students in class. I proved those doubts wrong when students used to come even on Sundays to attend my classes!” He further added that “One day in 2005, I heard the Prime Minister say that the doors of IAS must be opened to visually impaired citizens. That very moment I realised what I wanted to do with my life.”