Woman With Partial Visual Impairment From Odisha’s Jharsuguda Clears OCS Exam

Jharsuguda: Sheer will power and strong determination have led a woman with partial visual impairment of Jharsuguda to clear the Odisha Civil Services examination 2020.

Gitanjali Nayak was born with eye problem bilateral coloboma. She is 40% visually impaired and cannot see clearly in both eyes. Despite the handicap, she has been an avid reader since childhood. Due to her studious nature, she has been a brilliant student throughout her career and has won several awards in academics.

Her physical weakness motivated Gitanjali to become a doctor and she passed the medical entrance also. As she was married at the time, she had to forego the option of pursuing medical studies for 6 years. Gitanjali then qualified BEd and at present, she is serving a teacher in a high school at Lakhanpur in the district.

Motivated by her husband Arun Patel, 32-year-old Gitanjali prepared for OCS and secured 309 rank in the all-Odisha examination. She made the preparation all by herself and did not avail coaching from any institution, she said.

“It was a tough task for me to prepare for OCS. I am already shouldered with three major responsibilities of teaching the children in schools, looking after my 10-year-old child and taking care of my husband who is a kidney patient. But I was determined to clear the examination,” she said.

On her successful formula, Gitanjali said, it is all about time management and one’s will power. “I knew I had to find time to make preparation. So, after doing all the works, I was studying till late into night after everybody fell asleep,” she said.

“My husband is my motivation. He has always encouraged me by saying that since I am good in academics, I should aim for bigger achievement,” she said.

Being a physically challenged person, Gitanjali has been helpful in nature. She is also involved in social work. “But I realised that in order to contribute more to society, I have to be in a decision making process of the administration. For this, I wanted to go for Odisha Civil Services,” she said.