Meet TK Sherin Shahana, wheel-chair bound Kerala girl who suffered memory loss, cleared UPSC in first attempt

Success is the culmination of tiny actions taken repeatedly every day. While accepting limited disappointment, we must never give up on unending hope. For Sherin Shahana TK, age 26, passing the civil services exams was more significant than sailing the seven seas. 

For T K Sherin Shahana, as the youngest of four daughters to an illiterate Muslim daily labourer, the ambition of entering the civil service had always seemed far-fetched. However, she persevered despite being forced to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair due to an unfortunate event.

Sherin Shahana, a resident of Kambalakkad village in Kerala's Wayanad district and 913th overall in the civil service tests, was confined to a wheelchair as a result of a freak accident. She lost her memory as a result of that and the fall. 

In 2017, Shahana accidentally fell from the terrace of her house. When she fell, she was just about to embark on her childhood dream of working in the civil service. She was on bed rest for over a year and later got confined to a wheelchair. 

Sherin suffer a fall that left her quadriplegic. But she wasn't alone. Her friends and well-wishers supported her and offered assistance. After the catastrophe, Sherin successfully passed the UGC-NET test and resumed her academic career. She joined the University of Calicut as a research scholar in international relations.

Prior to enrolling at a college in Sulthan Bathery, Wayanad, where she received her post-graduate degree in political science, she got her official education in a local government school. 

Sherin enrolled at the Absolute IAS Academy in 2020, which was founded by novelist and motivational speaker Dr Jobin Kottaram and is based in Thiruvananthapuram. The academy offered a specific programme called "Butterfly" for students with physical disabilities who wanted to work in the public service.

Sherin flew to Thiruvananthapuram months ago to take part in a practice interview. After the disaster, she had never taken a trip that long before. The other Absolute Academy students assisted her in her travels and assisted her in moving in a wheelchair as she was travelling to Delhi for the UPSC interview.

Sherin claimed she had not yet made up her mind about retaking the UPSC exam in an effort to raise her score.  “This was my second attempt. As I am included in the category of persons with benchmark disabilities (PwDB), I may get a better service,” she said.

Sherin's mother Anima studied until Class 4, whereas her father Usman, who passed away in 2015, never went to school. Due to financial difficulties, Sherin's two older sisters had to stop their education in Class 10, but their other older sister Jalisha continued and is now a research scholar in mathematics.

(Also Read: Meet IAS Anshuman Raj, who cleared UPSC without coaching in first attempt, used to study under lamp)