People often consider their disabilities as a challenge and yet drive towards success. One of them is Krishna Kumar, a resident of the Mauganj district of Madhya Pradesh. He was born with Phocomelia Syndrome — a condition wherein infants have arms and/or legs severely shortened or sometimes completely absent. Unlike others, he didn’t restrict himself and lived his life like a normal human being. He studied relentlessly and passed the Class 12 exams by scoring 82 per cent on the board exam. He wrote the answers with his feet.

His achievement was discussed across the state and several congratulatory messages sheltered his home. This rare feat by Krishna Kumar was even acknowledged by the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chauhan. He called him the son of the state.

After completing his graduation, Krishna Kumar dreams of becoming an IAS officer. The financial difficulties and low resources are acting as his biggest obstacles in achieving his dream. For this reason, he has appealed to the Mauganj DM Ajay Srivastava for help. After hearing the plight of the son of the state, the DM went to his house to talk about his condition and problems. He assured him of full help.

The DM said that he would provide a job to Krishna Kumar in the department which deals with computers in any government office. He will also arrange books and provide online classes for the UPSC preparation. Apart from this, he also promised to help Krishna Kumar’s brother in getting proper education in Bhopal.

It is not the first time that a differently abled person has desired the UPSC exam. There have been many and a lot succeeded too. Akhila BS was a UPSC aspirant who grabbed 760th rank in the UPSC CSE 2022 exam despite losing her right arm in a fatal accident. This disability didn’t let her fall short of her dreams and she cracked the UPSC exam on her third attempt. She has also done an integrated MA from IIT Madras.