Ayesha, Hussain’s UPSC success stories inspire community

Ayesha had started preparing for the UPSC in her 12th grade, when a professor spotted her as a potential candidate. He made a case for it to her and her parents and convinced them.

Mumbai: Two success stories coming out of the UPSC exams this year, Kazi Ayesha Ibrahim (rank 586) and Sayyed M Hussain (rank 570) have broken through the stereotypes and have emerged as a hope and inspiration for their community.

Mumbai: Anjuman-I-Islam President, Dr Zahir I. Kazi felicitates Sayyed M. Hussain (Alumni – A.I’s Allana Jr. College of Science & Commerce, CST) All India ranking 570 and Kazi Ayesha Ibrahim, All India ranking 586, for successfully qualifying UPSC Exam 2023, at Anjuman-I-Islam’s Ahmed Zakaria Hall, CST, in Mumbai on Friday, 26 May 2023. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande)

Ayesha had started preparing for the UPSC in her 12th grade, when a professor spotted her as a potential candidate. He made a case for it to her and her parents and convinced them.

Then came the years-long struggle, starting in 2017. “It takes a lot of hard work, there’s no doubt about that. But it is possible to study for 15 to 16 hours a day. I’ve done it,” said Ayesha.

Despite being a Muslim woman and stereotyped at every turn, she stuck to her books, using the disadvantages her way to study more and get better.

“My parents have always emphasised gaining knowledge. And there is no better match for gaining knowledge than the UPSC, with the diverse subjects we have to learn,” she said.

Ayesha also lost the support of her institute after the prelims due to a change in administration, leaving her to study alone in the confines of her home, without any outside guidance.

She will be attempting the UPSC exam again, hoping to get a rank fit to get her into the Indian Foreign Services (IFS). In the meantime, she will accept the post she is offered.

After the results were released on Tuesday, Ayesha was felicitated for the achievement along with Hussain at an event organised by the Anjuman-I-Islami, of which Hussain is a former student.

Hussain, too, has a long history of struggle that ended in his scoring the 570th rank. He got through the prelims exam four times, only to fail in the main exam. He was fifth time lucky.

“It was very difficult at first. I repeated my mistakes,” he said. “Then I started teaching others for the exam, making some money so I could support myself and my family. That helped me.”

The son of a dock worker, who earns ₹18,000 a month, he said, “I’ve seen my dad struggle in the hot sun for 18 hours a day, so I found my situation easy.”

The journey was a lot more emotionally fraught for him than financial, dissuading him with every failure. But he persevered. “I am satisfied with my results, but now that I’ve gotten so much love from so many people, I wish I’d studied a little more.”

Hussain recounts a story of a call he received from a fellow resident of his area, Dongri, resounding with hope that he too could pass the exams after a few failures. His success has inspired the community.