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Firm resolve beats weak eyesight as Pooja cracks UPSC exam
Pooja who could only see 30% from her eyes stood tall in front of every challenge to achieve her dream and clear UPSC exam.
Pune: Life is a journey of gratitude in pursuance of happiness’ – this is the mantra that 28-year-old Pooja Kadam followed and secured 577th rank in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination.
Pooja who could only see 30% from her eyes stood tall in front of every challenge to achieve her dream.
Hailing from village Taka, Ausa taluka in Latur district, Pooja after completion of the higher secondary certificate, moved to Pune for further studies. Along with studying at Fergusson College, Pooja started preparing for competitive examinations.
“While I was in MA first year, the eyesight got weaker, I had to use recording technology for studying. It was tough, but I had decided to keep finding solution for every problem and not stop till I clear the exams,” said Pooja, who did her competitive exam preparation at Jnana Prabodhini Parshala, Sadashiv peth and The Unique Academy.
Studying for 12-14 hours and 4-5 hours of sleep was the daily routine for Pooja.
“Exercise, meditation, Vipassana was the core part of daily routine. In the morning, I used to decide ‘mission of the day’ and work accordingly the whole day,” said Pooja who had so far appeared for five prelims, four mains and two interviews.
“Whatever assignment I will get, I will give it my best. No work is small for me. Since I come from a village, I would like to work for women empowerment and problems faced by villages,” said Kadam, who stays at Hadapsar.
“For Pooja coming to Jnana Prabodhini was always a challenge, she always needed support while commuting and her batchmates helped a lot. I have seen her struggle, but she never complained,” said her brother and advocate Manoj Kadam.
For Pooja, listening to audio notes and understanding the concept without reading was the biggest challenge while preparing for the exams.
“In the initial days, it was very difficult, but I got used to it. I received good support from batchmates and coaching faculty,” said Pooja.
