The result of
UPSC Civil Services Examination 2014 brought a pleasant surprise for every
Indian. Ira Singhal had got the All India Rank 1. Her being woman and a topper
in the toughest exam in India for the most prestigious post was just a minor
stuff. It was her struggle and winning a battle against traumatic physical
problem that makes every Indian proud of her. Ira Singhal is suffering from
scoliosis. It is a disease where patient has lateral curvature to the straight
vertical line of spine. It means severe disruption of the arm movement of
the patient along with bending of the body. Ira fought with the nature and won
this battle. She has been topper throughout her schooling.
Profile of Ira Singhal
Ira Singhal was
born in Merrut. Her parents – Mr. Rajendra and Mrs. Anita Singhal realized the
problem she has few years after her birth. When they came to know about the
severity and the possibility of life long problem with physical movement, they
decided to keep Ira in a positive shape of mind. They did everything and made
it possible that Ira gets best possible education.
Ira first
studied in Sophia Girls School, Meerut and later shifted to Army Public School
in Delhi. She was topper in both of these two schools. After that, she took
admission Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology and did B. Tech in Computer
Science. She was selected in the campus interview, but decided to not go for that.
She did MBA from Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi. She could have gone for
IIM also, but her parents persuaded her to select a Delhi based business school
so that she remained close to them.
In 2010, Ira
cracked UPSC Civil Services Examination. Her rank was not so good and she could
get IRS – her third choice. She completed training and when the time was up for
posting, she got a crude reply from the Ministry of Finance. They said that
because of her severe inability of pushing, lifting or even pulling, she is not
fit for any posting. That was the most inhuman thing done by the Ministry. She
wrote a letter to the then Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Commerce
Minister with medical report which certifies her fit for job, without getting any reply. Media also took her cause, but there was no
one to give any heed to her genuine issue.
A young girl who
can become a role model of millions of physically handicap people was given inhuman
treatment by the Government of India led by Manmohan Singh. By her very nature,
Ira Singhal has always been a fighter. She filed a case in the Central
Administrative Tribunal and won the case. After 4 years of this battle, she got
the posting. Meanwhile, she appeared for two more times for UPSC without any
success.
After getting the posting as an IRS, she decided to appear again. This time she
got the first rank.
Ira Singhal is a
story of inspiration where a differently-abled woman fought the toughest battle
one can imagine and come out with flying colors. She is the first differently
abled – Physically Handicapped – person to top the UPSC Civil Services
Examination. Moreover, as you might know, there is reservation in the UPSC for
PH Category candidate. You will be surprised to know that Ira Singhal has never
used her PH status for reservation. She is topper as a General Category
candidate, not under any sort of reservation which she could have easily
gotten.
After the
result, Ira said:
I want to be an IAS officer. I want to do something for the benefit of physically handicapped people.
If you want to
see a living example of courage and perseverance, just read about Ira Singhal.
As rightly said
by a journalist that because of short height – she is only 4 feets and five
inches – and severe problem in the movement of her arm, Ira was not even
eligible to apply for a sweeper job somewhere. But, she has now become an IAS
officer, the most prestigious government job of India.
It is completely
immaterial what she will do as an IAS officer. She has already inspired
millions of those unfortunate Indians who are suffering from some physical
problem. If there is a will, there will always be a way.
Family of Ira Singhal
Ira’s father
Rajendra Singhal is an engineer and also a businessman. He is also a member of
Delhi District Cricket Association. He is also a board member of Patanjali
Yogpeeth.
Ira mother Anita
Singhal is a home maker.
Ira is the only
child of Rajendra and Anita Singhal. As mentioned above, when her parents
realized about the physical issues of Ira, they decided to concentrate on her. They
decided to not have any other baby otherwise they may have to divert attention from
Ira. For Ira, they made lots of sacrifices. When Ira got the AIR 1 in the Civil
Services, her father Rajendra was weeping. His emotion was on full display
which was a combined form of love and happiness. Salute to you, Sir!
By caste, Ira
Singhal is an Agarwal.
Husband of Ira Singhal
Ira is not
married. She has never been any relationship. In an interview, she said that
she will marry when she will find her soul mate.
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