Instead of getting bogged down with her visual impairment, Delhi’s Ayushi, took it as a challenge and overcame it not by just clearing the Civil Services examination 2021 but also securing 48th rank.

The 29-year-old, who is blind since birth and lives in Rani Khera is a school teacher and this was her fifth attempt.

Talking to HT, she said: “My dream has come true. It’s a surreal feeling to know that my name is on the list of the top 50. Everyone is happy for me. I feel blessed.”

Having been schooled in a private school in Rani Khera, Ayushi graduated from Shyama Prasad Mukherji College, Delhi University and did her masters in history from Indira Gandhi National Open University.

Her father is employed in a private firm in Punjab while mother is a homemaker. After getting employed in 2016, she started preparing for the examination.

For her success she gives her 54-year-old mother, Asha Rani, the credit who gave up her job as a senior nursing officer in 2020 to help her. “I was pursuing my job while preparing for civil services. To support my preparations, my mother retired from her job. Difficulties are always there but I was able to overcome them due to support from my mother and family. They used to record the content of books for me so that I could study from my notes,” informed Ayushi.

Her mother said she knew Ayushi would succeed and remarked: “While God may have deprived her of her vision, he also showed her a path. Despite challenges, she has emerged a winner against all odds. I am proud of her for not giving up.”

Ayushi has been teaching history for the last 10 years and said teaching is her passion. She would like to join the Indian Administrative Service and work in the field of education for girls and differently-abled individuals. She feels that education is a means of empowerment.