Bala Nagendran, 100 percent blind since birth, has cleared the UPSC exam not only once but thrice. However, he fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming an IAS by securing 659th rank in the UPSC Civil Services 2019 exam.
“I never accept my blindness as a challenge. Personally I find it a powerful tool. It has made me realize the importance of inward-looking. My visual impairment has helped me get to know people better.”
This is to say of D Balanagendran, a resident of Tamil Nadu. Blind since birth, Bala has lived her life with only positive thinking. This youth, who was preparing for UPSC exam since 2011, fulfilled his dream of becoming an IAS after 9 years. Bala, who faced every challenge with a smile, has achieved this position only because of his hard work and dedication towards his goal. Let us know about the journey of struggle of this talented person:
Failed in UPSC 4 times but did not give up
Bala started preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 2011. Although he found it difficult to convert all the books into Braille language at that time, but the desire to fulfill his dream made everything easier for him. After this Bala took the UPSC exam 4 times and failed every time. With the unwavering confidence of eventually becoming an IAS officer, Balangendran brushed aside these setbacks and continued to pursue his ambition. No obstacle was insurmountable for him. Not even the fact that he is blind. “I never considered it a hindrance because I was born that way,” says the 31-year-old
Not join UPSC Grade A service in 2017
It was four years back (2016) that D Balanagendran cleared the UPSC exam the first time. He secured 927th rank and was selected for Group-A services. Although he did not join it. His eyes were fixed on his real target – the Indian Administrative Services (IAS). He took the exam once again in 2017 but missed his target by a narrow margin of 1 point.
Completed the set target by passing the UPSC exam in the 9th attempt
On his failures, Bala says that “I had confidence but lacked ability” that’s why he didn’t think of giving up even for a single day in 9 years. With every attempt, he kept improving his shortcomings and after 9 years of hard work, he secured 659th rank in UPSC Civil Services 2019 exam.
IAS considers Armstrong Pame as his role model
Bala draws inspiration from former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Kamaraj and IAS officer Armstrong Pame. IAS Armstrong is popular for building a 100-km road connecting Manipur to Nagaland. He had built this road himself without any financial and labor assistance from the government. Bala wants to become an IAS and work to prevent child abuse and crime.
Bala says ““To eradicate poverty, unemployment and all other social ills, quality education is the only solution. I definitely want to work in this department and bring inclusiveness in education.”
Bala is an inspiration for crores of youth of India. He believes that a person becomes great not by his wealth but by his knowledge. He says that no goal is so big that it cannot be achieved with hard work and self-confidence.
