Sreedhanya Suresh: The first Kurichya girl to clear Civil Services Exam

Sreedhanya Suresh

knows many students from her community, the Kurichya tribe of Wayanad, who have dreamt of clearing the civil service examination.


But little did the 26-year-old know that one day, she will be the first among them to achieve it. The young woman, who has had her fair share of financial struggles while growing up is now relishing the fruit of her hard work and determination, after securing the 410th rank in the civil service exam.

“I was awaiting the results with bated breath, but I had hope of clearing it. In fact, I expected an even better result,” says Sreedhanya with a laugh. As she talks to us, you can’t fail to notice her right hand wrapped in a bandage and she tells us that the surprise of the results came after a shock, literally. “I fractured my hand a few days after the interview when I slipped due to an electric shock while plugging my laptop. But it is fine now,” assures the youngster from Pozhuthana.

Sreedhanya had written the prelims for the UPSC exam thrice but this was her first time attending the mains and the interview. “I had a feeling that my interview went well. I was with my friends in Kuravankonam, Thiruvananthapuram, when the results were announced as that’s where I have been training for the civil service exams. We are all quite excited and happy here and I guess back home in Wayanad too, the situation isn’t different,” she says.

The youngster, who has worked for a year as Project Assistant in the Scheduled Tribes Development Department till 2016, is set to go to her native place soon and says that “the trip would have a different feel altogether now”.

The youngster, whose parents are both daily wage labourers, completed her schooling from Wayanad. She did her graduation in Zoology from St Joseph’s College, Devagiri, and her PG from Calicut University Campus. “As far as my education is concerned, I had all support from my family that consists of my parents, an elder sister who works in Palakkad Munsiff Court and younger brother, who is a second-year polytechnic student. The kind of hurdles we had to cross were financial in nature. But thanks to a handful of well-wishers, I managed to gather courage and chase my dreams,” says the winner, who even had to borrow money to attend her civils interview.

Her elder sister’s son, who is just about 10 years old, is suffering from leukaemia and is under treatment in Thiruvananthapuram. Pozhuthana Panchayat President N C Prasad says, “While they have the help of the tribal department and her well-wishers, her family continues to have many monetary issues. This achievement is all thanks to Sreedhanya’s smartness.”


Meanwhile, ask Sreedhanya why Civil Service and she says, “I wanted to try it from childhood itself, but while growing up, I didn’t think about it much. However, a few years ago, after my PG, when I started working, I happened to be at an event attended by the then Wayanad collector Sreeram Sambasiva Rao. I was struck by the kind of respect everyone had for him when he arrived. That incident revived the civil service dream and motivated me,” says Sreedhanya.

On her plans, she says, “I am hoping that I get assigned IAS. If not, I will try again. Otherwise, rural education would be one of my priorities, alongside looking into the many issues faced by my community. That said, when appointed an officer, I would allot my time for all administrative matters equally and not just that of my community.”