This Woman Disowned By Family Due To Poverty Cracked Civil Services Exam Living In Jhopdi 

New Delhi: A 28-year-old girl has proved that success depends on your backbone, not your wishbone. Ummul Kher, has bagged an all-India rank of 420 in Civil Service examination of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in her very first attempt. Her story of success is no ordinary tale; she faced umpteen adversities right from childhood.

“This was my first attempt for the UPSC exams and I am happy to clear it. I also hope that I get through Indian Administrative Service,” chuckles Ummul.

Ummul, the daughter of a street vendor, suffers from a fragile bone disorder. Her family moved to Delhi from Rajasthan when she was five, and parents disowned her when she wished to study beyond class 8. But her sheer determination to continue higher studies made her live independently. She took shelter at Jhuggi Jhonpri (JJ) Cluster, Trilokpuri and eked out livelihood by giving tuition.

Ummul Kher

This was my first attempt for the UPSC exams and I am happy to clear it. I also hope that I get through Indian Administrative Service

"There were problems at every level, social, economic and financial, but I coped with them all. Teachers understood my potential and supported me all the time, because which I could continue my studies. Also to deal with economic crisis in my family, I started teaching schoolchildren and did part-time jobs. Throughout my schooling, I used to teach students," recounts Ummul.

Due to her bone disorder, she sustained 16 fractures and eight surgeries in her childhood. In 2012 she was bound to a wheelchair for a while, as she met with an accident. However, her determination motivated her to achieve her goal.

After graduating, she earned a seat in the prestigious Jawharlal Nehru University (JNU) with a 100 percent scholarship. She then cracked Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and earned Rs25,000 per month.

She says that she doesn’t blame her parents for their helplessness and the advice she gives for others is, "Dream big so that your dream can overrule all disability”.