Flying high on his wheelchair, ISRO scientist braves all odds and crack UPSC 2021



Declaration of UPSC civil service result has changed the lives of many. The stories of the toppers have been inspiring many UPSC aspirants across the country and one such story is of scientist Kartik Kansal who fought against all the odds to achieve his goals.

At 8 ,Kartik faced Muscular Dystrophy disorder

At the age of eight, Kartik was detected with Muscular Dystrophy, a progressive disorder in which gradually your limbs stop functioning. This disease changed his life completely. Instead of going out and playing with the kids, most of his time went into therapies and yoga to minimise the effect of the disorder.

But physical weakness did not deter him from strengthening his willpower. He worked hard and secured a rank in the civil service examination.

Rejection from IES turned into an inspiration

Kartik was graduated from IIT Roorkee in 2018. He cleared several examinations, including the GATE and Union Public Service Commission, Engineering Services Exam but wasn’t able to get a placement due to his physical disability.

Recalling the incident, he told that he did good in the prelims of engineering services exam but when the list for the mains examination came, he got to know that he wasn’t eligible for any of the posts due to his condition. It was a difficult phase for Kartik.

He said that the rejection from engineering services inspired him to pursue civil services and bring changes in the policy. It made him realise that these kinds of difficulties were hindering the growth of a person with disabilities and are bringing their morale down. This pushed him to work hard.

Kansal said,”My rejection made me realise that there was a need to change a few policies in the system and make it more accessible to students who are mentally strong, but not so much physically”.

Third time in the charm

Kansal appeared thrice for the civil service examination. He gave his first attempt in 2019 in which he managed to secure 813th rank. Despite getting a decent post, he wanted to improve his marks and get an administrative post.

In 2020, he gave his second attempt and managed to crack the prelims but failed to secure a rank after the mains. But this failure motivated him to work hard and get a desirable rank. Though having issues with writing, he practiced every day for the written examination.

Kansal said, “I believe it’s always best to write the answer by yourself in such examinations. Though it was difficult for me, I practiced for four hours, every day for three months so that I could sit for UPSC Mains and write my paper.”

Along with his job at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), he managed to follow a strict regime to reach his zenith.

Kansal had nine hours working on weekdays, so he used to manage the studies accordingly. During weekdays, he used to wake up at 6 am, study till 8 am and then get ready and leave for the office. After returning from the office around 6:30 pm, he used to study till 11 pm. During weekends, he used to devote more time.

He appeared for the UPSC civil services examination third time in 2021 and secured Rank 271.

Credit goes to the mother

Kansal revealed that his mother, Mamta Gupta, had always been his greatest supporter since childhood. He said that it was because of her willpower that Kansal had been able to achieve his dreams while fighting all the odds. Meanwhile, his father, LC Gupta, who works in the Revenue Department, and brother Varun Kansal have also been a supporting pillar for him.

Kansal, who is currently working at ISRO in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, is hopeful to get into administrative services or revenue services. Reportedly, the service allotment list is yet to come.

Wants to change the mentality of the society

The biggest change Kansal wants to bring to society is in the mentality of the people who think that a person with any sort of disability can’t achieve their goals.

The 25-year-old scientist said, “Disability doesn’t just come from the outside, its more about mentality. Society, as I have witnessed, isolates such kids. With this, comes a psychological barrier. I want to work on improving that mentality as well, making India more accessible for everyone.”

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Dr. Kirti Sisodhia

Content Writer

CATEGORIES Business Agriculture Technology Environment Health Education

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