Pranjali Patil (middle) with her Mother and Father
Fighting through the odds, she built her own world…..! She’s Pranjali Patil a 28 year old girl who recently has pursued 773rd rank in the UPSC exam. Pranjali is a visually challenged married girl who has today turned out to be an inspiration to millions of youngsters.
Pranjali Patil a resident of Ulhasnagar who got married in November 2014 and was still given great encouragement and moral support by her family to continue her studies. Pranjali has completed her graduation from Mumbai’s St. Xavier’s College and also stood first in the University. She has also done her M. Phil in West Asian Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi. And currently she is pursuing Ph. D in International relation from JNU.
Pranjali shares her experience when we asked her about the preparation for the UPSC exam. She says “Well I started the preparation for this exam since last year but the learning process has been going on since childhood that just not includes the subjects we learn but also everything which we grasp during our SSC, HSC, and Graduation etc. Newspaper reading was there since childhood for me, the preparation of UPSC is a process as everything can help you…it is unknown what would be asked in the exam, what would strike you. But it was a firm decision to appear for this exam whether after the graduation or after the completion of my Masters”.
When Pranjali was asked about her family’s support through the journey, she replied “Yes family’s support was always there…….I studied from 4th to 10th in Smt Kamla Mehta Blind School at Dadar which was a Marathi medium school. I used to come home for the weekends, my Mother used to read me the Newspaper for the whole week and this is how I completed my schooling in Dadar. After 10th I took admission in Ulhasnagar’s CHM College for 11th and 12th. It was difficult for me to understand the lectures but my Mother used to dictate the class notes and I used to understand it and write it in Braille. Teachers were very supportive with me and my family, they had a confidence that I would do well in the exam and accordingly I stood 1st in the HSC exam from CHM College. Further, after my HSC someone suggested me about the St. Xavier College in Mumbai for my graduation. I went there and took admission but traveling was an issue for me as I had to travel by the local train, with the passage of time I started getting acquainted to the roads up to certain extent….I started going alone to St. Xavier from Ulhasnagar to CST. The real challenge during my graduation was in the classroom as there was a different environment but teachers and students were very good. There is a support system for people like me and it is known as Xavier’s Resource Center for visually challenged. They provide us with readers, teaching of computers and also provide moral support and encouragement to the students. This Resources Center was a big Plus point in my life.
Then from there I came to know about JNU….I went to Delhi gave entrance exams for MA in International Relation and also for MA in political science. In JNU I got my complete independent identity; I completed my M. Phil in West Asian Studies (2 years). India’s diversity is so much expressed in JNU, of course the background doesn’t matter, and all students are treated equally in JNU”.
Pranjali advices the students who would appear for the UPSC exam by saying, ” UPSC is a nothing separate preparation but a process and whatever we all study during our HSC, graduation we have to pay full attention to those courses. Reading newspaper and connecting to it should be our habit. Read, revise, analysis. She quotes that “No Subject Is More Important and No Subject Is Less Important”.
