Hundred per cent visually impaired Bala Nagendran from Chennai wanted to become an IAS officer from when he was just seven. The odds in his way were nothing more than routine to him. Finally at the age of 27, he cracked the UPSC examination bagging the 923rd rank in India.
“I would never accept whenever someone refers to me being blind as a challenge. Personally, I consider it a powerful tool. It has made me realize the importance of having inner-vision. My visual impairment has helped me get to know people better,” The News Minute (TNM) quoted Bala Nagendran.
However, the biggest hurdle was the shortage of braille enabled preparation material.
“I had to personally get the books converted to the braille form. It not only took much of my time, but was also quite expensive. I had to spend almost six times the cost of the regular books available in the market,” he told TNM. He also depended on Google search and e-books to achieve his dream.
After four consecutive failed attempts to crack the UPSC examination, he had pushed himself over the last year. “Had the confidence but lacked competence,” he added.
Nagendran completed his Bachelors of Commerce from Loyala College in Chennai. To him, education is the most important aspect in life.
“To eradicate poverty, unemployment, and all the other social plagues, quality education is the only solution. I would definitely want to work in this department and bring inclusiveness in education,” TNM quoted him.
He has drawn inspiration from former Tamil Nadu chief minister K Kamraj and Armstrong Pame IAS who is popular for single-handedly constructing the 100 kilometre road that connects Manipur to Nagaland at a time when the Government of India provided no aid.
Nagendran’s father—a retired soldier—now drives taxi to support the family. His mother is a homemaker.
