Sherin Shahana fulfills IAS dream: success story filled with repeated tragedies

KALPETTA: Six years back Sherin Shahana(28) suffered a tragic accident. The incident had such effect that it turned the young woman's life upside down. The family was shattered since Shahana excelled in her studies. Coming today, Shahana is not just the old dismayed young woman but an IAS winner. When the results go announced today, the Wayanad Kambalakkad native Sherin Shahana was placed in the 913th rank.

The junior research fellow in political science wrote the preliminary exams in Malayalam. She did her coaching in Perinthalmanna's Haider Ali Shihab Thangal civil service academy. Six years before, Sherin reached the terrace of her home to take back the laundry lined neatly in a rope. She took all the steps to go upstairs never knowing the cruel fate awaiting her. While taking the dress, a small slip took her all the way down from the second floor. The thundering sound and wailing made her family rush to the front of the house. She suffered injuries on her backbone and was taken to hospital where the doctors gave her the utmost care. Sherin was bedridden for two years but took small steps back to normalcy. Albeit this, the doctors had small news to convey. They delivered it to her in tentative words, "You won't be able to walk again."

The family was passing through financial straits. The sufferings kept on coming with the sudden death of Sherin’s father T K Usman. While in treatment, Sherin was not ready to fall back and ponder over the tragic happenings but gathered some nerves to study, not to simply move through books but to crack the civil service examinations. Former MLA C K Sasindran learning about Sherin tried to help her with all benefits and a wheelchair sponsored by the Kerala government.

However, even while regaling in the joys, disaster kept knocking on Sherin’s door. She met with an accident two days before near Thamarassery. Sherin and her mother got injured and are currently under treatment. It was from the hospital that she learned about her results.