'Didn't give up even after prelims shocker'; Kollam native Nandana's grit pays off

Failure haunts us for a long time, but at the end of the day, it is all about dedication and hard work. These words have turned to reality for Kottarakkara native Nandana, who secured 47th rank in the Civil Services Examination.

Nandana graduated from Mar Ivanios College, Thiruvananthapuram, in 2022 with a degree in English Literature. She told Kerala Kaumudi Online that she vaguely got an idea about the civil service exam during her school days. The college days in Thiruvananthapuram turned catalyst for Nandana to begin work towards her pursuit of civil service examinations.

After graduation, she joined Fortune Academy in Thiruvananthapuram for training and wrote the preliminary exam in 2023. However, hopes were dashed after she failed to clear the prelims after ending up short of just 1.5 marks. She was highly influenced by Malayali IAS officers and tried to emulate their journey.

The whole lot of hard work going down the drain by this slender margin did little to disappoint Nandana. The rankholder continued with her intensive practice, with a clear prophecy that the results were around the corner.

Routine practice involved:

"I practised by constantly reading and understanding the notes and books I received from the academy and by constantly doing mock tests."

‘Udaharanam Sujatha’, the 2017 movie, ended up inspiring this 23-year-old to go for the big prize.

"I was very happy when the interview was over. Most of the questions were about Kerala’s development, industrial growth and even about the Cannes winner “All we imagine as Light”.

Nandana's father, Girish, is a teacher at Valakom RVHS School. Her mother, Prabha, is a teacher at Thevannoor Higher Secondary School. Her brother Vysakh is a Plus Two student.