For many UPSC aspirants, clearing the Civil Services Examination is the ultimate goal. For Kajal Raju, however, success did not end with her first selection. The IIT Madras graduate continued pushing herself until she reached the rank she had always aimed for.Kajal, who belongs to Nileshwar in Kerala’s Kasaragod district, was born without her right forearm because of a rare congenital condition known as phocomelia syndrome. Despite the physical challenge, she focused on academics from an early age and never allowed her disability to dictate her ambitions. Her dream of joining the civil services took shape during her years at IIT Madras, where she pursued an integrated Master’s degree in Development Studies. After completing her studies, she dedicated herself to UPSC preparation. In her first attempt, Kajal secured All India Rank 910 and was allotted the Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS). While many would have been satisfied with that achievement, she had her eyes set on a different goal — the Indian Administrative Service. The road ahead was not smooth. Her rank slipped in a later attempt, and in another year she could not clear the preliminary examination. Yet she continued preparing, learning from every setback and refining her strategy. What made the journey even more challenging was balancing preparation with professional responsibilities. While undergoing railway service training and managing a full-time schedule, Kajal continued studying for the examination whenever she could. Her persistence finally paid off in her fourth attempt when she secured AIR 167 in the Civil Services Examination. The result brought her significantly closer to achieving her long-held dream of becoming an IAS officer.
