Woman with hearing impairment aces UPSC exam

The results for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Service Exam were declared last week, and 26-year-old Vaishali Sharma couldn't be happier. 

An MBBS from Aligarh Muslim University, Vaishali never let her hearing impairment hold her back. Despite an 80% hearing impairment, Vaishali has emerged as a topper in the physical disability category for two years in a row now.

She scoring a brilliant 824 out of 2,025 in last year's examination and was ranked second, but was not selected on the grounds of being 'physically unfit' as the examiners found her 'overweight'. Apart from a good academic score another criteria for being selected is passing a medical examination where a person's BMI is measured.

But Vaishali, being the winner she is, did not let this affect her and shed weight with the pure determination to reach her goal this year. Her efforts bore fruit as she scored a whooping 970 marks, thus coming first in the special category this year. 

Speaking about not being selected last year, Vaishali said she was shocked and disappointed after not making the cut despite getting herself certified by the government's health department. 

Vaishali uses hearing aids but it's still not easy. In an interview with TOI, she said, "I spent long hours in the AMU library studying by myself. I started lip reading and observed people keenly to understand their body language and expressions."

She aced the interview round this year with an excellent 170 marks out of 275.