Childhood in orphanage to cracking 12 entrance exams, the inspiring journey of Mohammad Ali Shihab, an IPS officer

We often underestimate ourselves and as a result, give up on even trying to achieve a goal. Specially, due to the social media boom which has encouraged people to create the illusion of a perfect life, it has become even more difficult to come out of self-doubt. 

Amidst all that, there are some stories which inspire us and motivate us in many ways. One such story is, of a boy from Edavannappara in the Mallapuram district of Kerala who fought against all odds and cracked the toughest exam in the country, UPSC. 

Mohammad Ali Shihab cracked the UPSC exam in 2011 and became an IPS officer on his third attempt. Shihab's father passed away at an early age, and automatically, the responsibility to run the household fell on the shoulders of his mother. 

A not-very well-read mother who had to raise five children decided to leave 11-year-old Shihab, 8-year-old daughter Sauhrabi, and 5-year-old daughter Naseeba at the Kuttikattoor Muslim Orphanage in Kozhikode.

While living in an orphanage for a decade, Shihab studied in distance mode before returning home and has so far passed 21 exams for government jobs. In the year 2004, he also worked as a peon, then railway ticket examiner and jail warden.

Mohammad Ali Shihab appeared for the UPSC exam three times and qualified for the recruitment exam on his third attempt in 2011. Even with language constraints, IPS Mohammad bagged 226th AIR. 

Read: Meet IAS Ramesh Gholap, the specially-abled bangle seller who beat the odds to crack UPSC