Kerala nurse’s dream comes true

Gulf News

Kerala, 09 May 2012: Thiruvananthapuram Annies Kanmani Joy from Kerala has scripted a new chapter in the history of the prestigious All India Civil Service Examination.

She is the first nurse to qualify for the Indian administrative service, having secured 65th rank in the examination. As there are over 85 vacancies in general quota in the glamorous IAS, Annies is confident of joining the IAS cadre. Interestingly, Annies, 26, is already in the All India Services. She appeared for last year’s examination and was selected for the Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS). She is currently undergoing ICAS training in Faridabad, Haryana.

As her aim was to join the IAS, she decided to try her luck and came out with flying colours. What adds more sheen to her story is that she is a member of a farming community in the remote Pampakuda village in Ernakulam district, unlike the majority of other achievers who are from cities and big towns and have a family background of high academic records. Her father Joy is a farmer and mother Leela a housewife.

IAS exam "My father’s decade old dream has come true," she told Gulf News over phone from Faridabad. Joy used to tell his daughter about the IAS exam and joining government service when she was in school."But I had no idea about it then. I began thinking seriously only when I was doing my one-year internship in 2009 after completing my BSc in nursing at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College.

"A close relative of mine was then doing his LLB in the city. He motivated me. Finally after finishing nursing, I decided to take up the challenge.’’

Initial confusion - But there was initial confusion whether a nursing student could take the IAS exams. "I was then told that any graduate from a recognised Indian university could appear for the exam.’’

She took Malayalam Literature and Psychology as her optional subjects for the Civil Service exam. She joined the Kerala Civil Service Academy in Thiruvanathaparuam for overall coaching and brushed up her knowledge on Malayalam literature at St Thomas College in Palai, a small town near Kottayam. And for the last part of her preparations, she went to Delhi and joined a coaching class in an institute there.