Kozhikode, Kerala: Thirty-year-old Athira Suguthan, who has been wheelchair-bound since a road accident a decade ago, has cleared the Civil Services Examination 2025 with an All India Rank of 483, showcasing remarkable resilience and determination.

Athira, a native of Kozhikode, suffered severe head and spinal injuries in a road accident while studying BDS in Bengaluru. The accident left her paralysed below the chest and caused memory loss for nearly two years.

"Doctors initially were of the view that I would be bedridden for life. But, after a finger movement, things changed," she said.

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During the period of memory loss, Athira said she had no recollection of her earlier studies.

"After I recovered, I decided to complete my BDS. But I did not remember anything I had studied in the first three years of my studies. I took a year to re-learn everything I had studied and then gave the final exams," Athira said.

Her parents and sister, Anagha, played a crucial role in supporting her recovery and studies.

"Anagha, a second-year Psychology student at the time of the accident, gave it up and took up BSc Nursing to care for me. She is working as a nurse now," Athira said.

Athira said she had originally planned to pursue MDS abroad, especially in France, but the accident changed the course of her life.

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"While in the wheelchair and after working in the disability wing of an NGO, I understood what I can do and what I have to do. That is how social commitment became a dream of mine," she said.

She added that without the accident, she might never have considered civil services.

Athira chose Malayalam literature as her optional subject in the exam, citing her interest in the language and the availability of study materials. She also writes short stories in Malayalam, with her latest piece dedicated to her mother, whom she described as her "greatest support" during her recovery.

She said she plans to continue attempting the examination until she secures a place in the Indian Administrative Service.

The Union Public Service Commission released the Civil Services Examination results on Friday, with 958 candidates qualifying for appointments to various services.