Flying high on his wheelchair, ISRO scientist Kartik Kansal cracked UPSC

Twenty-five-year-old wheelchair-bound Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientist Kartik Kansal cracked the UPSC civil services examinations for the second time and secured Rank 271. Let's have a look at his journey.

Ever since the UPSC civil service results have been declared, many lives have changed. The stories of the toppers have been inspiring UPSC aspirants across the country and one such story is of scientist Kartik Kansal who fought against all the odds to achieve his goals.

At the age of eight years, Kartik was detected with Muscular Dystrophy, a progressive disorder where, gradually, your limbs stop functioning. This disease changed his life completely. Instead of going out and playing with the kids, most of his time went into therapies and yoga to minimise the effect of the disorder.

But physical weakness did not deter him from strengthening his willpower. He worked hard and secured a rank in the civil service examination.

After graduating from IIT Roorkee in 2018, Kansal cleared several examinations, including the GATE and Union Public Service Commission Engineering Services Exam but wasn't able to get a placement due to his physical disability.

Recalling the incident, he told India Today, "I did good in the prelims of the engineering services exam but when the list for the mains examination came, I got to know that I wasn't eligible for any of the posts due to my condition. It was a difficult phase for me. Mentally, I was prepared, but what can I do about my physical condition? My whole world was shattered."

He revealed that the rejection from engineering services inspired him to pursue civil services and bring changes in the policy.

"My rejection made me realise that there was a need to change a few policies in the system and make it more accessible to students who are mentally strong, but not so much physically," said Kansal.