Every one of us is indulged in our own problems and forget that beyond this a beautiful world is waiting for us, a world we all are craving for. Ira Singhal, the woman with a 70% disabled body to a woman who cracked the UPSC 2014 examination with AIR 1.
Singhal is a computer science engineer and completed her B.tech from Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, Delhi, and master's in business administration from FMS Delhi. Singhal belongs to Meerut and was raised in a middle-class family. Her father is an engineer and her mother is an insurance advisor. She always used to be amongst the toppers at Sophia girls school, Meerut and Loreto Convent School, Delhi. Ira has to face a lot of problems from the beginning due to her disability. She has Scoliosis, a spine-related disorder, which disrupts arm movement too. Unlike normal children, she used to struggle with every day to day activity.
Before appearing for civil services, Ira worked as a Strategy Manager in Cadbury India, and as a marketing intern at Coca-Cola Company. In 2010, before leaving her job she was in a very graceful position and with a handsome package. And still, she chooses to take the risk at this moment of life, where she has everything that many of us desire. A risk taken is proved to be good for her future. Ira Singhal states in one of her interviews that- one should not take the risk, but we all should take a calculative risk so that one can know your inner strength and potential. It's very much important in the life of every individual to think something beyond the box and to break the ongoing practices of your family or society to find yourself and to discover the inner and real you.
As all of us are aware that UPSC is considered the toughest examination of our country and very few are able to crack it at the first attempt. The same thing happened to her also. But somewhere we all have listened once in our lifetime, good things come to those who wait and one who deserves.
Ira Singhal was the highest-scoring individual in the UPSC's Civil Services Examination in 2014. Singhal cleared this examination in her fourth attempt and became the very first differently able woman who topped the civil services examination.
Strangely, this was not the first time when she cleared this examination. Singhal gave the civil services examination in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014 out of which in the first three attempts she got Indian Revenue Services and got Indian Administrative Service(IAS) in 2014.
But the IRA SINGHAL, of course unlike the other ordinary children proved that she is not disabled, she is just differently able!
"Problems are not born to drag us down, it's here to make us realize our true potential" might be the mantra of Singhal's success story.
"The road to success and the road to failure are almost exactly the same." - Colin R. Davis
Despite clearing the toughest examination with AIR 1, Singhal was not considered for the position in office due to her physical disability and the authorities have cited her inability to push, pull and lift. She refused her posting and filed a case against this behavior in Central Administrative Tribunal. The case was although in the process but took a long time to get justice. Singhal won the case after a long wait of four long years and was posted as Assistant Commissioner in Indian Revenue Service(IRS).
She has crossed all her hurdles and now emerged as the most powerful lady. She is becoming unstoppable and playing an extremely graceful job as the days pass by.
At present, she is the Brand Ambassador for the Department of Disability in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment under the Government of India Ira Singhal is also one of the brand ambassadors for the Ministry of Women and Child Development in the Indian government. She is also a member of the National Panel of NITI Aayog for Accessible Elections, Election Commission of India.
She has also been a part of the Designing of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Examination Policy concerning children with disabilities and many more. Singhal always tries to reach out and help the children who are facing the problem of any kind of disability so that they can equally get their rights and valuable education.
Such a powerful, glorious and graceful work is being recognized by the whole nation and presented by numerous awards.
Her awards include India Today’s Woman of the Year 2015, President's Gold Medal for Topping the IAS Training, First Ladies of India Award by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, and the list continues. She is one of the IAS officers who is being recorded in the Limca Book of Records.
Some Final Words for Boss LadyIra Singhal, an extremely talented personality is also a well-known speaker. She has been a speaker on wide-ranging issues like education, disability, gender issues, skill development, career counseling, etc. at more than 500 international and national conferences, industry forums, universities, colleges, and other top institutions of the country. She is working to raise her voice against various ground problems of our society along with encouraging our youth to be aware and do the same with her. She raised these issues and spoke even in many IITs and IIMs of our nation. She has been working towards various social causes including empowerment of persons with disabilities, empowerment, and promotion of Transgender community, women empowerment, prevention of child labor and child marriages, prevention of illegal conversion of green lands, promoting green energy, skill development, promotion of mental health and promotion of khadi and indigenous fabrics. She rescued around 340 children and bonded laborers and restored them to their families, within 1 year in her first posting as SDM (Sub-Divisional Magistrate), Alipur in the North Delhi district.
She is also the first one to give a job to a transgender person full-time employment in a government office in Delhi. This was amongst one of the great decisions which will definitely help our society to come out from orthodox practices and thinking. This decision was wholeheartedly supported by the whole nation.
Despite these hardships, today IRA SINGHAL is shining like the brightest star and she is the role model for many of us.
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