Vivek and his mother Bindu passed the Public Service Commission (PSC) exam together
A 42-year-old woman and her 24-year-old son from Kerala's Malappuram have passed the Public Service Commission (PSC) exam together, news agency ANI reported.
"We went together to coaching classes. My mother brought me to this and my father arranged all facilities for us. We got a lot of motivation from our teachers. We both studied together but never thought that we will qualify together. We're both very happy," Vivek, the son, said.
When her son was in class 10, Bindu started reading books to encourage him, but it also inspired her to get ready for the Kerala PSC exams. In nine years, she and her son are all set to take up a government job together.
Bindu passed the Lower Divisional Clerk (LDC) exam with a rank of 38, while her son passed the Last Grade Servants (LGS) test with a rank of 92. After three attempts - two for the LGS exam and one for the LDC - Bindu's fourth attempt was successful.
She has spent the last 10 years teaching in an anganwadi centre. She said her friends, her son and the instructors at her coaching centre were a constant source of inspiration and support during the journey.
She said she was the perfect example of what a PSC candidate ought to and ought not to be. By that, she meant that she didn't study continuously. Six months before the test date, she began studying. After that, she used to take a break until the announcement of the following round of tests three years later.
These pauses, she said, were the reason she failed to pass exams in the past. Having said that, she added that she was the perfect example of how perseverance ultimately pays off.
The age limit for Stream-2 positions in Kerala is 40, but there are few exceptions for specific categories. The relaxation in the Other Backward Classes group is for three years. For Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and widows, it is for five years.
The relaxation period for the speech, hearing, and vision impaired is 15 years, while it's 10 years for the differently-abled orthopedically.