Braving all odds, Sreedhanya Suresh, the first tribal woman from Kerala to crack the civil services examination, will join as an assistant collector in Kozhikode district. 26-year-old Sreedhanya belongs to the Kurichya community in Pozhuthana village in Wayanad district. Interestingly, she will be posted under Kozhikode collector Sreeram Sambasiva Rao, who inspired her to become a civil service officer, while he was serving as a sub-collector in Wayanad district earlier.
“Kozhikode is my second home. It has many factors that taught me and made me think. It’s a great responsibility to assume charge during the pandemic. I will give my cent per cent,” she said while taking on her new role. Sreedhanya, who is undergoing her training at Mussoorie, however, will have to undergo two weeks of quarantine before joining as an assistant collector in Kozhikode.
Sambasiva Rao stated that the achievement of Sreedhanya was a memorable moment in his eight-year-long career. “I am very happy about the success Sreedhanya has achieved overcoming the adversities posed by her living conditions,” he said. “We’re immensely proud of her. Her success will be a big inspiration to others, especially those belonging to backward communities,” stated Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Sreedhanya completed her degree from St Joseph’s College Devagiri in Kozhikode and post-graduation from Calicut University. She cracked the civil service exam in her third attempt. Her father Suresh and mother Kamala are daily wage workers who worked under the MNREGA scheme. Her elder sister is the last grade government servant and her younger brother is a polytechnic student. She mentioned that rural education would be one of her priorities.
