In every village, there are stories of dreams fighting against circumstances. Some fade away. Some break barriers. And a few, like Sri Shanmugapriya of Salem, shine so brightly that they inspire countless others.
Born in Pudhu Koundanur village, to a farmer father and a homemaker mother, Shanmugapriya grew up in a household where education was seen as the only path to a better life. She and her two brothers shared a single dream — to become doctors.
But fate dealt her a cruel blow. Until seventh grade, her hearing was normal. Then, a sudden loss of hearing due to malnutrition changed her life forever. “At that age, knowing I could never hear again was heartbreaking. But I told myself — this will not be the end of my dreams,” she recalls.
Despite her disability, Shanmugapriya’s determination never wavered. With the support of her teachers at Mettupalayam Government Higher Secondary School, she scored 468 marks in Class 10. Later, at Swami Vivekananda Higher Secondary School, she emerged as a topper in Class 12 with 545 marks.
Encouraged by her performance, she appeared for the NEET exam — and cleared it. But her hearing challenge meant she was ineligible to study medicine. “That rejection broke me. My mother was the one who gave me strength. She reminded me that life always offers another path. That’s when I joined BSc Mathematics at Government Arts College,” she says.
In college, Shanmugapriya discovered a new calling. One day, she picked up Stepping Stones to Success by IAS officer V. Iraiyanbu. The book showed her how to prepare for civil service exams during college. “That book changed my life. I decided that if medicine wasn’t possible, I would serve society through government service,” she says.
Alongside her BSc — and later MSc Mathematics at Periyar University — she threw herself into preparing for the TNPSC Group exams. Teachers supported her by buying books. She borrowed school textbooks from younger students, relied on library resources for general knowledge, and used Google and YouTube for additional lessons.
All the hard work paid off. Shanmugapriya cleared the Group 2A exam on her very first attempt. “I scored 80% in BSc Maths, and I knew I had it in me to go further. Clearing Group 2A felt like a dream come true,” she says.
Today, she proudly serves as an Assistant in the School Education Department.
For Shanmugapriya, this success is not hers alone.
“This victory belongs to my teachers. They never treated me differently. Their encouragement kept me going. My success is dedicated to them,” she says with emotion.
Her journey proves that when family and teachers stand behind differently-abled children, no barrier is strong enough to stop their dreams.
Congratulations, Shanmugapriya — a true inspiration from Salem!