Very rarely you find a direct correlation between one’s given or first name and what they are in their lives. For example, many people in India have been given names such as Saraswathi, Lakshmi, Krishna, Rama etc., but very often they hardly demonstrate any of the attributes associated with such Gods and Goddesses.

As I was going through my Facebook posts last night, I was pleasantly surprised with the news of a girl, a cab driver’s daughter, having cleared her final IAS examination. Her name is Vaanmathi. “Vaan” in Tamil means the Sky, and one of the meanings of the word “Mathi” in Tamil is Intellect. Put together “Vaanmathi” means, a girl whose intellect reaches the sky and beyond. At least in this instance, Vaanmathi’s parents have aptly named her.

She belongs to a rural background, is from a village near Erode town in Tamil Nadu. Vaanmathi’s desire to become an IAS officer was fuelled by a Collector, an IAS officer, Mr Udayachandran, who came to speak in her school. Despite her earlier efforts being unsuccessful in clearing the final examination, this time Vaanmathi got her success. Before giving her civil services examination, she had completed her school education from a government school and her BCA and MCA from a private college in Tamil Nadu.

In her interview with one of the popular Tamil dailies, Vaanmathi has spoken extensively about how she got to get the 152nd rank in the civil services examination. She emphasised that education can and will be the only investment for the future of any girl in India, and if combined with a clear and purposeful goal, she can make a big difference to the community. She also highlighted the extraordinary support and encouragement her parents gave her right through her education.

ShikshaDaan wishes Vaanmathi the very best and desires that every parent in India will encourage and support their daughters’ education. By doing this you are guaranteeing a bright future not only for her but also for the nation!

Read about her on Times of India – Kids of cabbie, farmer among UPSC toppers.

An apt quote from Facebook again