‘Dream to be IFS officer’: 100% visually impaired achiever floors Jaishankar

Tribune News Service

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, January 6

When young Fatima Anshi concluded her speech at a government event to engage beneficiaries of Central schemes in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday, Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar could not stop clapping.

He looked impressed as did everyone else with the resolve of a 100 per cent visually impaired Anshi, who declared her determination to enter the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) against all adversities.

“Growing up I faced a lot of challenges that I had to overcome. There have been times when I have been told nothing could be done by me and I could only be confined to certain aspects of life. There have been times when I have been excluded from opportunities, but that only served as a driving force to prove that my disability doesn’t define me,” said Anshi, when she was called on stage at the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra event to share her thoughts.

The young achiever, in a message that would inspire others, said she had been able to bag many national awards, explore herself more and gain knowledge with different resources and technologies she has had access to.

“I have grown up to become a young heart with big dreams and aspirations. Step by step, I am trying to get closer to all my dreams, one of which is to become an IFS officer,” she said, drawing applause from the gathering, including Jaishankar.

Anshi said she wanted to become part of the community that strengthened India’s relations with the world and to “talk about all peculiar aspects of our cultural uniqueness”.

“I want to expand India’s strengths globally,” said the musician-composer, following in the footsteps of Chennai’s Beno Zephine, the first 100 per cent visually impaired IFS officer.

Feted by Jaishankar today, Anshi said, “As someone who aspires to become an IFS officer, I just want to tell you how much you inspire us.”

Many feathers in her cap

Born with 100 per cent visual impairment, Anshi has been winning in arts festivals since Class II. She is Kerala’s ambassador of The Project Vision, knows 13 foreign languages and has composed her own music. Anshi is a winner of Kerala Government’s first Ujjwala Balya Award. She received the Union Ministry of Social Justice’s Shrestha Divyang Balika Award, 2022, from President Droupadi Murmu, made history by writing the Class XII exam in 2023-24 with 99.16 per cent marks, and is also an NSS volunteer in Malappuram.

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