Auto driver’s daughter PCS-judicial topper

Neena Sharma 

Tribune News Service 

Dehradun, February 28

Sheer hard work and perseverance saw Poonam Todi, a daughter of an auto rickshaw driver, topping the Provincial Civil Services (PCS-judicial) examinations 2016 the result of which were declared today.

Poonam achieved the feat in her third attempt. She said in the last two attempts she cleared the written examination but not the interview, “I was disappointed as I had come close to achieving my dream, but failed to sail through the interview in the last two attempts,” she said while speaking with The Tribune. 

But she finally cleared the hurdle. Now she owes the success to the support provided by her father and her friends. “My father always told me not to give up and asked me to take the examination again. My teachers and friends too were a source of help as they had full faith in my abilities,” she added.

Poonam passed her M Com examination from DAV PG College and did her LLB from the same college. She has also enrolled for LLM on the Tehri campus. 

Though she started off as a commerce student, a deep desire to contribute in some way to the society led her to opt for law. “I hail from a poor family. As my father is an auto rickshaw driver, education is the only means by which I could improve the lot of my family. People give a lot of respect to judges, they are seen as upholder of justice,” stated Poonam.

While congratulations have been pouring in from relatives and friends, Poonam says that perseverance is the key to success. “One should not get disheartened by failures, these examinations are ultimate test of knowledge and endurance,” she said.