From ventilator to victory: Wheelchair-bound doctor Athira rises to civil services with rank 483

Kozhikode: A Kerala doctor cracked the civil service examination with 483rd rank after a near-fatal accident had erased her memory and paralysed her legs. In 2016, while studying the BDS course in Bengaluru, a carefree trip with friends turned into a devastating accident that left Dr Athira Sugathan critically injured.

Athira was rushed to the hospital and placed on a ventilator, hovering between life and death. When she finally opened her eyes, survival itself was only the beginning of another battle: Athira had lost her memory for months and was left paralysed, confined to a wheelchair. For many, such a tragedy might have marked the end of their dreams. For Athira, it became the beginning of an extraordinary fight to reclaim her life.

The road back was painfully slow and filled with uncertainty. It took nearly three years before she could gather the courage and strength to return to her medical books. Piece by piece, memory and determination rebuilt what the accident had shattered. She resumed her studies and eventually appeared for her final-year examinations along with her juniors, successfully completing her medical degree and internship. Working later with an NGO, the Kerala Pravasi Association (KPA) during COVID-19 pandemic, a new dream began to take shape — the Civil Services.

Through the Chithrashalabham initiative supporting aspirants with disabilities, Athira joined coaching at Absolute IAS Academy under Dr Jobin S Kottaram. Today, from a hospital bed where survival once seemed uncertain to a wheelchair that carried her back into the world of ambition, Dr Athira has emerged as a civil services rank holder, a symbol of resilience, courage, and the unyielding power of hope.

It was Athira's fourth attempt at the Civil Services Examination. The previous year, she had come close but lost out at the interview stage. This time, she believed things would be different. Her parents, both employees at the LIC office, had not gone to work for the last two days, waiting anxiously for the results. On the morning of the result day, they finally left for the office, thinking the announcement might take longer. But when the results were declared that afternoon, Athira's heart raced with anticipation.

"I am thrilled now," she said with quiet excitement. "With this rank, I hope to get the IAS. If it turns out to be the IFS, I may not be able to attempt again. So I will think carefully and take advice from my mentors."

A native of Cherukulathur near Peruvayal in Kozhikode district, 30-year-old Athira's story is rooted in humble beginnings. She completed her schooling entirely in government schools. When she appeared for the civil services interview, she chose Malayalam as both her interview language and optional subject, proudly representing her linguistic and cultural roots.

Her success, she says, was built on relentless discipline. "Focused and consistent preparation made the difference," she explains. "For months, I slept only four to five hours a day.”

It was while studying at Rajarajeswari College in Bengaluru that she met with tragic accident. "I went on a night trip with a group of seven friends. I was seated on the back of a bike when tragedy struck on Mysore Road. The speeding bike hit a road hump, lost control, and crashed violently. I was thrown off the vehicle," she recollected.

Her friends rushed her to the hospital. Doctors initially told them there was little hope. Believing she had lost her life, they informed her father before leaving the hospital in shock and despair. But fate had other plans. Through the tireless efforts of the doctors, Athira slowly fought her way back to life.

"It was truly a rebirth," she recalls. The accident left her on a wheelchair, but it also revealed the extraordinary strength of her family. Her sister Anagha, who had been pursuing a degree in psychology, made a life-changing decision. She dropped her course and joined nursing so she could care for Athira personally. Their mother, Mini, stood firmly beside them through every painful step of recovery.

Years later, when Athira began preparing seriously for the Civil Services, those memories became her greatest source of strength. "During my coaching under the Chithrashalabham Project, I read inspiring stories of civil service rank holders who had overcome immense challenges. Their journeys ignited a spark within me. I realised that struggles are not barriers—they are stepping stones," she said.

Even hours after the results were announced, Athira's phone continued to ring without pause, flooded with congratulatory calls from friends, teachers, and well-wishers. Despite the excitement and overwhelming attention, she responded to every call with the same quiet humility that had carried her through the years.