Jobin has made the cut

KOCHI: When he appeared for the UPSC interview in 2010, Kottayam native Jobin S Kottaram was confident of making the cut to the Indian Administrative Service. Unfortunately, his name didn’t appear in the final rank list because of his low score in one of the main papers. Jobin realised that he could have qualified if he had proper guidance. The thought motivated him to help other civil service aspirants. The thought grew into a successful venture.

His Absolute IAS Academy is now on a mission to popularise writing the UPSC exam in Malayalam while also providing free classes to 25 differently-abled students through the ‘Chitrasalabham’ project. “Majority of the students don’t know that the UPSC exam can be written in regional language. This spoils the chances of many brilliant students,” said Jobin. 

Though a few candidates in the past have passed the tough exam by attempting it in Malayalam, Jobin says that it took them close to four years to qualify. Jobin has also launched a free Malayalam e-magazine which focuses on current affairs.“The e-magazine is available on the academy’s Telegram group and YouTube channel, which could be accessed by anyone. I prepare a set of 10 questions by referring to the major newspapers,” added Jobin. 

The Chitrasalabham initiative is a result of Jobin recognising a gap in opportunities available to differently-abled people. He picked the best 25 of the 150 applications he received from all over Kerala. “There are extremely talented students among them. Some students have cleared the preliminary examinations, and many have qualified for other top examinations. However, even they were unaware that the UPSC examination can be written in Malayalam. I’m acting as a mentor by conducting one-to-one sessions with all. Our society sees the differently-abled as not capable to lead a successful professional life. This needs to change.”

Jobin plans to launch the ‘Rising 40’ initiative soon, which will focus on giving free coaching sessions to select 40 students from all over India. “Social service was my aim when I wrote the UPSC examination. Right now, I’m doing it in my way. I’m sure the students from Chitrasalabham batch will emerge with flying colours. They are responsible for building the nation and I’m happy that I am able to guide them,” said Jobin.