KENDRAPARA: A visually-impaired youth from Kendrapara’s Garadpur block has overcome immense personal and physical challenges to secure a place in the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS).
Subham Soumen Senapati (28) of Sitalapatana village in Garadpur recently cleared the Odisha Civil Services examination conducted by the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC), securing the 164th rank in his fourth attempt.
Subham’s achievement is particularly remarkable given the obstacles he has faced throughout his life. He lost his eyesight at the age of five reportedly due to medical negligence. Despite the setback, he excelled academically. He passed Class X from Aurobindo School of New Thought in Cuttack in 2013, where his mother Minati was a teacher. However, she died in a road accident in 2012, a loss that deeply affected him.
Subham completed his graduation from Cuttack’s Ravenshaw University in 2018 and earned a postgraduate degree in Economics from there in 2020. In 2019, he qualified the National Eligibility Test (NET), making him eligible for the post of assistant professor. However, he chose to pursue a career in civil services.
The 28-year-old’s journey became even more challenging in 2024 when he was diagnosed with avascular necrosis (AVN), a condition that affected both his hip bones and severely restricted his mobility. “It came as a bolt from the blue,” Subham recalled. “I was unable to walk and lost my mobility.
Doctors at the Swami Vivekanand National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research (SVNIRTAR), Olatpur, operated on me in 2025. Though I am yet to fully recover, I never gave up on my dream.”
Speaking to TNIE on Tuesday, Subham said, “Despite being visually impaired and suffering from AVN, I fulfilled my dream. I appeared for the examination with the help of a scribe. My father Abhaya, a small businessman, provided everything I needed. My only regret is that my mother is not here to witness this achievement.”
Subham said his next target is the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). Father Abhaya expressed immense pride in his son’s achievement.
This story has been written by Ashis Senapati.