The tweet and the picture that came with it began to spread quickly across social media. A mother and son, north of Kerala, have managed to clear the Public Service Commission (PSC) examination together. The son is 24, the mother is only 42. Expectedly, their story got celebrated and the two from Malappuram gathered instant fame.
“It became a little overwhelming, we are not used to such kind of attention,” says the son, Vivek Ottupara, who is at a coaching institute as TNM calls. He plans to prepare further for the PSC, to attend the next level of exams. The mother, Bindu N, as we talk, is at the Anganwadi she has been teaching at for ten years.
Bindu has been writing the PSC exam for the last few years, ever since Vivek was in class 10. “The first two times, something went wrong and it didn’t work out. In her third attempt, her name appeared in the main list but she didn’t get a job. And by the time she began preparing for her fourth attempt, I too joined. I had then finished my graduation,” says Vivek.
Kerala | A 42-year-old mother and her 24 years old son from Malappuram have cleared Public Service Commission (PSC) examination together pic.twitter.com/BlBKYJiDHh
— ANI (@ANI) August 10, 2022
It was in 2019 that they both began going to a coaching centre together. The sight, Vivek says, used to invite the attention of people, who’d be curious about the mother-son duo attending classes together. At home though, Vivek prepared independently. “But when my mother had doubts, I’d clear it for her, take classes for her and talk to her about current affairs. We have both been supportive of each other, especially when one of us became low in spirits,” he adds.
In her fourth attempt, Bindu cleared the exam, the same time Vivek did it in his first. Seeing her age, some posted questions on how a 42-year-old could clear the exam when there are age limits for various exams. However, there is an age relaxation of a few years in certain categories.
Bindu has cleared the Last Grade Servant (LGS) level but is hoping to clear a further level. Vivek too is in preparation for further studies.