While the civil services aspirants were surrounded by books to crack the exam, it was only the phone and earphones for a Kerala-based coolie to clear the Kerala Public Service Commission’s written test.
While skilfully balancing the heavy luggage on his shoulders during his working hours, Sreenath K used to listen to his digital coursework as his teachers spoke to him through earphones. A school drop- out, he has been working at Kerala’s Ernakulam station as a porter for the last five years, mentioned PTI report.
Using free railway Wifi and his phone as tools to crack civil services, Sreenath says, “I have appeared thrice for the exam and this is the first time I used the WiFi at the station. What I do is put on my earphones and listen to the study material as I carry the luggage or solve questionnaires in my mind. This way I can study while I work. I revise all my work at night when I get free time.“
Thanks to the government scheme that was launched in 2016, passengers now enjoy free WiFi at the railway stations.
Sreenath hails from Munnar, a beautiful town in the Western Ghats mountain range in Kerala, with Ernakulam being the nearest major railway station from Munnar.
He said to PTI, getting free access to WiFi at the station helped him to increase the horizon of his knowledge and opened up endless possibilities that seemed a distant reality before.
Getting access to free reading material, online examination forms and sample question papers helped him to study in a far more efficient manner.
On asking about his aspirations, he says, in case he qualifies the interview, he would like to work as a village field assistant under land revenue department. “I will keep studying. While I work as a coolie because I have the pressure of running my house, I will keep studying and appearing for exams. If I appear for enough exams, I am bound to get a good job,” Sreenath said to PTI.
There is more to him! He has also applied for examinations advertised recently by the railways for 62,000 posts. “What is my ideal job? A person of some authority to change things in my village maybe,“ he added.