Ahad Ahmed’s father works at a puncture shop. Due to financial problems, Ahad completed his graduation by taking an education loan. His family celebrated his success when Ahad secured at impressive rank of 157th in the UPPSC-J exam.
Prayagraj: After the announcement of results of UPPSC-J, Ahad Ahmed’s family could not contain their happiness and proudly shared the news of their son’s selection in the exams. The villagers gathered to celebrate with Ahad’s family and praised his efforts by calling him ‘Judge Sahab’.
Who is Ahad Ahmed?
Ahad Ahmed is a resident of Barai Harakh village, which is 30 kilometres away from Prayagraj. His father, Shahzad Ahmed works at a puncture shop. His mother, Afsana Begum is also an earning member of the family. He has three siblings, and the entire family lives in a small house in the village.
Shahzad went to school till class 10th and had financial difficulty in sending his kids to school. However, no obstruction was big enough to prevent him from providing his kids with education. Initially, he used to work as a cycle repairer. Various other ventures were tried such as opening a general store, but nothing really helped him to earn sufficient money.
Education loans
Ahad Ahmed shares that his mother played a vital role in encouraging him to dream big. His father’s cycle repair shop could only feed the kids but sending them to schools required more money. Ahad did his schooling from a government school in the village. For his BA-LLB degree, he took admission in Allahabad University in the year 2014.
High university fees prompted Ahad’s mother to apply for an education loan. This made Ahad realize the struggles of his parents and he decided to strive to give his parents a better and comfortable life. After the completion of his graduation, he returned back to his village and started practicing in the Allahabad court. During the pandemic, the court was shut down, and he could not continue with his practice.
A college education
Ahad Ahmed’s parents or any other family members had never attended college. Due to lack of money and resources, their education was limited to class 10th. Taking up menial jobs was what everyone did in his family. But Ahad’s mother was determined to give her kids the opportunity to study further. She created an environment at home that encouraged Ahad and his siblings to devote their time to studies. To support her kids’ dreams, she worked as a tailor. She would sew clothes day and night for her neighbours and small enterprises. Even Ahad helped her with her work sometimes.
Inspiration from a movie
Afsana Begum’s eyes filled with tears when asked to share her feelings about her son’s achievements. She shares that she was never sent to school. Once, she saw a Bollywood film of actor Rajesh Khanna and got influenced by it. The film was released in 1991, and the lead actress in the film pays for her children’s school fees by earning money through tailoring. This inspired Afsana to do the same for her children. She could earn Rs 200 in a day but that was enough to keep her motivated for her children.
Acing in the examination
When pandemic prevented Ahad from practicing his profession, he started preparing for UPPSC-J exam. He did his preparation with no help from the coaching classes. The pre-exams had gone really well, so he tried to look for a place in coaching centres for better guidance. He could not find any centre in Allahabad that would allow him to take an admission as a village resident. His teacher Mujeeb Siddiqui supported him, and he could clear the Mains exam smoothly.
In the interview, practical questions were asked; he could answer most of the questions properly but got stuck in some. He didn’t feel fully satisfied with his answers and feared that he might not pass this round. His intrusive thoughts made him believe that he would not be able to clear the exams this year and after the announcement of the results he did not even bother to check the results. But his friend called him up and congratulated him for securing an impressive 157th rank in the exams.
A dream coming true
Ahad was in disbelief that he had qualified UPPSC-J and that too with such good marks. He scrolled the pdf a hundred times to make sure that his name was really mentioned there. His happiness was beyond imagination, and he immediately ran to his mother to break the news. With tears in his eyes he said, “Mom, your son has become a judge.” His mother embraced him and congratulated him on his success. The neighbours found out the news and gathered in Ahad’s house with praises and blessings.
Ahad’s dreams
Ahad is currently enrolled in an LLM programme, his ultimate dream is to qualify for UPSC exams to become an IAS officer. He shares that Nawazuddin Siddique is his favourite actor and his struggle to achieve true success is the most inspiring thing for Ahad. Ahad also likes to write; he is fond of listening and reading ghazals.
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