Life was a struggle for V. Shinu, who joined the government service as Special Tahsildar in charge of land acquisition for the National Highway in the Kasaragod collectorate recently.
A member of Urali, a tribal community from a small hamlet at Vanchivayal inside the Periyar Tiger Sanctuary in Idukki, his childhood was spent in a thatched house with no electricity. He walked through a treacherous forest road to school, encountering wild animals in between.
Mr. Shinu had initially joined a tribal school. Later, his parents got him admitted to a private school. However, the management asked him to leave the school saying that they expected 100% results in the Class X examinations, to which he might be a hurdle.
Education, jobs
“My parents spent all their money educating me and two siblings. They always encouraged us to study,” he recalled. After schooling, he moved to Thiruvananthapuram and did his dual graduation in Botany and Biotechnology. He then completed postgraduation in Biotechnology and did his MPhil in Bioinformatics.
In between, he worked in a private company in Mysuru and at a coffee shop in Thiruvananthapuram. The tide turned in his favour when he got a job as an LD clerk in the Public Works department in 2018. He then worked as a junior assistant at Kerala State Financial Enterprises Limited. He continued to study and when the Public Service Commission notified direct appointment to the post of tahsildar for the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe community, he was among the six persons to get appointment this September.
Helping his community
Now, Mr. Shinu is trying to help the students in his village in matters related to the studies and employment through a WhatsApp community. He is an inspiration to many in his village, who look up to him for guidance to enter the government service. His wife Shajina is an LD clerk at the Pinarayi panchayat.
