Fazal Pathan/Pune

The daughter of a post-master, Sajida Abdul Rashid Mullah has become a Food Safety Officer at Shankar Nagar, Akloj, of Maharashtra. Her success comes after two failed attempts at clearing the Maharashtra Public Service Commission examination, embodying her never-give-up spirit.

Sajida cleared the competitive examination conducted by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission in 2023. Happiness and excitement filled the home of this Muslim family as the result of this prestigious job-seeking examination was declared.

A somber-looking Sajida offers a piece of advice for those yearning to clear the competitive examinations for jobs: “Students who appear in this exam should decide how many years they would spend on competitive exams and they must also consider failures.

Sajida's father Abdul Rashid Mulla says, "Sajida was always good at studies. She was always passionate about her aims. After deciding to take the competitive exam, she studied with great determination and perseverance. She achieved this success without any pressure. As a father, I am very proud of her and the family is also very proud of her."

He says, “I have five daughters. Sajida is the youngest. I used to work as a postman. But when my third daughter was married, I resigned to focus on Sajida's education. For me, both boys and girls are equal. As a father, I always felt that girls should get an education and move forward. I always encouraged her to get an education. All my girls are educated. Girls should be educated, be educated. We all know that if a girl is educated, she educates the entire family.”

Sajida says, "I was born in a middle-class family. We are five sisters. My father worked as a postman and rose to the position of postmaster. My mother is a homemaker. Being in the postal department, my father was frequently transferred and we lived in different rural areas."

Sajida posing at the office of Maharashtra Public service Commission, Mumbai

Sajida studied till class 4 in Zilla Parishad Girls School in Mallashiras taluka and later when her father's job shifted to Yeshwantnagar in Akluj. she joined Lakshmibai Girls School.

"I was the topper in the school from class 5. After clearing the class 10 examination with good marks, I joined Sadashiv Rao Mane College in Mallashiras taluka. I also secured good marks in the classes 11 and 12."

She wanted to join HMS College but I failed to make it to BHMS."

Talking about her motivation to become an officer, Sajida says, "I had to opt for another course. One of my brothers had done BSc. in Agriculture and he is an agricultural officer. Seeing him, I also decided to do a BSc. Agriculture. I joined the Rajshree Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Agriculture College in Kolhapur which is under the Mahatma Phule Agricultural University in Rahuri. I completed my graduation from this college. Then I rejoined the university in Rahuri for post-graduation."

Her University offered a platform for students to prepare for the competitive examinations. Many students who joined this course became officers. Also, Sajida had the example of her brother.

Sajida started preparing for the competitive exams to be held in 2021. "I had heard that students appearing in competitive exams should keep their Plan B ready and I completed my post-graduation while staying in the university. Completing my post-graduation and studying for competitive exams was difficult. I thought that if I didn't make it to the MPSC examination, I would complete my MSc and a job.'

Sajida says, "I suffer from PCOD. Studying both the subjects caused physical and mental distress." She adds, "There were some problems at home too. My mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Then I also failed. I took the Agri MPSC exam. I had secured preliminary qualification in it. I couldn't appear for the interview as my marks were not enough for it. All my friends had passed it. All this happened at the same time. It would create a lot of stress. But I wanted to remain stable. I wanted to focus on my studies. I did that and started studying again."

She reappeared for the MPSC exam in 2022 and failed in the prelims. Not ready to give up she appeared for the Food Safety Department exam in 2023 and she cleared it.

Sajida will soon join as a Food Safety Officer.

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Her advice to the aspirants for competitive examinations: Sajida says, “Students appearing in competitive exams should have a strong Plan B from the beginning. Everyone advises students to appear in competitive exams. They should seek guidance from seniors.”

We should study intelligently and not by learning rote. This will enable you to study more in less time. It benefits us too.”