Kochi: This 32-year-old Mohammad Ali Shihab of Cheruvayoor from Edavannapara of Malappuram district cracked the civil services examination and got the 226th rank. What makes his success even more important is that he spent a good part of these years growing up in an orphanage.

He became an orphan at a tender age and was lodged in Bafaqi Thangal Yathimkhana or an orphanage at Valavanoor in Malappuram.

He had his schooling in different government institutions from Grade V. The lonliness he felt when he had to join the orphanage made his take an interest in books which continues.

After completing his pre-degree and teachers training course, he left the orphanage and wanted to get a government job and got one in 2004 as last grade assistant in the irrigation department. Later, he got the job of a railway ticket examiner and a forester among others. He had qualified the Kerala Public Service Examination 20 times for different positions.

Mohammad got married and had to settle for a job near his house and joined as a private student for a degree course. On completing his graduation with a first class, he concentrated on cracking the civil services examination and joined coaching classes at Pala, Thiruvananthapuram and later Kozhikode. Earlier, he had qualified Kerala Public Service Examination 20 times for different positions.

Finally, he felt there was the need for specialised coaching in New Delhi and with the support of Zakat Foundation, he finally tasted success.