A civil service aspirant has proved that attending coaching classes isn't the only way to pass competitive exams. Sreenath K, a porter (coolie) at Ernakulam railway junction in Kerala recently defied odds and passed the Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC) written test using free Wi-Fi at the station to prepare for the test.
Sreenath has been working as a porter for the past five years. In his spare time, he uses the free WiFi at the railway station to listen to digital coursework.
"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," Sreenath was quoted as saying by Press Trust of India.
Sreenath managed to finish his schooling but never enrolled into any college. He hails from Munnar town in the Western Ghats mountain range. The closest major railway station from Munnar is Ernakulam.
"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 told PTI.
If Sreenath clears the interview round of the KPSC, then he is likely to land a job as the village field assistant under the land revenue department.
Nearly 685 railway stations have been equipped with free Wi-Fi technology under the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's 'Digital India' program. The Wi-Fi service was launched two years ago and provides free internet to passengers under Railwire, the retail broadband distribution model of RailTel Corporation of India Limited, the news agency reported.
The central government hopes to increase the count to at least 8,500 railway stations by March 2019, investing Rs 700 crore into the project.
