C Vanmathi hails from Erode district, Tamil Nadu.
Her determination to do something of her own made her who she is today.
An unstable financial condition leads to a lot of struggle in the household. It takes a toll on children’s studies as well. Such was the case of C Vanmathi, a resident of Kerala, who had a childhood full of struggles. Her story is nothing short of extraordinary and is quite inspiring. C Vanmathi, a resident of Erode district, Tamil Nadu, was a cattle herder. She always wanted to become a District Collector. As a child, she spent most of her time studying and tending to the cattle of our family. Her determination to do something of her own made her who she is today. C Vanmathi’s father was a cab driver who had a modest income. It was very difficult to run a household with such limited money. Despite the financial crunch in the family, they made sure to give their daughter the best education. They even provided her with books and other necessary resources she needed.
C Vanmathi used to support her family financially, in every way possible. After studying, she used to take the buffaloes to graze and used to feed the animals. After completing her 12th board exams, her relatives kept pressuring her to get married. However, her parents wanted her to continue with her studies. With the support of her parents, C Vanmathi took a stand for herself and refused all the marriage offers. She enrolled in a college and completed her graduation and her post-graduation in Computer Applications.
Vanmathi was greatly inspired by the District Collector of her hometown, whom everyone respected. She was also inspired by a TV series, Ganga Yamuna whose lead character was an IAS Officer. In 2015, Vanmathi appeared for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and cleared the exam. She scored a rank of 152.
In an interview earlier with a portal, she shared her belief that education truly has the power to uplift one’s status. She accepted that this was one of the driving forces for her to study further. Currently, she is posted as the assistant collector and project officer for the integrated tribal development project at Nandurbar, Maharashtra.