Palakkad District, KERALA :

A detailed look at the pages of Yaseen’s book of life would give immense hope to all those dumped and depressed and staring at a bleak future

New Delhi :

All the adjectives to describe a person’s resilience would fade into oblivion when one talks about the dogged determination of a young delivery man catapulting onto the prestigious seat of a civil judge at the young age of 29.

The saga of Yaseen Shan Muhammad is bound to inspire all those striving to attain glory and success in any field. His courage of conviction and sincerity of purpose helped Yaseen a great deal in beating all the stacked odds and coming up with trumps in the Kerala Judicial Services Examinations 2024 qualifying to be a civil judge. His story is phenomenal; the key to success, according to him, is sheer determination and hard work. A detailed look at the pages of Yaseen’s book of life would give immense hope to all those dumped and depressed and staring at a bleak future.

LiveLaw interacted with Yaseen recently and shared his story to influence and motivate the young souls, considered the future of the country.  

Yaseen hails from Palakkad district of Kerala. His mother, a school dropout at 6th standard, got married at the age of 14 and divorced at 19. She gave birth to Yaseen, her first child when she was barely 15. He never had any contact with his father. The single mother had to look after her two children and their grandmother. She worked for daily wages and continues to be an Asha worker, the website said.

The family got a roof over its head through a state government housing scheme for the poor. Yaseen always wore used clothes and had no money to buy books. Forced by economic necessity, at an early age Yaseen started working as a newspaper and milk delivery boy and supported his family, but continued his studies diligently. There were times when he worked at construction sites as a labourer.

Yaseen recalled that he was a below-average student during his school days as he did not have sufficient time to focus on his studies and there was none to guide him. After his 12th standard, he did a diploma course in electronics. The diploma being a skill-based course, gave him more opportunity to find a job. He took up a small job in Gujarat for a year and returned to Kerala from where he graduated in Public Administration and then turned to pursue his legal education. He secured 46th rank in the state law entrance examination and got admission to the prestigious Government Law College, Ernakulam. During his graduation, he gave tuition to school kids. While pursuing a law degree, he worked as a delivery boy for Zomato. But the Covid pandemic forced him to forego his paltry source of income.

After enrolling as an advocate in March 2023 he began his career as a junior lawyer to Advocate Shahul Hameed at Pattambi Munsif –Magistrate Court. Interestingly two other lawyers from the same office, Shahina NV and Reshma NR had also cleared the Kerala Judicial Service Examinations and they encouraged him to prepare for the examination. Yaseen fondly remembers that having a senior like Shahul Hameed helped him immensely as he got proper guidance and an opportunity amidst daily court work. Securing second rank in the Kerala Judicial Service examination was something that he had never expected. His goal was to clear the examinations and secure a job. This was his second attempt and he had secured 58th rank in the first attempt but could not clear the mains examinations.

Yaseen started giving tuition to law students, helping them prepare for judicial service examinations, which in turn helped his own preparations as well. Yaseen expressed his deep gratitude to a close friend who supported him financially during his struggling time. “I tried for a personal loan which I did not get during Covid-19 and with exams approaching, I wasn’t able to work either. Looking back, I realise that many people like my close friend, Anjitha helped me navigate through difficult times during my LL.B. journey. Their support played a crucial role in helping me get through those challenges,” Yaseen was quoted by LiveLaw as saying.

Yaseen mentioned that he did not believe in offering motivational tips to others, but firmly believes that hard work eventually pays off. “Read judgments. Have subject knowledge. I don’t think there is a shortcut. Rather than reading more and more things, try to understand what you have read. For me, the main exam was the most difficult part. Since prelims were based on MCQs, I was confident of qualifying. My weak point was the English language. For Mains, Paper I is English. Since I studied in a Malayalam-medium school, it was difficult for me. Another difficulty was writing for a total of 12 hours in two consecutive days,” he said.

Yaseen believes it is mostly the circumstances that determine the growth of a person. “Maybe some privileges helped me enter the judicial services and overcome my situation. Being a male in this male-dominated society is an obvious advantage. If I were a girl born into similar circumstances, maybe society would not have afforded me the same privilege to overcome these difficulties. Maybe I have won, but a majority of the people with the same circumstances have failed despite attempts. It is not their fault but because the society is unequal. The majority have to give up on their dreams or are unable to study because of this inequality. I understand that I am one among the few who came up. I wish to represent the people coming from similar circumstances,” he said.

Yaseen’s ambition now is to study for post-graduation in law, if time permits. Beating his young age, Yaseen has a life story of hardships and hard work to tell the world. The rigours of his life have helped him understand the real meaning of empathy and resilience and he intends to bring these qualities into his role in the judiciary.

“I want to work by being part of the system. I will do my job honestly, sincerely, and as per my conscience.” He sees the role of a judge as an opportunity to help people and to do justice.

source: http://www.clarionindia.net / Clarion India / Home> Editor’s Pick> India> Indian Muslim / by Behzad Parvez, Clarion India / December 30th, 2024