From Selling Lemonade To Taking Charge As Sub-Inspector In Kerala's Varkala: Tale Of Gritty Annie Siva

Ten years ago, Annie Siva was a damsel in distress abandoned by her partner and family, but now she is a proud sub-inspector at Kerala's Varkala police station and a source of courage and inspiration for many young women in the state.

Thiruvananthapuram: Anie Siva joined at Kerala's Varkala police station on June 25 as a probationary sub-inspector where she sold lemonade and ice creams to the tourists visiting Sivagiri Mutt 10 years ago.

She said, "Today I am the Sub-Inspector of Police at the same place where I lived ten years ago selling ice cream and lemonade for the Varkala Sivagiri pilgrimage. How can I avenge yesterday’s bigger than this," she proudly wrote on her Facebook post.

Her inspiring post has already been shared by many on social media platforms and has gone viral receiving applauses.

The 31-year-old Annie joined as a probationary sub-inspector at Varkala police station in Kerala. "I got to know that my posting is at Varkala police station only a few days back. This is the place where I shed tears with my small baby with no one to support," she told ANI. "In stalls at Varkala Sivagiri ashram, I tried many small businesses like selling lemonade, ice cream to handmade crafts. But, nothing worked. Then with the support of a person, I attempted to write exams for SI. Fighting all odds I have reached here. If other women take inspiration from me, I am happy," she said.

At the age of 18, she left home and moved to live with her college mate while continuing her graduation at Kanjiramkulam Government College, Thiruvananthapuram. 

But, her life turned for the worse when her live-in partner left her with her six-month-old baby boy. Her family did not accept her but anyway allowed her to stay in a hut next to her grandparents' home. Showing her brave face to the distress, she took up all petty jobs from selling soap and detergent powder door to door to an insurance agent, delivering groceries in a two-wheeler in the households, and did many other jobs for her, and her son's survival.

Along with these odd jobs, she continued her education privately and completed her graduation in Sociology and joined a training institute for the Kerala State Public Service Commission at Thiruvananthapuram in 2014 and joined the service passing the police constable examination in 2016.

As reported in Gulf Asia, she appeared for the officer's exam in 2019, cracked it, and after training for one and half years is now a Sub-Inspector of Police. This story of inspiration, adventure, determination, and willpower would boost the self-confidence in many young women in Kerala which is in the news for the wrong reason following Vismaya Nair’s dowry death case.

(With inputs from ANI)