Ahammed Shareef P A turns his failures into successes

KOZHIKODE: Brooding over fate will not offer solutions. The story of Ahammed Shareef P. A, a native of Karippur in Malappuram, is a lesson that it is one’s duty to define his own destiny and tread the path accordingly. From a village boy from Malappuram who failed to grab a seat for the PG course, Shareef went on to present ten international papers, visiting many countries and winning the Department of Science and Technology start up research grant for young scientists worth Rs 36.8 lakh.

Presently he is working at Tirurangadi PSMO College as an Assistant Professor and Young Scientist with the Zoology department. “Never in my wildest dream I thought that I would do research or present international papers. I was never disappointed for not getting a PG seat, because I knew that I did not perform well in the exams,” said Shareef.

Searching in vain for a PG seat after his BSc from Farook College, Shareef even lost a year. The next year he joined a BEd course. “Meanwhile, I had also applied for Aligarh Muslim University. I did not attend the interview because I wanted to be at home. However when I realised I was wasting my time at home, I applied the next time and somehow got into the rank list,” he added.

The AMU changed his life. He attended many classes by experts from various varsities across the globe and changed his perspective of research. “The AMU has tie-ups with many international universities and research groups. After my PG, I enrolled there for a PhD and got an opportunity to associate with a collaborative Project funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council in the UK,” he added.

He visited Queen’s University of Belfast and Aberystwyth University, Wales as part of the research. Later he also got the opportunity to visit and present papers in five more varsities in the UK and the USA. Shareef’s success story is also a classic example of how researchers are benefitting the society around them. With the grant he received, Shareef was able to set up a research laboratory at Tirurangadi PSMO College, doing research on ‘Metabolism and pharmacokinetics of triclabendazole in tropical liver fluke’, which can bring major breakthroughs in the livestock field.

  “This lab will benefit not just the researcher, but the College and the students for generations,” said Dr P.M Alavikutty, the College Principal. “Shareef’s success is an example for students and also to inculcate the value of research among them,” opined Calicut University VC Dr K Mohammed Basheer.