Most inspiring IAS officer success stories: From studying under lamp to dropping out of school

One of the first women from Kerala's Tribal tribe to pass the UPSC CSE is this one. Because Sreedhanya did not have enough finances to attend the UPSC CSE Interview, her friends came to her aid by raising money and transporting her to New Delhi to take the test. Later, she was appointed an IAS.

K Jaiganesh was born at Vinavamangalam, a village. As the oldest of four children, he was under pressure to provide for his impoverished family. After three unsuccessful attempts at the UPSC CSE from his village, he decided that he needed to relocate to Chennai and pursue his education there.

He began working as a waiter at a nearby restaurant while attending classes at the All-India Institute for IAS Coaching in Anna Nagar to cover his expenses. He then achieved the 156th position in the 2007 Union Public Service Commission Civil Services Test.

At the age of 21, Ansar Ahmad Shaikh's family put a lot of effort into helping their son become an IAS officer. Yonus Shaikh Ahmad, Ansar's father, was an autorickshaw rider.

In order to help Ansar pursue his goal of becoming an IAS, his brother quit school and started working as a mechanic. Ansar was the youngest applicant to pass any competitive exam in 2015 by passing the Civil Services exam after studying for 12 hours a day for three full years.

His father was an alcoholic, and his mother and sister made a living selling coconuts in Thanjavur. Despite these obstacles, he had always wanted to enter the civil service. After leaving his engineering degree to support his family, becoming an IAS seemed like a distant goal to him.

After finishing his duties, he went back to his studies. He joined St. Thomas Mount, where he gave free lessons to impoverished pupils, in an effort to get into IIT for an MTech. He finished his MTech degree and scored 101st on the UPSC civil services test in 2017.

Anshuman Raj was born in the rural Bihar village of Buxar. Up to the 10th grade, he would study under a kerosene lantern. Owing to his family's difficult financial situation, Anshuman decided without joining any coaching and instead relied solely on self-study to succeed in his fourth attempt.

(Pic credit: Instagram/Zee Media Bureau)