Meet IAS officer, who lost his father at young age, lived in orphanage, battled with financial woes, yet cracked UPSC exam with AIR...

Cracking UPSC Civil Service Exam (CSE) is certainly not a walk in the park, yet there are numerous of aspirants who dream of joining the administrative field and even succeed in the exam, defying hurdles and setbacks. Those are the students who become an inspiration for their successors. One such notable name is that of IAS officer Mohammad Ali Shibab - whose journey was anything but easy. 

Born in a destitute family, IAS Shibab often witnessed his parents struggling to make ends meet. He cracked UPSC CSE on his third attempt in 2011, securing All India Rank of 226. Let's dive into his story further.

Who is IAS Mohammad Ali Shibab?

A native of Kerala's Mallapuram district, Mohammad Ali Shibab was born and raised in an extremely underpriviledged family. At a very young age, he started working alongside his father and sold bamboo baskets to earn an additional income. 

Unfortunately, his father passed away in 1991 after battling with a prolonged illness. Shibab's father's sudden demise left the family juggling emotional breakdown with financial crisis. The family's responsibilities fell upon the shoulders of his mother, who decided to send Shibab away to an orphanage. At the orphanage, he spent five years. It was during this time when he began to study. 

Shibab wanted to pursue higher studies, for which, he required financial stability. He began preparing for government exams. Interestingly, he was able to crack 21 different government exams. Shibab, thus, went on to hold several positions such as peon in Forest Department, Prison Warden and Railway Ticket Examiner.  

At the age of 25, he tried his hands on UPSC exam for the first time. However, he struggled and failed on his first two attempts. In 2011, he sat for the civil service exam for a third time in 2011. This time, Shibab emerged successful, clinching an impressive AIR 226.