From tempo driver to IPS officer: Meet Manoj Kumar Sharma who cracked UPSC despite failing in Class 12

Everyone wants to make their own unique identity and to achieve this people work very hard. However, when met with failure, children often lose their morale. Today, we are going to talk about IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma, who had failed class 12. But he did not give up and became IPS officer by clearing one of the toughest exams in the country. His success story is very interesting and it sure does motivate students.

Manoj Sharma hails from Morena district of Madhya Pradesh. He wanted to become an IAS officer since childhood, but unfortunately, he failed in class 12. Not only that, he got the third division in Classes 9 and 10. In class 12, Manoj failed in all subjects except Hindi. However, despite many failures, Manoj did not lose faith in himself. He did not move away from his goal and also started preparing for the country's most prestigious examination - UPSC.

Manoj has written his story in a book called 'Twelfth Fail'. In it, he says that while studying, he also drove a tempo for a living in Gwalior. Their financial condition was so poor that their house did not even have a roof. Because of this, they had to sleep with beggars as well. But his hard struggle helped him become successful. He worked as a library peon in Delhi, during which he read about many big people, from Gorky and Abraham Lincoln to Muktbodh. After reading these books, he understood the real aspects of life.

Manoj fell in love with a girl while studying in Class 12 but could never express his love. He was scared of unrequited love. He finally proposed to the girl, saying, "You say yes, and we will turn the whole world around." 

Manoj then worked hard and appeared for the UPSC examination and achieved success. He became an IPS from the Maharashtra cadre in 2005. He is currently posted as Additional Commissioner of West Region in Mumbai.