Meet man, once worked as coolie at railway station, cleared UPSC CSE to become IAS officer; Know his success story

Success stories are easy to write. But to become their protagonist takes a whole lot of courage and hard work. Such undying courage and effort is evident in the story of Sreenath K, a man who used to work as a coolie but went on to become an officer in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) through his determination and perseverance.

Financial struggles
Sreenath, a native of Munnar in the southern state of Kerala, had completed high school but could not study further due to financial struggles. After his studies, he worked as a coolie at the Ernakulam Railway Station. Being the sole breadwinner, Sreenath had the responsibility to provide for his family, including his wife and a young daughter. But determined to give them a better life, Sreenath began preparing for various competitive exams at the age of 27.

KPSC exam success
Sreenath first cleared the state-level civil services exam conducted by the Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC), thus securing a government job. He, however, set his eyes on a greater feat. He took several attempts at the Union Public Service Commission's (UPSC) Civil Services Exam (CSE), eventually succeeding in his fourth attempt and securing an impressive all-India rank. Reports say he scored around 82% marks in his final UPSC attempt.

UPSC prep
Due to his financial constraints, Sreenath could not attend formal coaching classes or access costly study materials. He instead relied on free Wi-Fi at railway stations and free-of-cost study resources such as audio lectures while balancing his long working hours as a coolie.