Meet man, son of farmer who lived in mud house, battled extreme poverty, cracked UPSC exam to become IAS officer with AIR..., he is from...

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts one of the toughest and most prestigious exams in the country, which lakhs of aspirants attempt to crack every year. People from all over the country from backgrounds as diverse as a person from a remote village to that of a son of businessman to earn a job of dignity and pride as those who crack it then serve the country through various administrative jobs. The hard work, determination and passion of such people like Pawan are not deterred by obstacles in their path as they move with a goal of achieving.  

Pawan Kumar made his whole village proud by securing AIR 239 in the UPSC exam in 2023. Here is a story of grit, passion, and courage to win everything in life. Even after extreme poverty with only a bare means of living, Pawan had the greatest grit and determination to achieve a good life.  

Early life and education 

Pawan Kumar hails from village Raghunathpur in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. After completing schooling from his hometown, Pawan went to Allahabad University in Prayagraj to pursue graduation. Kumar was filled with hopes and determination to uplift his family from extreme poverty that he only saw one goal, to crack the UPSC exam and become an IAS officer. Kumar and his family lived in a small mud house in the village.  

His family lived in a thatched kutcha house which was in a dilapidated condition.   

After completing graduation with a Bachelor of Arts (BA), Pawan moved to Delhi to prepare for the UPSC exam.  

How Pawan achieved his goal 

Pawan said that he mostly did self-study as the condition of his family was such that he could not afford expensive coaching classes “This was my third attempt. My family had a very big role to play in my journey, especially my parents and my sisters. The exam is tough, and the syllabus is very vast, but it is not impossible to crack it. Taking coaching is not necessary. The condition of my family was such that I could not afford such expensive coaching classes. I mostly did self-study. You can make use of the internet for help and carry on with honesty in your attempts. Perseverance is very important," Kumar said.  

His family, who struggled really hard and sacrificed a lot to enable him to study, was elated to see him cracking the most difficult exam.