Meet man who worked at his father’s tobacco shop, then went to IIT, cracked UPSC twice to become IRS then IAS, AIR was..

From selling ‘khaini’ at father’s shop to qualifying UPSC exam, this Bihar man has come a long way

Failures are a prerequisite to achieving success in life, and some people face it very young but this doesn’t deter them from realizing their dreams. One such inspiring success story is of IAS Niranjan Kumar.

Belonging to a small village in the Nawada district of Bihar, Niranjan Kumar, son of Arvind Kumar passed from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Rewar Nawada in 2004. In 2006 he did his inter-degree from Science College Patna. Meanwhile, he used to work at my father’s small tobacco shop to sustain himself and family.

“I used to sit at my father’s small shop and sell khaini when he would go out. My father still runs the shop, even as I tell him he doesn’t need to anymore for a monthly earning of Rs 5,000,” stated Niranjan in an interview with HT.

Later, he pursued higher education at an IIT and landed a job as an assistant manager at Coal India Limited in Dhanbad. 

Then, he began his UPSC journey and got 728 AIR and became IRS officer. He then gave 2nd attempt in 2016 and eventually became an IAS by securing 535 AIR. He did his job and simultaneously prepared for UPSC without coaching.