Meet woman who was married at 16, faced domestic abuse, did odd jobs as single mom, became IAS officer, is posted at...

Self-made women and single mothers are beacons of unwavering strength, determination and persistence. This makes them invincible in many aspects.

One such inspiring story is of IAS officer Savita Pradhan.

Hailing from a tribal family in Madhya Pradesh's Mandai village, Savita faced adverse financial conditions. The scholarship in school helped her complete class 10th and become the first girl in her village to do so. Thereafter, she got admission to a school that was 7 km away. Her mother then took up a part-time job to pay fees. 

She pursued science and aspired to become a doctor. As she was finishing her schooling, she got a marriage proposal from a rich family at 16. She was forced by her parents to get married.

After marriage, she experienced several small restrictions and domestic abuse by her in-laws and her husband. Her husband would hit her and threaten to kill her. Even after two kids, the assault persisted.

One moment, Savita decided to end her life. But after seeing her kids, she got the courage and chose to leave home with both kids with just Rs 2700. She then started a beauty salon and gave tuition to children to sustain her kids. Her parents and siblings supported her, while she also began pursuing a BA in Public Administration at Barkatullah University, Bhopal. 

She then heard about state civil service and decided to give it a shot. With her unflinching hard work and determination, she cracked it in her very first attempt at the age of 24. She was posted as chief municipal officer.

She then got multiple promotions to IAS rank. Presently, she serves as Joint Director of Urban Administration for the Gwalior and Chambal regions.

Meanwhile, after giving divorced, she has remarried. She also has a YouTube channel called ‘Himmat wali Ladkiyan’.