UPSC Success Story: From Earning INR 10/Day As A Laborer To Becoming The First Civil Servant In The Family

As UPSC aspirants, we hope you might have read enough success stories by now. However, what if we tell you that the UPSC CSE success story of Ram Bhajan Kumar we are about to share with you is worth reading over again and again? The simple yet straightforward answer is that Ram Bhajan Kumar, once a daily wage labourer who struggled to earn a meagre amount of INR 10, is now a highly inspirational civil servant serving the nation in the highest bureaucratic position.

To be recommended in the final merit list of the Union Public Service Commission, Civil Services Examination (UPSC CSE), one needs preparation that is comprehensive, consistent, and competent. To assuage the monotony of the immense workload ahead, a UPSC aspirant needs unwavering moral, social, and economic support from family and friends as well. 

Ram Bhajan Kumar's Brief Background

Ram Bhajan Kumar joined the Delhi Police as a head constable in 2009. His last posting in Delhi Police was at the cyber crime unit in the South district. He had studied in a government school in a small village called Bapi in Dausa district of Rajasthan. He did his graduation and post-graduation from Rajasthan University after joining Delhi Police.

Image credit: Online source

While serving in the service, he was greatly inspired by his senior police officers, some of whom were from the IPS. He enquired and found out how to become one. Most important of all, he is the first graduate from his family and the first civil servant now. 

How Ram Bhajan Kumar prepare his UPSC CSE Journey

We have extracted some conversations that he shared about the difficulty he faced during the UPSC CSE journey with Indian Masterminds.

According to him, prior to giving the UPSC CSE, he gave the Rajasthan Civil Services exam three times and failed all in all. However, in 2011, he cracked the all-India JRF (Junior Research Fellow) exam. This gave him much-needed confidence. In 2015, he started his UPSC journey. He appeared for UPSC CSE 2022 in Hindi medium. Seven times he failed. But, in his eighth and penultimate attempt, he cleared it with AIR 667.

Referring to his preparation, he admits it was very difficult. The not-so-easy availability of books in Hindi was one of the hurdles he faced. So, he decided to tackle it by studying in English and writing in Hindi. “I laid stress on understanding, not on memorizing. The output that came out of a thorough understanding of the subject made it easier for me to write,” Ram Bhajan explained. 

Eventually, Ram Bhajan Kumar cracked UPSC CSE 2022 and was recommended to the Indian Revenue Service (IRS).

UPSC CSE Preparation Strategy

Ram Bhajan UPSC CSE`s optional was Hindi Literature. Besides the books, he also made it a habit to read Hindi magazines. He gave 40 tests and did a lot of answer-writing practice (2000 pages). He studied Laxmikant, NCERTs and Spectrum (Hindi).

In 2015, he joined Civil Service Chronical Coaching for a six-month period, borrowing money from his mother’s savings, as he could not afford it with his then INR 15,000 salary. But, he had to forego the last month of coaching because of a duty shift. Earlier, he was on night duty and attended classes during the day.

How Ram Bhajan effectively manages his time as a Policeman

Ram Bhajan would take up a room near his posting to waste less time on travelling. Depending on his duty, he studied for around 8 hours daily, either during the day or night. “I made viable targets to balance work and study. I used to get very tired, but that helped me to value time more,” he said. He made it a point to squeeze in around six hours of sleep daily to get rest.

He also trained himself to multi-task, something he became adept in. “I learned to balance between my family, job, and study,” he said. He was already married with two children by this time. He married Anjali Kumari in 2012 and helped her to become a graduate. “It is very important for both the spouses to be on an equal level”, he said.

Image credit: Online source

He credits his success to his wife and two children. “They all contributed to my success. They never complained about getting less of my time. It was a joint struggle, and we all won,” he said. It was the thought of the sacrifices of his family that pushed him harder, as he felt that their sacrifices should not go in vain. “How can I let them down?”

Ram Bhajan Kumar's Perseverance Despite 7 Failed Attempts 

When asked if he ever thought of quitting, he answered, “No, not all. I get disheartened only when I cannot identify my mistakes. I got inspired every time I could identify the mistakes I made in the exams,” was his humble reply. After every attempt, he analyzed his mistakes and focussed on building on his weak points. “I think you fail only when you stop trying,” he said. This mindset kept him going till his successful eight attempts.

UPSC CSE Questions Asked During Ram Bhajan's Interview

According to Ram Bhajan, 60% of the questions were on his police job, like tackling cyber crimes, why policemen often sleep on duty, and why crimes against women are increasing. The last question was asked by a woman panellist. When asked why crimes against women are on the rise, his answer astonished all the panellists. He answered,

“Our very focus is wrong. It is women centric, whereas we should focus on the men and give them good sanskar (values) from childhood so that they grow up learning to respect women.” As for the women, he said the focus should be on training them to become both physically and mentally strong. “Mentally, so that they learn to recognise the threats around them, and physically, so that they can tackle the danger on their own,” he explained.

Ram Bhajan's Useful Tips For Aspirants

8 UPSC attempts and a tough life moulded Ram Bhajan into a mature man in every sense, as a family man and civil servant now. Here, he gives 3 essential tips to all aspirants of UPSC CSE:

• Focus on the basic syllabus and limit the resources. 
• Instead of many books on one subject, stick to one book and do thorough study many times.
• Never lose heart. Poori jaan laga do (give your all) as if it is your last attempt!

Take this inspirational UPSC CSE success story of Ram Bhajan Kumar and achieve your dream career as a civil servant!

Best of Luck, Aspirants!

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