Betrayed By A Friend, IAS Nirish Rajput Sold Newspaper To Make Ends Meet Before He Cracked The UPSC Exam

The most interesting thing about UPSC aspirants is that they come from diverse backgrounds cutting across all divides. Just as students from elite colleges like IIMs and IITs appear and crack the UPSC IAS exam, at the same time, we also hear stories of aspirants who fight all odds, including financial instability, to become IAS officers.

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IAS Nirish Rajputs' story falls in the latter category, as he had to cope with betrayal from a friend, distributed newspapers to fund his studies, and eventually achieved his dream by securing the 370th rank in the UPSC IAS exam. 

Who Is Nirish Rajput? 

A resident of the Bhind district in Madhya Pradesh, Nirish Rajput comes from a poor family. His father, Virendra Rajput, is a tailor, while two of his brothers are schoolteachers. Together, they live in a 300 square feet house with barely the space to survive.

In spite of the poverty, however, Nirish's parents and brothers used up all their income to fund their studies. Even though Nirish had gone to a government school and college with low fees, the financial constraints at home made studies even more difficult.

In order to make ends meet, Nirish started distributing newspapers every day and used whatever he earned to cover his school expenses. He had no clue of what it takes to be an IAS officer and did not even prepare for it strategically during his first attempt.

All he knew is that cracking UPSC can change people's lives - and he needed to change his desperately. 

Struggling At Every Phase

Nirish Rajput started his UPSC preparation at home with the assistance of his family. His brothers were supportive of his ambitions and assisted him financially. Since he didn't have the money to go to a coaching center, he was looking for other options from where he can get the resources to prepare.

Being a topper in both school and college, a friend approached Nirish to teach at his IAS coaching center in Uttarakhand. In exchange, he promised that Nirish would get study materials for the UPSC examination.

When Nirish joined, the institute had been just established. However, as it began to grow the promises did not quite remain as they were. In fact, as more and more students joined the institute, Nirish's friend cheated on him and sacked him from his job at the institute.

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The amount of hurt one feels at betrayal is almost unimaginable, especially if it comes from someone once considered a friend. He had invested two years of his life into the coaching center by trusting his friends and got nothing in return. However, Nirish realized that come what may, he couldn't afford to change his goals - UPSC changed lives and he wanted his to be better.

Soon, Nirish came to Delhi and resumed his preparation following the setback. He was unable to enroll in a coaching center, but thanks to many other aspirants he met in Delhi and who became his friends, Nirish was receiving the notes from them. 

The Moment Of Final Qualification

Like everything in his life, the qualification also did not come easy. His first, second, and third attempts failed miserably before he finally qualified for the exam and became an IAS officer after his fourth attempt. In order to get to this point, Nirish said that he had to study for eighteen hours every day - definitely not an easy task.

His determination and the ability to work hard finally paid off when secured the 370th rank in the UPSC IAS exam. He is an inspiration for thousands of aspirants who fight against such insurmountable odds every day, hoping to succeed in the UPSC exam.

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