On a dark night in a small village of Jhunjhunu, a boy studied under a smoky kerosene lamp. The wind would often blow the flame out. He would move to a corner and light it again. That boy is today an IRS officer. His name is Sanjay Rao.
He often says, “People who walk only on old paths can only repeat history. If you want to create history, you must take new decisions.” His life proves it.
SANJAY RAO IRS: ROOTS IN A SMALL VILLAGE
Sanjay Rao belongs to a farmer’s family in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. His father owned just four bighas of land. It was not enough to support the family. They even had to take water from others to irrigate their field. The family lived in a hut.
Money was always short. Education was not the first priority. Survival was. Yet Sanjay made a quiet promise to himself. He would go to school every day. Even if he had to work in the fields later. Even if he had to graze cattle. School would not stop.
In Class 8, his result changed everything. His name appeared in the district merit list. For the first time, people saw him as more than a farmer’s son. His family realized that his future lay in books.
But the struggle did not end.
STUDYING UNDER A CHIMNEY LAMP
There was no proper electricity. He studied under a small chimney lamp filled with kerosene. When the wind blew, the flame died. Books were hard to afford. During exams, he would wake up at 4 a.m., go to a friend’s house, and study for two hours before the paper.
After Class 12, he wanted to prepare for IIT. But many around him said, “IIT is not for people like us. It is for rich families.” His father also feared losing money on a risky dream.
Still, Sanjay did not give up. With support from a family member, he went to Sikar to prepare. He worked hard for two years. He failed.
That failure hurt. People reminded him that it was “not their world.” He even cleared BITS Pilani but did not get his preferred branch. The family wanted him to join. He wanted one more chance.
He begged his father in the fields. Finally, he got permission to go to Kota for another year. He cut himself off from festivals and family visits. He focused only on his goal.
This time, he cleared IIT.
FROM IIT TO CIVIL SERVICES
IIT changed his life. But during his graduation, he felt something missing. A corporate job did not excite him. He wanted to serve society. He wanted to return to the same villages that shaped him.
He decided to prepare for civil services.
Delhi was expensive. He survived on ₹5,000–6,000 a month. He took an education loan. At one point, the loan turned into NPA. Recovery agents began visiting his home. The pressure was huge.
In 2015, he wrote the Mains exam. Just two days before an important exam, he fell seriously ill with dengue. His platelets dropped. He was admitted to a hospital in Jaipur. Later, he was shifted to ICU.
But his mind was not on the illness. It was on the exam.
He requested discharge. Doctors refused. One senior doctor said, “If you can walk from here to the general ward with me, I will discharge you.” Weak and dizzy, he walked.
He was discharged the same evening.
The next day, he resumed studying.
LEARNING TO MANAGE FAILURE
Sanjay reduced his expenses to the bare minimum. He found a room for around ₹2,000. He fixed his food cost. He wore the same clothes for months. He even skipped a close friend’s wedding because he could not afford proper clothes.
Finally, the result came.
He succeeded.
Today, Sanjay Rao serves as an IRS officer and Deputy Commissioner in the Narcotics Department. But he says success is not the biggest lesson. Failure is.
“When you succeed, society tries to know you. When you fail, you get to know society,” he says.
He believes failure must be managed. It is not the end. It is a test of fire inside you.
From a hut in Jhunjhunu to the Indian Revenue Service, his journey is not just about rank or post. It is about courage. About taking new paths. About keeping the flame alive even when the wind tries to blow it out.
And that flame still burns.
