It is a great moment of pride for a family when someone among them manages to clear the toughest test – the UPSC exam. But can one even imagine the ecstasy that family in which not one, not two, not three, but five daughters cleared Rajasthan Public Services Commission (RPSC) examination and get in the line to become IAS/IPS officers in the future?
This food not happen together. Two of the daughters had already joined the RAS while three of them joined the services this year only.
SUPPORTIVE PARENTS
Rajasthan is infamous for a high female infanticide and child marriages ratio as daughters are considered a burden possibly because of the dowry factor.
Sahdev Saharan, a poor farmer from Hanumangarh in Rajasthan could only complete his studies up to class 8 th and was married at a fairly young age to his wife, Lakshmi, who was absolutely illiterate. One after the other, the couple gave birth to five daughters but never considered them a ‘burden’ or an ‘unwanted responsibility’.
EDUCATION
Female infanticide was never an option for them and they brought up their girls with equal love and respect. All the five girls were home-schooled for the most part of their lives since Sahdev couldn’t afford to send all of them to a high school located far from where they lived.
The sisters appeared for their board exams from open school and studied privately for graduation to Ph.D. before taking a shot at the civil services examination.
BUDDING CIVIL OFFICERS
Out of the five, three sisters – Anshu, Ritu, and Suman recently secured the 31st, 96th, and 98th positions respectively this year among over 2,000 selected candidates in the highly competitive examination.
The three sisters are now in the line to becoming Rajasthan Administrative Service officers and will be joining their two sisters – Roma and Manju, who are already officers in the service. Roma, their elder sister, passed the RAS exam in 2010 and became the first RAS officer in her family. She is currently Block Development Officer (BDO) at Sujangarh in the Jhunjhunu district. Their second sister, Manju serves the Cooperative Department at Nohar, Hanumangarh. She had cracked the RAS exam in 2017.
Mohanlal Saharan, an uncle of the sisters, said the family couldn’t be prouder at what they had achieved in the face of multiple hurdles. “With sheer dedication, our daughters didn’t let the lack of facilities stop them. My brother, although not a highly educated person, backed his children to the hilt and helped them in whatever way he could, financially or emotionally.”
The Saharan sisters have not only put forth an example for the young children of her village who do not dare to dream fearing failure, but also for the entire nation.
