All the sorrows, hardships and struggles that Dongre Revaiah, son of a midday meal cook, went through became a thing of the past the moment he got to know he had cracked UPSC CSE 2022 with AIR 410. He lost his father at the age of four, after which, his mother Vistara Bai took up the job of cook at a government school to raise him. She didn’t have much money but she always motivated her son to excel in life. He also didn’t disappoint her and first cracked IIT, then GATE, and finally UPSC CSE.
In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, Dongre Revaiah shared his journey from a small village in Komaram Bheem district in Telangana to one of the most elitist professions in the country.
A COLLECTOR INSPIRED HIM
Revaiah did his schooling from Telangana Social Welfare Residential School Asifabad till 10th and then moved to TSWR Junior College in Hyderabad for his Intermediate. Owing to his hardwork and dedication, he cracked IIT JEE and was allotted a seat in IIT Madras. However, he didn’t have enough money to register for it. Then, the DC of his district came to his rescue and his gesture inspired Revaiah to go for UPSC CSE.
Speaking to Indian Masterminds he said, “Twenty thousand rupees was required for my registration but mother didn’t have that much money. Then the district came forward to help and crown funded the amount with the help of some people in my Mandal. I saw this and thought, if I will be on this post, then I too can help many people.”
After completing his graduation, he cleared GATE with AIR 70 and landed a job in ONGC. As he needed financial security during his UPSC preparation, he continued with the job and appeared for CSE 2021 and missed the list by two marks. This gave him the confidence that he can do it, so he resigned and appeared again with full strength and preparation. This time he got through. He mostly did his study on his own and took help of coaching for the optional, Mathematics.
MOTHER WILL CONTINUE HER JOB
Even after his success, Revaiah’s mother would continue her job. She feels lot of gratitude towards that work as it provided livelihood to her family when she needed it the most. Being a caring son, Mr. Revaiah wants his mother to take rest now as she has been continuously working for the last 20 years, but respects her decision. He even suggested that now she can cook using her own money and serve among the children. “The salary of a cook is around Rs. 1500 and that is also not released on time. Besides that, they have to bring the groceries on their own and the bill is reimbursed. This doesn’t allow them to bring the best of items for the children. Now, we can afford it, so I have suggested my mother to cook with her own money and distribute,” said Revaiah. This will give immense happiness and satisfaction to his mother and him, too.
STICK TO YOUR DREAM
For him, education is the biggest tool of change. He was the first from his village to get into IIT, and after him, many others aspired and went to NIIT and other colleges. He says, “Education helped me and my financial status. At the same time, this inspired many to dream big and achieve.”
His message to all the aspirants is to dream big, no matter what financial background they come from. “The difficulties will come, but sticking to it will change your lives. Anyone can achieve anything with determination and dedication.”
