https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

From Selling Eggs to Clearing UPSC

IAS officer Manoj Kumar Rai faced strings of problems but came out a winner. To make ends meet at one time, he had to sell eggs and vegetables on the street, but that didn’t stop him from clearing UPSC.
Indian Masterminds Stories

“Where there is a will, there is a way” – we have all heard this phrase since we were practically kids and have come across various examples of the same in our life. Let’s come across another shining example of someone whose strong will created a shining way ahead of him.

When a street hawker cleared one of the most difficult examinations of the country, people were stunned. The work of a civil servant is to bridge the huge gap between the deprived sections of the government and the society and if he himself comes from a deprived family or area, then he is better aware of the lack of facilities and the difficulty that these people have to go through. After all, he has the firsthand experience!

IAS officer Manoj Kumar Rai’s story is a living example of the fact that if you really want to get something in life, your hard work and determination will definitely lead you to it one day.

FROM BIHAR TO DELHI

Mr. Rai was born and brought up in a small village named Supaul in Bihar. His father worked day and night to make ends meet, but somehow it never felt enough. Mr. Rai had seen his family go through extremely hard times since he was a little kid.

At home, he was frequently taught that money trumped education, and that is what he needed to focus on. Keeping this thought in mind, he travelled to Delhi to look for jobs that might give him enough remuneration to support his family.

BECAME AN EGG VENDOR FOR LIVING

Mr Rai moved to Delhi in 1996, but the transition was jarring. It was difficult for a village boy to adjust in the big city and he was overwhelmed. But he decided to stay back and find a job. He tried his hand in a lot of places but failed every time. To stay in the city, he had to pay for his accommodation and food and finding no other option left, he decided to open an egg and vegetable cart in order to sustain himself.

He sat close to the prestigious Jawahar Lal Nehru University and delivered ration to the place. That is when he met students from the university who provided him with the right guidance.

“They advised me to complete my studies. I thought getting a degree would help me find a decent job. So I joined Sri Aurobindo College (evening) and completed my BA in 2000, while selling eggs and vegetables” he shared in an interview.

Mr. Manoj being congratulated

BABY STEPS TOWARDS UPSC

After Mr Rai completed his graduation, he was advised to try his luck in UPSC. He was skeptical about it at first, but finally decided to give it a try.

“Honestly, I wanted to study more but I did not have the financial resources. I took some days to figure out if I really wanted to get into civil services and work as a bureaucrat, and finally, made up my mind to give it a try,” he said.

Mr. Rai decided to take Geography as his optional subject and moved to Patna to study under a renowned lecturer, Rash Bihari Prasad Singh. The year was 2001. He prepared for three years and gave his first attempt in 2005. To fend for himself, he started taking private tuitions for school students and also joined a UPSC coaching. Unfortunately, he failed in the first attempt at UPSC.

In his second attempt, English language proved to be a barrier for him. “In UPSC, clearing English and one regional language paper is mandatory. So if one does not clear either, other papers like General Studies and Optional subject will not be evaluated. The language papers are like qualifying papers whose marks will not be evaluated in the final mark sheet. I failed to clear English paper and my entire year’s hard work was wasted” he stated.

He could not clear the mains and interview in his third attempt either.

SUCCESS AT LAST

By the time he went for his fourth attempt, Mr. Rai was already 30 years old. He knew he had to be extra cautious this time, and studied hard day and night. He planned new techniques and strategies for learning.

“Instead of studying for the Prelims, I first completed the Mains syllabus. By doing this, I had automatically covered 80 per cent of the prelims syllabus. I also diligently read NCERT textbooks of class 6-12. That strengthened my basic concepts needed for General Studies,” he stated in an interview.

The strategy worked and Mr. Rai finally cleared the UPSC examination in 2010 with AIR-870, making his family and his entire village proud of him!

FREE COACHING FOR STUDENTS

Learning from his own struggles, Mr. Rai realized that several aspirants cannot afford coaching centers, so he decided to dedicate his weekends to impart free coaching. He would travel 110 km from Nalanda to Patna and groom the aspirants. His first posting was in his home state as an administrative officer at the Rajgir Ordinance factory in Bihar’s Nalanda district.


Today, Mr. Rai is an Assistant Commissioner posted at IOFS, Kolkata and is guiding and inspiring UPSC aspirants.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Odisha Government
Odisha Elevates Two Promising IFS Officers to Senior Time Scale, Strengthening Forest Leadership - Know More About Them
Yogi Adityanath UP
Uttar Pradesh Floods: CM Yogi Adityanath Forms ‘Team-11’ for Swift and Transparent Flood Relief Across 12 Districts
DGR Job Fair
DGR Job Fair 2025 Held in Delhi to Empower Ex-Servicemen with Career Opportunities in Emerging Tech - Details Inside
omc
Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) Begins Dispatch from Dubna Mines, Strengthening Supply Chain and Industrial Growth
NFDC
NFDC Launches Free Residential 3D Animation & VFX Training for North East Youth - Here's All You Need To Know
CM Yogi
CM Yogi Adityanath Reviews Rs. 42,891 Crore Development Proposals for Lucknow Division, Emphasizes Timely, Inclusive Execution
Mahanadi River
Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai Assures Odisha of Consideration on an Amicable Solution to Mahanadi Water Dispute
MP News
Madhya Pradesh CM Dr. Mohan Yadav Pays Tribute to Pt. Ravishankar Shukla on His Birth Anniversary
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
How IAS Karn Satyarthi Transformed Gumla Through Empathy and Innovation
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi’s Take on Corruption, Reform, and Duty
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
What Most Indians Don't Know About Jim Corbett
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
BPSC Bihar police
From Lantern Light to Police Uniform: How Praveen Kumar from a Small Bihar Village Cracked BPSC to Become SDPO
From a lantern-lit village in Bihar to becoming an SDPO, Praveen Kumar's journey is a testament to resilience,...
IAS Priyansha Garg
Why Mindset Matters: IAS Priyansha Garg’s Mental Health Mantra for UPSC
After two failed prelims, Priyansha Garg cracked UPSC with AIR 31 in her fourth attempt, proving how...
Ashish Akshat
From Setback to State Topper: How Ashish Akshat Topped JPSC While Working Full-Time
Ashish Akshat from Dhanbad topped JPSC 2023, proving that resilience, discipline, and family support...
Social Media
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve: From India’s First Sanctuary to a Tiger Conservation Success Story | International Tiger Day Special
IAS Supriya Sahu Hails Mudumalai's Role in Tiger Conservation on Tiger Day. Declared in 1940, Now Among...
Mangroves
Mangroves: Nature’s Shield Against Disasters, Says Officer Parveen Kaswan on Mangroves Day - Watch His Post Here
Mangroves, with their dense, interlaced root systems, form a mesh-like structure that serves as a buffer...
Retired IPS Inderjit Singh Sidhu
Purpose Doesn’t Retire: How 88-Year-Old Retired DIG Becomes Chandigarh’s ‘Quiet Warrior’ of Cleanliness
Inderjit Singh Sidhu’s Dawn Patrol Earns Applause, Mahindra’s Praise for a Man Who Chose Action Over...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Odisha Government
Odisha Elevates Two Promising IFS Officers to Senior Time Scale, Strengthening Forest Leadership - Know More About Them
Yogi Adityanath UP
Uttar Pradesh Floods: CM Yogi Adityanath Forms ‘Team-11’ for Swift and Transparent Flood Relief Across 12 Districts
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT