https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

How Coolie No 343 Managed To Crack CSE With Just A Smart Phone And Free WiFi

Sreenath K, who worked as a porter in railway stations, cleared UPSC CSE in his fourth attempt by making use of free wifi in platforms to study. Sreenath saved enough from what little money he earned as a porter to buy a smartphone, an earphone, a memory card, and a sim card. This he did,so that he could use the phone for online classes. The phone was his only available resource for CSE preparation. The Report is by Himangi Agrawal.
Indian Masterminds Stories

Mobile phones are considered both a boon and a bane these days. While most parents quite naturally worry about the unrestricted and unlimited availability of the internet at the tap of a finger, for some students, the handset is a blessing as it provides them with access to a wide range of study materials, which otherwise they could have never managed to lay their hands on. Resources which, otherwise, can be had only by joining coaching institutes or by buying books that would burn a hole in the pocket, are now readily available on the net.

Sreenath K falls in the later category. For this Kerala boy, the mobile phone became the foundation stone for the building of his civil services career. No wonder he invested his hard-earned meagre savings on a smart phone. This phone became his only resource for his preparation for the tough exam.

His journey to UPSC and, thereafter, into civil services is no less than a wonder! A railway porter who toils hard for his living makes use of whatever little free time he gets, to use free wifi in the railway platform on his smart phone, for online classes for CSE preparation. And, in this way, he managed to crack the prestigious exam!

Today, Indian Masterminds presents the awe-inspiring true-life story of this wonder boy from Kerala.

COOLIE NO 343

His real-life story runs like a reel-life one, all at once both unbelievable and fascinating. Sreenath K is a resident of Munnar and worked as a coolie (railway porter)in Ernakulam, Kerala. He lived in Ernakulam with his family. A middle-class family, and he the sole bread earner. He became an authorized porter -Coolie No. 343 – after passing the essential physical test and was at this job for five years. His was a tough job and he had a tough life. But then, he was a tough man and that is why he set his eyes on India’s toughest exam – UPSC CSE.

HOW UPSC DREAM WAS BORN

In 2018, at the age of 27, he realised that to support his family, he would need to earn more. He did not wish the same problems he faced as a child on his one-year-old daughter. So, to give her a good childhood, he decided to do something that would bring more earnings. He started doing night shifts to earn extra than the Rs 400-500 that he was earning per day.

When even working through the night could not bring in sufficient money, he started thinking on totally different lines and changed his track. He now started aiming higher and began nursing ambitious thoughts. Cracking UPSC Civil Services exam was one of them. He finally zeroed in on CSE and looked for ways to give wings to his dream.

GIVING WINGS TO THE DREAM

He had invested in a smart phone, he had free WiFi connection in the railway platform, and most importantly, he had a very strong will to achieve his goal. He decided to make the best use of all of them. In the meantime, he had changed base to Mumbai. In January 2016, the government provided free WiFi service in Mumbai Central railway station, where he was working as a porter now. This came as a big and timely help for Sreenath to prepare for the UPSC exam. He started studying with the help of online classes.

CSE SUCCESS

While preparing for UPSC, Sreenath appeared for and cracked the written exam of Kerala Public Service Exam, KPSC. After that, it took him four attempts to clear the UPSC Civil Services exam. All the while, he worked hard and never gave up. He did not give up his porter job either! It was not an option for him at all to leave the job of a porter as he had a family to take care of. Finally, he cleared CSE in his 4th attempt.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HIS STORY

Sreenath K’s inspiring UPSC journey can teach all aspirants two things: firstly, they should never give up and keep on trying until success comes to them, and secondly, how they can take advantage of the little things around them and achieve their goals.

But the most important lesson of all is to never ever give up on one’s dreams, howsoever unattainable they may seem. The trick is to keep on taking one baby step after another till the goalpost is just a step away.

Moral of the story: Success always befriends the one who is willing to strive hard for it, because every hard work gets paid sooner or later.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
ONGC_resized
ONGC to Invest ₹8,110 Crore in Andhra Pradesh for Drilling 172 Oil and Gas Wells After Environmental Clearance
BEL Bharat Electronics Limited
BEL CVO IRSSE Officer Nilabhra Sengupta Prematurely Repatriated to Parent Cadre Before Completing One-Year Tenure
CANSSEA
Nagaland Employees to Begin 3-Day Pen Down Strike from Oct 14 Over IAS Induction Row - Details Inside
bureaucracy news
IRS Sandeep Ahuja Named OSD to Jitin Prasada; IAAS Dharmendra Singh Gets Defence Extension; IPS Gaurav Garg Appointed DIG in NHRC
Karnataka
Karnataka: Siddaramaiah Govt Transfers 3 IAS Officers; Sivakumar K.B. Gets Additional Charge of BMTC
up police vama wellness
UP Police Launches Landmark Health Drive: Over 9,500 Personnel & Families Attend VAMA Wellness Camp
IFS Parvathaneni Harish
Who Is Senior IFS Parvathaneni Harish? The Officer Slams Pakistan at UNSC, Recalls 1971 Genocide and Mass Rape of 400,000 Women
Punjab_govt_resized
Punjab: 2 IAS Officers Transferred in Late Evening Move, Jaspreet Singh Takes Over as MD of Punjab INFOTECH
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IDES Saquib Alam
UPSC Strategy & Mindset Tips from IDES Officer Saquib Alam | Video Interview 
Dr G K Goswami IPS
Everything you ever wanted to know about e-murder, e-dacoity and data safety
IFS Ravikant Meena UPSC IFS
Ravikant Meena on IFS Preparation, Optionals, and Life in Forest Service
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IDES Saquib Alam
UPSC Strategy & Mindset Tips from IDES Officer Saquib Alam | Video Interview 
Discover how IDES officer Saquib Alam left his corporate job at Mahindra, overcame six UPSC attempts,...
Utkarsh Ujjwal IAS
IAS Utkarsh Ujjwal Shares Key Advice for UPSC Aspirants: Work Ethic, Failure, and Focus
Read the inspiring journey of IAS Utkarsh Ujjwal, 2023 batch, Gujarat cadre. From IIT Guwahati to clearing...
Sagar Datta Majumdar UPSC CSE 2024 AIR 317
“Don’t get trapped in the vicious cycle of self-doubt,” says UPSC Achiever Sagar Datta Majumdar
Discover how Sagar Datta Majumdar from Agartala, Tripura, cracked UPSC CSE 2024 with All India Rank 317....
Social Media
World Rhino Day India
On World Rhino Day, IFS Officer Parveen Kaswan Shares Rare Insights - India Now Hosts 80% of the World’s One-Horned Rhinos
September 22 Marks Global Call for Rhino Conservation; India Holds 80% of World’s Greater One-Horned...
Parag Madhukar Dhakate
Relentless Rains Wreak Havoc in Dehradun: IFS officer PM Dhakate Warns Citizens Amid Flash Floods
Cloudbursts in Dehradun triggered flash floods. IFS officer Dr. PM Dhakate warned citizens to stay indoors...
Forest Guard Tiger Encounter
Tigers Clash in the Wild as Forest Guards Capture Rare Footage , Retired IFS Mohan Pargaien Posts Viral Video
Retired IFS officer Mohan Pargaien shares viral video of three tigers brawling in Ramnagar, as forest...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
ONGC_resized
ONGC to Invest ₹8,110 Crore in Andhra Pradesh for Drilling 172 Oil and Gas Wells After Environmental Clearance
BEL Bharat Electronics Limited
BEL CVO IRSSE Officer Nilabhra Sengupta Prematurely Repatriated to Parent Cadre Before Completing One-Year Tenure
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IDES Saquib Alam
Dr G K Goswami IPS
IFS Ravikant Meena UPSC IFS
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT