This is not just another story of UPSC aspirants who had to struggle hard to reach the pinnacle of success. It is a success story with elements of great heroism attached to it. Today, Indian Masterminds presents the inspiring story of Mr. Rinkoo Singh Rahee, who cleared UPPCS exam at a young age to become an officer but ended up with 7 bullets in his jaw for exposing a scam.
However, even bullets could not deter him from his real goal in life – to clear UPSC. It took multiple attempts amid lots of drama and lows in life to finally crack CSE 2021, securing all India rank 683. His success in the 16th attempt proves yet again that with single-minded focus, hard work and consistency, India’s toughest exam can also be cracked.
We interacted with Mr. Rinkoo Singh Rahee to bring to you more details about his awe-inspiring journey.
WHO IS RINKOO SINGH RAHEE?
Rinkoo Singh Rahee is currently Social Welfare Officer and Director of UP IAS PCS Coaching Centre in Hapur. In 2008, he was shot at 7 times by local goons for exposing a scam worth 83 crores in the social welfare department. His face got distorted in this attack, but not his courage, neither his confidence.
He was still firm on his mission against corruption and his journey towards UPSC. In fact, he felt more empowered after this incident and prepared with renewed vigour for the UPSC exam and cleared it in his 16thattempt.
Speaking with Indian Masterminds, he said, “I was not a very good UPSC aspirant. The reason is, I always gave priority to my job and did my duty with full dignity and dedication. That is why, I always had less time for preparation. Whenever I felt that I need to give time to my job, I did that instead of preparing for the exam. I always thought that if I compromise in my job for some purpose, then I might be compromised in future too, for many reasons.”
BEGINNING
Born in 1982, Mr. Rahee hails from Aligarh district, Uttar Pradesh. His father runs a small flour mill there. He did his primary education from his village in Hathras district. Then, he passed his Inter examination from Government Inter College, Aligarh. After getting good marks, he got a scholarship and did B.Tech in Metallurgy from NIT Jamshedpur in 2002. In the same year, he scored All India 17th rank in GATE that assured him a seat in his desired stream at any top technological institute. However, he opted for a civil service career instead.
In pursuit of his objective, he embarked on the journey to clear Uttar Pradesh Provincial Civil Services (UPPCS) examination in 2004. After clearing it, he was posted as district Social Welfare Officer in Muzaffarnagar in 2008. Over time he was promoted to the post of Director in the State Coaching Institute, where started teaching students preparing for civil services.
UPSC PREPRATION
He started his preparation in 2002 and qualified for the UP PCS in his first attempt. He gave PCS exam in 2004, the result came in 2007, and he got posting in 2008. His optional in UPPCS was Geology and Mathematics.
In UPSC CSE, his optional was Public Administration. He cracked Prelims many times but due to lack of proper guidance, could not clear Mains. His first Prelims was in 2003 after a 5-months study. He suggests that aspirants should not scatter their energy here or there. Just focus on the core preparation.
“Read fewer materials, but read many times. It enhances your selection chances. What I have seen is that aspirants gather so much resources to study that they are left with little or no time for timely revision before the exam. But for UPSC, revisions are very important. Hence, keep limited resource and keep adding important things from time to time.”
He also said that the formula for Mains is writing practice from the start. This was missing in his preparation earlier because of which he couldn’t clear it. He also suggest giving mocks for mains and updating currents affairs and making notes daily.
THE CASE THAT CHANGED HIS LIFE
The Social Welfare department in Muzaffarnagar used to distribute over 40 crores annually to beneficiaries under various state-run welfare schemes. Mr. Rahee ordered an inquiry into the allocation of funds in the last five years, soon after he arrived. He found serious discrepancies. After his complaints to department authorities, armed miscreants shot him six times when he was playing badminton on the morning of 26 March 2009. He got 7 bullets into his jaw. His jaw was severely damaged and he also lost the vision of one eye, but survived. Police found that the attack was carried out by local gangsters at the behest of welfare department officials.
Mr. Rahee said, “It was a brutal attack on March 26, 2009 when bullets pierced me and I lost one of my eyes, an ear, and damaged my jaw, which left me physically handicapped. I had to be in hospital for months but went on fighting and filed a case. The Muzaffarnagar court convicted those guilty, including the then accountant in the district social welfare office.”
CHANGES IN UPSC
About his preparation for UPSC, he said that since he started preparing long ago, he has seen all the changes in UPSC. He remarked that UPSC is continuously changing and there is a lot of difference between his earlier and recent preparations. Now CSAT has come in, optional subjects have changed, too. Even UPSC’s exam pattern has changed as the exam is more analytical now. “I have seen all this. So, you have to be updated. Try to be more smart and analytical in your study. Make proper current affairs notes.”
MESSAGE FOR ASPIRANTS
In his message for UPSC aspirants, he said that they meed to study smart with full dedication. If they are doing self-study, they should form contact other aspirants and form a study group. He also suggests getting in touch with their area PCS and IAS officers to get proper guidance. “You can beat civil services without coaching, but find an alternative for coaching, because coaching gives you consistency and teaches you lots of new things in a proper study atmosphere.”
In conclusion, he added that he always did his job with full dedication and honesty. “While continuing my fight against the deep-rooted corruption, teaching aspirants provided me with a positive energy that helped me to clear UPSC CSE. I was allowed 16 attempts as I am physically challenged.”
