He could not get into the IITs. Flunked one semester in Petroleum Engineering. Unable to get a job placement, he taught in a civil services coaching institute. He aspired for Rajasthan state civil services but didn’t go for the interview. His story may remind anyone of movie ‘12th Fail’ but Ashok Charan, like the Bollywood hero, cleared the UPSC examination and got into Indian Revenue Service in 2016, and made such a mark for himself that he was the only IRS Officer to be chosen for the Excellence Award by Union Finance Minister Ms Nirmala Sitharaman, on Income Tax Day in 2024.
He spoke in detail to Indian Masterminds on his struggles, career, training and hobbies.
Please click here to watch the full interview…
Mr Charan is an accomplished singer. He performed on one of the most difficult kawwalis ever recorded in India, during the Valediction Function of the 2015 IRS batch at National Academy of Direct Taxes (NADT), Nagpur. There is hardly any function of Income Tax officers in Rajasthan without Mr Charan’s performance.
He is also an avid cricketer besides having developed a keen interest in film making. Under tutelage of an avid film maker Mr Sudhanshu Shekhar Jha, who is also the Chief Commissioner Income Tax, Rajasthan,Mr Charan has learnt finesse of film direction and acting.
His career has just begun. He has a long way to go. Indian Masterminds wishes him success in all his future endeavours – official as well as personal.
