https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

A Lone Journey To Regain Self-Respect 

Indian Masterminds Stories

Komal Ganatra’s UPSC journey is a journey of self-discovery, self-respect and pride of every young and innocent girl who marries and tries her best to settle down in her new family but gets cheated and abused instead. Since childhood, most of these girls are groomed to get married, manage house, and take care of the family, and advised to put everything else, including studies and career, on a backseat. 

Komal Ganatra, too, grew up believing her priority in life is getting married into a good household, until she was jolted back to reality by her husband abandoning her and she realised that she was cheated. 

However, unlike most, she chose to chase her career instead of chasing her husband. She focused on rebuilding her self-respect and pride instead of trying to mend a broken marriage. She made UPSC her goal, cleared it, and today she is an administrative officer in the Ministry of Defence. 

Today, Indian Masterminds takes a look at her inspirational journey till here – a journey filled with hard work, self-confidence and steely determination to build a life for herself on her own. 

FIGHT FOR IDENTITY 

Ms. Ganatra had graduated in three subjects (English, Sanskrit and Hindi) and had also done her engineering from distance. Her father was a teacher who always supported her and taught her to be ambitious. She grew up with two younger brothers. After completing her studies, she started preparing for competitive exams while working as a teacher. 

She cleared the mains exam for Gujarat civil services but got married to an NRI soon after. She was happy and in love with her husband, looking forward to a new life when suddenly her seemingly-fairy tale world came crashing down on her. Just 15 days after the wedding, her husband left for New Zealand and never came back. 

Komal Ganatra with her family

This sudden desertion left her in shock. She even tried to go to New Zealand to look for her husband and tried for a visa. While doing all this, she realized that one can’t be brought back forcefully. Echoing that thought, she had said in a video conversation: “I asked myself if following somebody is the only purpose of my life. The answer was no. I left my GPCS interview because my husband didn’t want that. But that was the time to focus on my career. Everybody had different suggestions for me, but I had decided to first build my career.”

She decided to appear for UPSC to make a career for herself. It was not just about clearing the exam and becoming a civil services officer, but it was also her fight to get her identity and self-respect back. 

DON’T FOLLOW ANYBODY

It was not easy to start the preparation. Ms. Ganatra didn’t have any financial support. She took up a government job of teaching and shifted to a small village which was 40 km away from her parent’s home. “There was no internet connection and no English newspapers were available. I was away from the competition world and was preparing in peace and silence. I never took off from the school, and on every Saturday and Sunday, travelled to Ahmedabad for coaching. This continued till I cleared my exam”, said Ms. Ganatra. 

After continuous effort for four years, she finally cleared the exam in her fifth attempt. She gave the exam in Gujarati medium and was the topper of Gujarati literature in UPSC CSE 2012. 

COURTING SUCCESS

The officer firmly believes in charting out one’s own path and following it to reach one’s goals. She strongly advocates against following anybody blindly with the hope of having a successful life. She went after what she wanted the most and achieved it in style. She did not let a bad marriage and sudden adversity pull her down. Neither did she indulge in self-pity. Instead, she emerged stronger, focused on building her life on her own, and cleared India’s toughest exam to become a civil services officer. 

She remarried and got second time lucky as she found a supportive and loving husband. Today, Komal Ganatra is a successful officer, a successful wife, and a successful mother. 


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
SJVN
Leadership Continuity: Rajendra Prasad Goyal Given Additional Charge as Director (Finance) of SJVN Ltd- Know more about Him
government-of-haryana
Haryana Government Transfers 2 IPS, 13 HPS Officers in Major Police Reshuffle- Check Details
scam
‘Hello, This is IPS Officer Speaking…’: 9th-Pass Youth Tricks Cops in Three States with Fake Voice Scam
Screenshot 2025-07-18 214334
L&T Chairman Mr. S.N. Subrahmanyan’s FY25 Remuneration Jumps Nearly 50% to Rs. 76.25 Crore!
bureaucracy news
Appointments Update: IRS Kommisetty Murlidhar to Join Andhra Govt; Jay Nath Yadav Inducted into IAS
Indian Overseas Bank (IOB)
Indian Overseas Bank Plans Rs. 4,000 Crore Fundraising via QIP; Net Profit Soars 76% in Q1 FY26
Paresh Saxena IPS
IPS Officer Dr Paresh Saxena Protests Empanelment Denial, Returns President’s Distinguished Service Medal
Screenshot 2025-07-18 212145
Chhattisgarh: CM Vishnu Deo Sai Unveils ‘Anjor Vision @ 2047’ - A Bold Roadmap for a Developed Future!
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
promila gupta
The Secret of The Secret – How To Make The Universe Conspire For You
AI 171 CRASH
AAIB Initial Probe In AI-171 Crash Questioned By Aviation Experts
Ravi Kapoor
Why Ex-IRS Officer Ravi Kapoor Walked Away from Power
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Bhavesh Royada
“People often don’t put in the effort required for exams of this level,” Bhavesh Royada
Bhavesh Royada left a stable engineering job to follow his passion for nature. Overcoming failures and...
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-14 at 15.58
The Economist Who Became an IFS Officer
How Abhimanyu Gahlaut balanced global economics and civil services dreams to crack UPSC with AIR 38
Disha Dwivedi UPSC
How Disha Dwivedi Cracked UPSC in Her Sixth Attempt with Unshakable Determination
Disha Dwivedi’s UPSC journey from five prelims failures to securing AIR 672 in 2024 showcases strategic...
Social Media
Screenshot 2025-07-18 203508
Majestic Tiger Rescue and Release in Sundarbans Captivates the Internet: IFS Susanta Nanda Shares Video On X
The video captures the tiger’s strength, agility, and instinct—a breathtaking sight as the big cat slices...
Standing Leopard
Leopard Stuns Internet by Standing on Two Legs Like a Meerkat
A rare video of a leopard standing on two legs in Kruger Park stuns viewers and goes viral across social...
G S Roshni
Kerala’s Fearless Forest Officer G.S. Roshni Rescues 16-Foot King Cobra with Bare Hands, Garners Praise & Critique
Beat Forest Officer G.S. Roshni’s first-ever king cobra rescue goes viral, earning her the title of ‘Green...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
SJVN
Leadership Continuity: Rajendra Prasad Goyal Given Additional Charge as Director (Finance) of SJVN Ltd- Know more about Him
government-of-haryana
Haryana Government Transfers 2 IPS, 13 HPS Officers in Major Police Reshuffle- Check Details
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
promila gupta
AI 171 CRASH
Ravi Kapoor
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT