“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.
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.
