https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

How a Bus Driver’s Daughter Made a Smooth Journey To UPSC

The daughter of a bus driver, IAS officer Preeti Hooda studied hard to provide a life of comfort to her family. Her dreams got realised when she finally cracked the UPSC examination in her second attempt.
Indian Masterminds Stories

Preparing for and clearing the UPSC examination is not an easy deal. It takes true strength, courage, and determination to crack the nation’s toughest exam – rightfully called, ‘the mother of all exams.’

Preparing for the exam is tough as it is, but if you belong to a family which does not have strong finances and needs to perform duties just to keep your family’s stomach filled, it becomes all the more difficult!

However, we have come across numerous examples when people have not given up because of their poor financial conditions, and in fact, have worked even harder to change their and their family’s future and live a life of respect and comfort. Today, Indian Masterminds brings you another example of this kind. This is the story of an Indian Administrative Service officer, Ms. Preeti Hooda, daughter of a bus driver, who did not let her financial condition come in the way of achieving her dream.

BRILLIANT STUDENT SINCE YOUNG

Since her school days, Preeti was exceptionally intelligent and had topped her class numerous times. She scored 77% in her class 10th examination and 87% in 12 th. Due to a not so strong financial condition, her family wanted her to do away with her studies and settle down in life. But she convinced them to let her study further by showing good results again and again.

She took admission to Laxmi Bai College in Delhi and graduated with 76% marks in Hindi subject. Her thirst for studying did not just stop there. She even pursued Ph.D. in Hindi from the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

Ms. Hooda is the daughter of a bus driver

NOT LETTING ATROCITIES DIVERT HER

Hailing from the small town of Bahadurgarh in Haryana, Ms. Hooda’s father drove the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses for a living. He worked day and night; driving busses from one place to another, but his income was meager.

Ms. Hooda kept her requirements to the lowest and studied hard for the examination. She focused on her studies entirely and never let anything sway her away from it. She started preparing for her UPSC exam alongside her Ph.D.

PREPARING FOR THE D-DAY

Ms. Hooda strategized her preparation. She selected Hindi as her medium as well as her optional subject. Sharing her strategy, she stated that she did not read a hundred books at a time but read one book a hundred times so that the concept settles down clearly in her head.

She gave her exam and was eagerly waiting for the result, but was disappointed when she came to know that she did not clear it.

She secured 288th rank in her second attempt

THE SECOND ATTEMPT

After failing one time, her will and motivation to clear the exam increased further. This time, she was aware of the mistakes that she had made previously and set on to correct them. Her first attempt already gave her an idea of the kind of questions that come and how to answer them in order to ace the exam.

She studied according to the syllabus and went on to give another attempt at cracking the exam. This time she was confident about her answers and her happiness knew no bounds when she saw the result. She had cracked the Civil Service Examination 2017 with an All India Rank of 288!

A PROUD FATHER

After seeing her UPSC result, her father was the first person that Ms. Hooda called to give the happy news. According to her, he was driving his bus when she had called him to tell her about her result and that she is now officially an Indian Administrative Service officer.

Her father’s happiness crossed cloud 9 and he praised her for the achievement, which was a rare spectacle in itself. “When the UPSC result came, I called my father. At that time, he was driving the bus. After hearing the result, my father said to me: – ‘Shabaash beta’ (Well done, my child). My father never congratulated me before, so this brought tears in my eyes” said Ms. Hooda.

RELAX WHILE PREPARING

Talking about the stressful preparation that aspirants usually do, Ms. Hooda stated that ‘`all work and no play makes jack a dull boy.” She expressed how important it is to keep taking breaks in between studies, so one doesn’t lose his/her sanity.

“You should have fun along with the preparation. Give yourself time to relax by watching movies,” she remarked. She believes that studying continuously for hours at stretch, without taking breaks to relax, may form mental blocks in a person’s head that might cause even lesser focus on studies.

Ambitious people never give up on dreams, come what may. In a competitive world, where people sweat it out to give absolutely everything to crack the exam, only very few have touched the pinnacle of success and IAS officer Ms. Hooda is an inspiration for all.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Mohan Yadav CM MP
Madhya Pradesh Aims to Be Global Wellness Hub: CM Mohan Yadav at Spiritual and Wellness Summit in Ujjain
UP Tourism
UP to Showcase Its Spiritual, Cultural Grandeur at PATA 2025 in Bangkok; Global Push for Tourism & Investment
Engineers India Limited EIL
Engineers India Ltd Expects 15–20% Rise in Turnover in FY26 Amid Record Order Book - Details Inside
BEL Bharat Electronics Limited
Bharat Electronics (BEL) & Tata Electronics Ink MoU to Boost Indigenous Semiconductor Solutions - Details Inside
Sanjay Malhotra IAS
RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra Cuts FY26 Inflation Forecast to 3.7%, Slashes Repo Rate to 5.5% - All Details Inside
ChhattisgarhGovt_resized
59 Police Officers Promoted in Chhattisgarh Police Department, Including 46 Inspectors to DSP Rank - Check Here
Hardeep S Puri: 11 Years of PM Modi
PM Modi’s 11 Years in Office: A Transformative Journey with Bold Strides in the Energy Sector
Karnataka
Karnataka ADGP Hemant Nimbalkar Transferred Amid Fallout from Bengaluru Stadium Stampede - All Details Here
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
Monika Singh’s Life Beyond the Bureaucracy | Video Interview 
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
Modernising Governance: A Digital Transformation in Gangtok
IMG-20250523-WA0036
Abhishek Singh's SECRET: Vipassana, Anthropology & Smart Answer Writing | Video Interview 
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Divyanshu Pal Nagar IFS
5 Years, 5 Mains, 4 Interviews: How Divyanshu Pal Nagar Stumbled in CSE, Triumphed in IFS - A Lesson for Every Aspirant
Divyanshu Pal Nagar’s inspiring five-year UPSC journey shows how perseverance, disciplined self-study,...
ANUBHAV SINGH UPSC IFS 2024
9 Years, 8 Attempts, 7 Failures: How Anubhav Singh Cracked UPSC IFS 2024 with AIR 3 Against All Odds | Exclusive
Anubhav Singh’s inspiring journey to UPSC IFS Rank 3 showcases relentless perseverance, strategic preparation,...
Jogender Sihag
“I Cleared UPSC, But My Grandfather isn’t Here to Hear it,” Jogender Sihag, AIR 521, UPSC CSE 2024
"Life is short; make the most of it, whether in civil service or any other field. Just have a clear vision...
Social Media
Tiger jump Sundarban
Stunning Viral Video Shows Royal Bengal Tiger Making Spectacular 30-Foot Leap Across River in Sunderbans - See It Here
Retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Susanta Nanda shared the clip online, which quickly went...
shubham kumar ias marriage
IAS Topper Weds BPSC Topper: Shubham Kumar Marries IRS Officer Priyangi Mehta in Patna; Wedding Video Goes Viral
Topper Couple Alert: Shubham Kumar, Priyangi Mehta’s Wedding Grabs Spotlight in Bihar
parveen kaswan elephant
Elephant Outsmarts Electric Fence! IFS Parveen Kaswan Shares Incredible Video!
In the now-viral 51-second clip, the intelligent giant approaches a wooden pole supporting high-voltage...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Mohan Yadav CM MP
Madhya Pradesh Aims to Be Global Wellness Hub: CM Mohan Yadav at Spiritual and Wellness Summit in Ujjain
UP Tourism
UP to Showcase Its Spiritual, Cultural Grandeur at PATA 2025 in Bangkok; Global Push for Tourism & Investment
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
IMG-20250523-WA0036
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT