Vivek Chauhan’s story may remind any one of the fabled king who failing repeatedly to conquer an enemy fort, had taken shelter in some forlorn ruins. He had no courage and left for further battle. But, an ant carrying a grain twice her size, managing to climb a wall in her 20th attempt inspired him to rise again.
Vivek working against all odds conquered the UPSC in his sixth attempt. He used to commute by train for six hours a day to go school from class 8th onwards. He worked as a primary teacher for four years, got married, had children before deciding to go for the UPSC Civil Services exam. He kept on failing to clear the last hurdle, but would rise again for next battle because of the story of an ‘ant’. In this case, he himself was the ‘ant’.
Whenever he felt the odds had become insurmountable, his family members and friends would remind him that he was like the ‘fabled ant’ who just doesn’t give up till the target was achieved. It was a real story from his childhood that his parents would narrate to him to egg him on. His parents had sent him to buy a loaf of bread from the nearby market when he was just six years old. But none of the shops near his house had bread. He went a little further looking for it. He didn’t wish to go back home empty handed. He finally found one three kms away.
Whenever he gave up hope, his parents would tell him that steely resolve and determination was his forte from a young age. They used to tell him how he walked 3 kms to fetch bread at such a tender age, and how could he be contended without clearing the UPSC. And Vivek would once again get down to his studies without heeding to the ridicule and scorn heaped upon him by people. His family’s belief in his abilities would rekindle his energies.
The Struggle
Vivek had a humble childhood. His family shifted to Ghaziabad, when he was in class 8th. Since his father could not afford to send him to a private school, it was decided that Vivek would continue studies in his government school in civil lines, Delhi – over 30 kms from his home. He used to wake up at 5 in the morning, get ready, take a train to Delhi and change two busses to reach school in time. It took him nearly 3 hours for one-side commute!
Life after school
After passing out the school, he joined teachers training program conducted by Municipal Corporation of Delhi. At 19 years age he took up a school teacher’s job. The school was sometimes visited by a higher education officer, who was a civil servant. He was impressed by the power and the authority of a civil servant and was inspired to become one himself!
But, he had already married and had family responsibilities to share. But his wife, Pooja Rani motivated him to take the exams with her. In his first attempt scored well without much preparation. His marks were more than enough encouragement for him.
He was from a Hindi medium background but there was not enough study material available online in Hindi. So he and his wife opted to study in English to save money on buying study material in Hindi. He knew it would require extra efforts, but he was ready for the challenge. He prepared general knowledge himself and joined a coaching to study his optional subject history.
The Exams
When Vivek decided to go for the UPSC, he was already 26. That meant he had only four attempts to clear the exam and he had already lost one due to half-hearted preparation. He wrote the examination again in 2011, but missed the cut-off by just 7 marks! Though he felt bad about the result, it gave him extra courage as he could see himself getting closer! For his third attempt, he gained help from his wife and his close friends. This time he was quite confident that he would clear the exam, but he missed the mark again, this time by 3 marks!
He somehow gathered himself to give his last and final attempt. He received help from a friend who had cleared the examination before and with utter optimism, gave the exam and waited for the result. As luck would have it, the cut-off for that year shot up to 241, and Vivek couldn’t clear his last attempt too.
He was heartbroken, and so was his family. His dream lay shattered right in front of his eyes and he felt as if his world had come crashing down. With no option left, he resumed his teaching job. Frequent taunts and sarcasm of his colleagues in the school, used to aggravate his hurt and despair.
A Ray of hope
Then suddenly a ray of hope came from the UPSC which enhanced the eligible age by two years to take it to 32 years. This was a godsend opportunity for Vivek and he was determined to go that extra mile this time.
In his 5th attempt, he cleared the prelims but was not able to clear the interview stage. Now, with only the last and final attempt left, he was prepared to give it his all. He focused all his energy on his preparation and analyzed all his past mistakes, to avoid making them again.
He finally hit the jackpot on 10th May, 2016 when he cleared the UPSC test with All India Rank (AIR) of 300! He joy knew no limits. He had arrived in the Big Arena.
The Take Aways
Vivek believes confidence and perseverance play a major role in deciding one’s career path. He recalls the time, in 2010, when he scored well in his first attempt, without even properly preparing for the exam.
Vivek feels that with power come great responsibilities too. ‘Working in the day and resting at night’, doesn’t work in the life of a civil servant. They have to be ready at all times, to work for the betterment of their country. And Vivek loves the fact that he is getting to serve his nation, just like he had dreamt and planned.
Soon after entering the service Vivek realized, that bureaucrats had a major image problem. He feels ethics and values are the most significant virtues in the bureaucracy, as they are the ones who carry the expectation and responsibilities of the whole nation on their shoulders.
With the motivation of his family and his own determination and hard-work, a middle class boy from Ghaziabad proved to the nation that failure should never stop anyone and with sheer willpower and enthusiasm, one can achieve his dreams and the life that he wishes for!
