Hrudaya Kumar from Odisha saw poverty from close quarters as his father was a BPL farmer, and growing up, life was not so easy for him. He also saw disappointment very closely as his passion was cricket and he wanted to make a career out of it but couldn’t. But, once he set his eyes on UPSC, there was no looking back for him, and he stopped only when he cracked the CSE exam in his third attempt.
SON OF A FARMER
Born and brought up in Angulai, a remote village in the Kendrapara district of Odisha, Hrudaya is the son of a below poverty line farmer. He completed his schooling at a government school in the village and usually always stood first in class.
Young Hrudaya had his heart set on cricket. The sport was his passion, and he even represented his district in an inter-district cricket championship match. He wanted to make a career in the field, but fate had other plans.
“In primary and high school level, I excelled in studies. However, in plus two science, I passed in the second class. That was a setback that I could hardly digest. I was good at cricket. I had represented the Kendrapara district team in the Kalahandi Cup inter-district cricket tournament. I was caught in a dilemma whether to concentrate on cricket or studies. But my father advised me to go for higher studies. And that was the end of cricket for me as I wanted to fulfill my father’s wish. I never looked back since,” an emotional Hrudaya had shared with media after his UPSC success.
HIGHER STUDIES
After completing his secondary education, Hrudaya decided to go for a professional course. Therefore, he enrolled himself for a five-year integrated MCA course at Utkal University in Bhubaneshwar, Orissa.
“I feel proud being the son of a hardworking farmer. We own 1.5 acres of irrigated farmland. My father still toils in fields to support the family. He had to dispose of land to meet our study expenses. My younger brother Rashmi Ranjan is studying MBA,” Hrudaya said.
It was during his years at the university that he decided to pursue civil services. He utilized the studious environment and started preparing for the civil services exam.
CRACKED UPSC IN THIRD ATTEMPT
For a long period of time, Hrudaya juggled between his preparation for UPSC and his university studies. During that time, he was also posted in the Jajpur district, Orissa, as Prime Minister Rural Development Fellow (PMRDF). His job was to interact with tribals in Naxalite-infested areas and oversee the implementation of poverty alleviation and welfare programs in backward areas. The Union Rural Development ministry was paying a hefty salary for the job assigned to him.
This job made him understand the plight of tribals even more and his will to get into civil services became stronger. He gave the examination but wasn’t able to crack it in the first two attempts.
However, perseverance and hard work paid dividends with Hrudaya tasting success in his third attempt in the civil services examination. “I believe that sincere labor never goes unpaid. By dint of determination and willpower, I had set the civil service target. But for family support, my civil service dream could never have been realized,” he concluded.
