Financial constraints could not deter my dreams, says UPSC rank-holder from Jagner, Agra – Times of India

The beginning

Sachin is the only one of six siblings who could pursue his academic interest. “My father and elder brother run a small cement shop and my mother is a housewife. All four of my sisters are married,” he says. The family lived in Jagner village up until a couple of years ago, when Sachin’s father sold a small piece of land and the family moved to the city. “Currently, we live in a small, rented accommodation and we are building a small house of our own,” tells Sachin.

Till class V, Sachin studied in a government school in his village. “It was deterring to study in a school with dilapidated building and disinterested teachers rarely visiting the classes,” he says.

Beacon of hope

Sachin came across a newspaper ad of Vidyagyan, a residential school for underprivileged students, which changed his life. “I passed the school’s entrance test. “Although nervous in the beginning, being part of a group that came from a similar financial background made all worries fade,” he says.

Academics-wise

Sachin was always a mediocre student. “In class XI, the morning assemblies addressed by our principal became a great source of inspiration. The school head reinstated that our future is what we would make of it. Even if we have not been excellent students thus far, we have the power to change our tomorrow,” he tells.

At this time, Sachin was attracted by inspiring stories of UPSC graduates that were featured in a magazine that came regularly to school. “An Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer had come to school for a talk, which made me resolve to give and crack the UPSC exam,” he tells.

Confused about the way forward, Sachin read an article exploring the journey of a UPSC topper, where he had finished graduation before attempting the Civil Services exam to become the All-India rank 1 holder at the age of 22. “I decided to adopt the same route. I did my standard XII in Science stream and scored 93.4% in boards. I pursued BA (History Honours) from Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi and started preparing for UPSC at the same time,” he says.