Difficult to believe, isn’t it?
Rukmani was born to retired Deputy District Attorney of Hoshiarpur, Baljinder Singh Riar and his wife Takdeer Kaur, a homemaker, in Gurdaspur district, Punjab. An only child, the young girl, was sent to boarding schooling, Sacred Heart School at Dalhousie in Himachal Pradesh.
Moving to a new environment, away from home had caused so much anxiety and pressure over the years, that she failed class VI.
Recalling the difficult phase in an interview with Rediff, she says, “I was in Class IV when my parents moved me to Sacred Heart School, a boarding school in Dalhousie. I was young and could not cope up with the change. I flunked Class VI. I was not academically bright, but failing in school was depressing even then. My peers looked down upon me. I felt very disappointed that I had let down my teachers and parents. That’s why I am scared of failure. Initially, I sulked and felt bad about myself. But after some time, I realised that sulking was not the solution to my situation.”
She knew that if she had to succeed, she would eventually have to find a way.
She continues, “I decided to work hard. I wanted to show everyone that if I were given an opportunity, I would definitely make it worthwhile. And when I succeeded, I saw the dramatic change in people’s behaviour. I started liking the way my efforts and hard work were appreciated. I think that was when I made friends with success.”
The young girl later moved to Guru Nanak Dev University at Amritsar. She was a gold medalist in her Post Graduation in Social Sciences from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
Her internships with the Planning Commission of India and NGOs like Ashodaya in Mysore and Annapurna Mahila Mandal in Mumbai exposed her to the underlying problems. She realised that the use of social policies and developmental schemes could help could help alleviate these.
She also worked with the Centre for Equity Studies, New Delhi under social activist Harsh Mander, to help improve urban slums like Jama Masjid and Yamuna Pushta.
She told
Rediff, “I realised that problems vary according to the geography, climate and culture of people. While primary education for girls is a major concern in northern India, several youngsters are falling prey to drug addiction along the borders of Punjab and several slum areas.
“I also realised that there are government schemes for each of these problems, but as a famous bureaucrat once said, ‘for every one rupee spent by the government, only ten paise reaches the needy.’ Be it the National Rural Health Mission Scheme or the Anganwadi Scheme, they are not implemented properly, and hence the poor and underprivileged don’t get what they deserve.”
Unlike most of her peers and counterparts who studied for 10 to 12 hours a day, Rukmani only studied for six hours. For her exam that was scheduled in June 2011, she started preparing in August 2010.
“I had a year’s time to prepare. I relied on the NCERT textbooks for study material and set daily targets — about six hours of study a day. Consistency was another factor. I know friends who study for 10 to 12 hours a day and then take a break. So they forget what they’ve learned and have to spend extra hours revising. I ensured that I studied every day so as not to overburden myself when the exams approached,” she said.
Rukmani was overwhelmed when the results arrived. She had become an overnight sensation not only in Punjab but also around the country. Congratulatory emails, calls, messages and media attention flooded in.
The year Rukmani cracked the civil service exams several women candidates also emerged successful. (You can read the stories of the eight women candidates who made it to the Top 25 list of UPSC rankers here.)
Proud of her other women counterparts setting the trend, she had then
said, “I have always felt that girls are hard-working and strong-willed. If given an opportunity, they can definitely shine and showcase their talents. At a time when girls have to fight social crimes like female foeticide, denial of primary education and dowry deaths, I am proud that we are setting a bright example for the future.”
Her concluding message was indeed soup for the soul for UPSC aspirants and young students who give up in the face of failure.“Failure isn’t bad, but it is up to each one of us, whether to take it as a lesson or a punishment. If you are willing to work hard, you can overcome any obstacle that stands in your way. The country needs the support and cooperation of its people to evolve from its current condition. You may not become a successful bureaucrat or join the civil services, but if you ever get chance to serve the people in some way, you must not hesitate to take up the opportunity,” she told
