There is no greater thrill than chasing after a dream that fuels your heart day and night. But there is no greater happiness than to find out that your dream has now turned into reality, only because despite the endless challenges you decided that giving up is not an option.
Every hurdle turns into a learning curve, and every setback is nothing more than a test of your determination and patience when you know that nothing can keep you away from your goal.
That’s exactly what it had been like for Pradeep Singh, who is known for having created history in 2018 by becoming the youngest Indian to crack the UPSC exam at the age of 22 by finishing in 93rd Rank. Currently serving as an officer in Indian Revenue Service as an Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax, Singh has now ranked 26th in UPSC 2019 exam.
Here is his supremely motivational story of fighting every odd and pursuing his dream.
The Backstory
Originally a native of Gopalganj in Bihar,
Pradeep Singh comes from a humble family that is currently living in Indore. In his family of four, Singh has his parents and his elder brother, all of whom he gives credit to for his success. In the early years of life, Singh grew up amid financial difficulties with his father as the only earning member in the family.
A son of a petrol pump serviceman Manoj, Singh grew up witnessing his father toil hard at the Diamond petrol pump in Niranjanpur Dewas Naka, Indore for more than 22 years. His mother, a housewife, did her best to make ends meet and support the children to pursue their dreams. Today, Singh’s elder brother is working with a private company while Singh has cleared UPSC in his first attempt.
The Struggles Made Him Strong
© Instagram/Pradeep Singh
Ever since he was a school kid, Singh desired to crack the civil services examination and found his family members to be completely supportive of his decision. Once he realised the full potential of becoming a civil servant and the kind of positive impact he can bring into the society through his work, Singh knew he had to crack the IAS exam and he eventually began working towards it during his B.Com years at IIPS, DAVV in Indore.
After graduating, he decided to move to Delhi for UPSC coaching in 2017. However, the coaching fees at Vajiram & Ravi was 1.5 lakh rupees and there were other expenses to be taken into account. Singh’s parents ended up selling their little house, built after many struggles and using their entire life savings, to fund Singh’s dream of becoming an IAS officer.
© Instagram/Pradeep Singh
They even ended up selling their share of land in the native village to ensure Singh doesn’t have to undergo any financial difficulties during his time in the Capital city. Singh’s family members were so bent on giving him a smooth ride that they didn’t even inform Singh about his mother’s hospitalisation during his UPSC Mains exam.
Chasing His Dream & Nailing It
These major sacrifices on his family’s part instilled an ever-growing desire in Singh’s heart to crack the UPSC exam and make his dreams come true for the sake of his family as much as himself. In 2018, Singh gave his Prelims and cracked it with flying colours.
