Jaipur: He was 19-years-old when he became constable and a decade later, he is all set to become an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. Meet Manoj Kumar Rawat, a resident of Jaipur’s Shyampura village in Rajasthan, who has secured an all India rank of 824 in the coveted Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Examination, 2017.
Manoj claims that his phone hasn’t stopped ringing ever since the results have been declared. He told eNewsroom, “I am overwhelmed by the congratulatory message and calls that are pouring in. But believe me, this journey of mine has not been a cakewalk.”
A fan of Sunny Deol, Manoj was inspired by the cine star’s Bollywood flick, Indian, to become a police. It was this inspiration that saw him taking up the job of a constable, which he quit to become a lower divisional clerk at a lower court in Rajasthan. However, despite having a secure job, he was not happy with what he was doing. “I always felt that I am destined to be an IPS officer and must appear for the UPSC exam. But that meant dedicated preparation for the exam, which wouldn’t be possible till I was in a fulltime job.”
Perhaps it was this dream that eventually made him quit his job, packed his bags and move on to Delhi, where Manoj stayed and prepared to bell the UPSC exam. “I was ridiculed by many for having quit my job as a constable and then that of a lower divisional clerk at a lower court. They laughed at me. But I knew what I was doing and why,” he says.
It was Manoj’s fifth attempt that turned out to be lucky for him. “After five years of sustained effort has I have realized a dream that I had seen as a child. I come from a humble background; my father is a school teacher and my mother a homemaker. So, yes it a big achievement for me, given the fact that even today, life of Dalits in India is still difficult.” He aspires to bring about a social change and work towards countering violence against women and atrocities against Dalits if he makes it to the IPS category, which is very evident.
Speaking about his decision to move to Delhi, he said, “A lot of preparation and serious study is needed to crack UPSC. It’s not just me, thousands of civil service aspirants arrive to Delhi, with the sole objective of get the best training to crack this exam. Thereby, creating an environment where 24×7 aspirants live in an ambiance that make them focus on one thing, which is to clear the UPSC. My decision to move on to Delhi definitely helped me achieve my goal. With access to learning resources, books, coaching and more, Delhi is the best place to be for any UPSC aspirant.”
Interestingly, Manoj, who has cleared UPSC in his fifth attempt, informs, that he had cleared the UPSC prelims thrice and mains once, before tasting success. However, hailing from a humble background, made him realize that he didn’t have the luxury of time or resources so he enrolled for his PhD. Also he got selected for the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) not once but twice and had also cracked the examination for CISF’s assistant commandant’s post.
Elaborating on his subject for PhD subject, he says, “Ambedkar View: Dalit Empowerment and Social Justice is my research topic, which I shall be submitting next year for review. I must add that the JRF stipend has helped me fund the expense for my UPSC preparations.”
