Many people who are preparing for one of the most challenging exams in India, the UPSC civil service test, find inspiration from the IAS success tale. This is the tale of IAS officer M. Sivaguru, who fought hard despite facing extreme hardships and eventually succeeded in holding the position of the top officer.
Who is IAS M Sivaguru Prabakaran?
M Sivaguru Prabakaran was born into a farming family, and his parents did everything they could to provide for the family. His father's drinking and difficulty to find job were the main causes of why everyone in the family was working in the fields.
Because of Sivaguru's father's drinking problem, his mother and sister used to work in the fields during the day and make baskets at night to support themselves. Sivaguru made the decision to sacrifice his studies and take a job operating a sawmill after observing them at work day and night.
"I wasn't ready to give up my aspirations," Sivaguru said in a statement to the Times of India. After paying for his brother's engineering degree and marrying off his sister, Sivaguru made the decision in 2008 to further his own education. At Vellore's Thanthai Periyar Government College of Technology, he enrolled for the civil engineering degree.
At first, it was difficult since Sivaguru studied on weekends and spent night on the train platforms of the St. Thomas Mount station. The following week, he would attend college in Vellore and work a part-time job to support himself.
Prabhakaran's dedication and perseverance paid off in 2014 when he concluded his M.Tech program with the highest rank and was able to ace the IIT-M admission exam. Prabhakaran made the decision to pursue his dream of becoming an IAS after passing the IIT and completing his M.tech. On his fourth attempt at the UPSC civil service exams, he was successful. and secured AIR 101
READ | Most inspiring IAS officer success stories: From studying under lamp to dropping out of school
