Meet IPS officer Manoj Sharma, failed in Class 12, slept with beggars, drove auto, cracked UPSC exam, got AIR 121

UPSC is considered by many as the toughest exam in India and every year lakhs of Indians appear in UPSC exam with an aim to become IAS officer but only a few hundred among them manage to crack UPSC exam. There are many UPSC aspirants who succeeded in cracking UPSC exam in second or third attempt. In this article we will talk about IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma, whose UPSC success story is very interesting.

IPS officer Manoj Sharma hails from Madhya Pradesh’s Morena district. IPS officer Manoj Sharma wanted to become an IAS officer since childhood, but he failed in class 12. Manoj Sharma also got the third division in Classes 9 and 10. Interestingly, Manoj Sharma failed in all subjects except Hindi in Class 12. But despite facing failure in Class 12, Manoj Sharma did not lose faith and kept his dream of becoming an IAS officer alive.

IPS Manoj Sharma has written a book titled 'Twelfth Fail'. In it, he says that while studying, he also drove a tempo to earn his living. Their financial condition was so poor that their house did not even have a roof. IPS Manoj Sharma said that he had to sleep with beggars as well. He worked as a library peon in Delhi, during which he read about many big people, from Gorky and Abraham Lincoln to Muktbodh.

IPS Manoj Sharma also mentioned in the book that fell in love with a girl while studying in Class 12 but could never express his love. He was scared of unrequited love. He finally proposed to the girl, saying, "You say yes, and we will turn the whole world around." 

Manoj Sharma cracked UPSC exam in fourth attempt and got 121 rank. He became an IPS from the Maharashtra cadre in 2005.