Meet man who lost his father at 5, worked as cleaner, didn't crack UPSC exam but became IAS officer...

Written By Sonali Sharma | Updated: Aug 26, 2024, 03:23 PM IST

Despite living in terrible poverty, he finished high school and went on to graduate from Thalassery’s government college.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Exam is considered one of the toughest competitive exams in India. To pass this competitive exam, a person studies religiously for several hours. Every year, thousands of candidates seek to take the exam to become IAS, IFS, IRS, and IPS. Only a few number of them succeed in the most competitive exam, which consists of three parts: preliminary exam, main exam, and interview. Today we will talk about IAS B Abdul Nasar who beat all odds to become an IAS officer.

B Abdul Nasar hails from Thalasseri in Kerala's Kannur. He lost his father when he was five years old. His mother worked as a domestic worker and placed him and his siblings in an orphanage since she was unable to pay for their education. Nasar completed his education while living in an orphanage in Kerala for 13 years. He started working as a hotel supplier and cleaner at age ten. He fled his orphanage as well, but he eventually went back to complete his studies. 

Despite the challenging circumstances, he finished high school and received his diploma from the government college in Thalassery. To support his family, Nasar worked as a newspaper delivery man, tuition teacher, and phone operator.

In 1994, Nasar began working for the government as a Kerala Health Department official after receiving his postgraduate degree. He advanced, eventually rising to the position of Deputy Collector in the State Civil Service in 2006. Nassar was recognised as the top Deputy Collector of Kerala in 2015.

In 2017, he was promoted to the rank of IAS officer. He served as Housing Commissioner to the Government of Kerala. He is currently posted as the District Collector of Kollam in 2019.