Meet man who sold tea with father, gave tuitions, cracked UPSC thrice with self-study, became IPS then IAS with AIR..

Rags to riches success stories are extremely motivational and are testament to the unflinching power of dedication and persistence. One such inspiring story is of IAS Himanshu Gupta.

Born in Sitarganj in the Udhamsingh district of Uttarakhand, Himanshu grew up in Sirauli, a small town in Bareilly district. His childhood was marked with extreme difficulties as the financial status of his family was very poor. He had to travel 70 km daily to go to school. He also sold tea at the shop with his father, at a small roadside stall. He also gave tuition to sustain his family.

Despite numerous adversities, Himanshu studied at Hindu College, Delhi University, and secured a good job. But he then chose to prepare for the UPSC civil services. To earn sustenance for his family, he later worked as a research scholar at a government college.

Thereafter, Himanshu cracked UPSC exam thrice without coaching. In the first attempt, he qualified for Civil Services but got selected for IRTS. He persisted and got 309th rank and became IPS in 2019 UPSC exam. 

He again gave the UPSC Civil Services Examination in his last attempt and finally achieved his lifelong dream of becoming an Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer in 2020 with an All India 139 rank.