Hardships, poverty no bar as 7 from Vidarbha crack UPSC, set to become officers

Nagpur: Overcoming financial hardships and humble beginnings, seven aspirants from Vidarbha cleared the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination 2025 on Friday, bringing pride and joy to their families and districts. Their journey highlight perseverance, self-study and determination to serve the country through civil services. Considered one of the toughest exams, the journey to cracking the UPSC started with the preliminary test on May 25, followed by the mains, from Aug 22 to Aug 31. The final stage of the selection process, the interview, concluded on Feb 27. As per the past trends, the UPSC declares the final results within a week after the interviews. Among those who succeeded is Bhagyashree Naikele from Nagpur, who secured an All India Rank (AIR) 647. Already in service and currently undergoing training in Hyderabad under the Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS), Naikele is likely to be upgraded to the Indian Revenue Service (Customs) based on her latest rank. Her father works as an electrician and the family lives in a rented house in Dighori. Despite financial constraints, Naikele prepared without taking any formal coaching. "Our financial condition was not very good, but I stayed focused and relied on self-study," she said. From Wardha district, Prajwal Nasare, son of a farmer from Thanegaon in Karanja (Gadge), secured AIR 677 in his third attempt. He has been allocated the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) but is considering appearing again for a better rank. Nasare said his motivation came after witnessing the positive impact of good governance during his childhood. The first in his family to enter civil services, Nasare's parents studied only up to Class 10. He did his schooling at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Wardha and pursued his BA and MA in political science through the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). Relying mainly on online coaching and self-prepared notes, he studied six to seven hours daily, increasing it to nearly ten hours closer to the exam. Pranjali Meshram, a 23-year-old from Nagpur, secured AIR 767 in her second attempt. A former student of St Xavier's School, she had long aspired to work for the betterment of the society. Presently working with the Union ministry of Home Affairs, Meshram began her preparation after the pandemic through the government initiative ‘Pre-IAS'. She credits her family for their constant support and hopes to contribute meaningfully to society through the civil services. Another success story is Hemkrushna Pisade, 26, from Gondia, who secured AIR 849 in his sixth attempt. A graduate of Fergusson College, Pune, Pisade had earlier cleared the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) examination in 2022 and is currently undergoing training as a tehsildar in Amravati. The son of a farmer, Pisade said his interest in civil services began during his primary school days when a teacher introduced him to the role and responsibilities of civil servants. He had previously reached the UPSC interview stage in 2023 but missed the final list by just eight marks. The probable topper, Rutuja Gaikwad, who secured AIR 106, could not be contacted despite multiple attempts. Other include Chetan Thakare (AIR 762) and Suresh Borkar (AIR 912).