It is rightly said, ‘where there's a will, there's a way. This proverb proves right for the rags-to-riches success story of IAS Manoj Kumar Rai, who battled severe poverty and failures to become a civil servant.
There was a time when he was selling eggs and mopping floors to make ends meet. However, he continued to work hard work with grit and perseverance. His hard work finally paid off and he cracked UPSC. Now, he is giving free IAS coaching to the needy and civil servant aspirants from poor backgrounds.
Born and raised in a tiny village named Supaul in Bihar, Manoj had witnessed extreme poverty and hardships since his childhood. Despite all the hurdles, he completed his schooling. Later, he shifted to Delhi to earn a living for his family.
Coming from a village, it was jarring for Manoj to adjust to the big city. But, he did not quit and tried his hands at multiple jobs. After several failed attempts, he opened an egg and vegetable cart. He also cleaned floors of offices to earn money. He also worked as delivery boy and supplied items at the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University, a report in DNA India stated.
That is when his life took a momentous turn when he met students who inspired him to complete his graduation and become an IAS officer. He was so inspired that he joined Sri Aurobindo College and completed his BA while selling eggs, vegetables and working as delivery boy.
As soon as he completed his graduation, he started his UPSC preparation. However, due to limited resources and financial constraints, he had to go through unwanted problems during his preparation journey.
He decided to move back to Patna and focus on his preparation while he took private coaching classes for school students. He gave his first attempt in 2005, but was saddened to fail. His second attempt was also not fruitful as he was very weak in English.
In his third attempt, he managed to clear the Prelims, but was stuck in the Mains. He had turned 30, by the time he gave his fourth attempt. Instead of studying for the Prelims, he first completed the Mains syllabus. By doing this, he completed 80% of the Prelims syllabus. He also diligently read NCERT books of Class 6-12.
That strengthened his basic concepts needed for General studies and his strategy worked wonders and Manoj finally cracked UPSC in 2010 with AIR-870. Inspired by his struggles, Manoj decided to impart free coaching to poor students like him.