Shepherd Boy cracks UPSC: Watch Birdev Sidhappa Dhone's mock interview

Birdev Sidhappa Dhone, a 27-year-old shepherd from Karnataka, has been in the headlines after he inspiringly cracked the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations in his third attempt. Overcoming the enormous hardships, Dhone passed the nation's toughest exams and secured a rank of 551. Interestingly, while Dhone was busy was busy reading his own and his uncle's goats, when he received the life-changing news. Apart from his family, the entire village immediately burst into celebrations.

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Birdev Dhone's UPSC Mock Interview

Recently, a short clip from the mock interview of Birdev Sidhappa Dhone has surfaced on the internet. In the clip, Dhone is seen entering a room where the UPSC interview panel members are waiting for him. After greeting the panel members, Dhone settled into a chair following their instructions.

At first, one of the panel members asked for his first name and next, he mentioned Dhone's interesting email ID 'BIRD'.

Responding to this, Dhone says, "Yes, sir. That's my name and my surname."

"Yes, I know, but you have arranged it in a way which is very interesting...You got a silver medal," says the panel member.

Next, he continues, "And sheep and goat rearing! What do you do?"

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To this, Dhone responds, "My parents are practising the traditional sheep and goat rearing. So, actually, I did my studies for the civil services from my village itself. So whenever the time permits I take them to the grazing, sometimes I milk them. Sometimes..."

Dhone gets interrupted by the interviewer.

Watch the full video:

 

 

 

 

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More About The 'Shepherd Boy'

Reportedly, Dhone was born into a family of traditional shepherds, Dhangars, previously famed for sheep breeding and hails from Yamage in Kagal taluka of Kolhapur village. After his matriculation from the Zilla Parishad school and senior secondary education at Jai Maharashtra School, he obtained his B.Tech degree in the Civil Engineering Branch from the College of Engineering Pune in 2020.

Dhone's Success Story

Being the youngest son, his supportive parents encouraged him to pursue his dream. He also has an elder brother, who is a Naik in the Indian army. The family owns an acre of land and their main source of income is sheep and goat rearing.

 

 

 

 

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Dhone got a job as a postman in the India Post and worked there from 2020 to 21. However, as he had aspirations for civil services, he resigned from his postman job and pursued his UPSC dreams. He even went to Delhi for his preparations, with his friend providing him with financial support in the city.

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Finally, his hard work paid off and his life took a dramatic turn. Dhone's village began celebrations following the exciting news of clearing the UPSC exams. The celebration was simple and true to their cultural ethos. His uncle tied a yellow pheta (turban) on my head and smeared the holy bhandara (turmeric powder) on his forehead. Someone took his picture and video which somehow went viral.

Beerappa Siddappa Doni, a youth from the Kuruba community from Amage village in Karanataka, neighbouring Maharashatra cleared UPSC CSE exam with All India Rank 551.

It was a joyful even for for this sheep-herding community when they heard this news yesterday. pic.twitter.com/Blb3AzQXyV

— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) April 23, 2025

Apart from the great Indian Administrative Services, Dhone has an interest in the Indian Police Services and said he would be equally thrilled to become a police officer.