It was his dream to become an IAS officer from childhood and in 2006, K Nandakumar secured the 30th rank in the Civil Services Exam. He is an icon for all UPSC IAS aspirants and a true motivation for students also.
He proved that nothing is impossible. He had a dream which came true only because of his hard work. In this article, you can read all about the UPSC success story of K Nandakumar.
UPSC Topper Story
- K Nandakumar hails from Namakkal district in Tamil Nadu.
- His father Karuppannan, was a lorry driver and mother, a homemaker.
- His parents worked together to bring up their children. He has one younger brother.
- Nandakumar did his schooling from Namakkal Government South School in Tamil medium. After schooling, he joined Pollachi Mahalingam College for engineering.
- Wanting to help his father run the family amidst financial difficulties, he worked in a private company at Coimbatore. He worked and studied at night. For more UPSC toppers’ stories who cleared IAS exam while working, click here.
- The result was extreme fatigue resulting from enormous mental and physical effort. This began affecting his IAS preparation and he gradually saw his focus waver off UPSC IAS Exams.
- Despite financial challenges, he finally decided to quit his job at an engineering firm to devote full-time for preparation.
Another topper from the year 2006 was Govind Jaiswal. His father was a rickshaw-puller and he too struggled his way to the IAS. Read Govind’s UPSC success story here.
Previous Attempts
- Nandakumar’s first attempt drew a blank.
- In the second attempt, he secured an all India rank of 350 which landed him a job with the IRTS.
- Even though this government job would considerably ease expenses at home, Nandakumar had his sights on the IAS.
- In the third attempt, Nandakumar improved his rank and secured an amazing AIR 30 becoming an IAS topper.
- He topped the UPSC results in his home state of Tamil Nadu.
- His medium of examination was Tamil, his mother tongue.
Optional Subjects
- Nandakumar’s optional subjects were Geography and Tamil Literature.
For more on the Geography optional, click here.
Preparation Strategy
- According to Nandakumar, the only way to achieve success in any field is hard work and nothing else. This is something he inculcated from his parents who did everything possible to educate their two sons.
- Apart from studying the UPSC syllabus thoroughly, Nandakumar read newspapers to update himself with the daily current affairs.
- He also advises aspirants to be dedicated and have strong willpower and patience.
K Nandakumar Facts
Rank: 30
CSE: 2006
Optionals: Geography & Tamil Literature
Attempt: Third
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