Ramesh Gholap’s IAS success story is unusual. It is unusual because success didn’t come to Ramesh just because he joined the right coaching institute, or he took part in a test series.
It came to him because he worked extremely hard amidst quite grim circumstances.
Circumstances that would have made people of a fainter heart give up.
Read on about IAS topper Ramesh Gholap.
IAS Topper Story – Ramesh Gholap Background
- Son of a cycle repair shop owner, Ramesh hails from a little-known village called Mahagoan in Maharashtra’s Solapur district.
- After his father’s health prevented him from earning a livelihood, his mother Vimal started chipping in by selling bangles.
- Ramu, as Ramesh is known to his family and friends, along with his brother used to help her sell bangles.
- Ramesh’s left leg was also affected because of polio.
- Despite poverty, Ramesh was a brilliant student and regarded highly by his teachers. When he was in class XII, he lost his father.
- He had to take help from a few kind people to give him his bus fare in order to reach his native village to attend the funeral since he was staying with an uncle to study.
- Although deeply saddened by the loss, he took the final exam and scored a good 88.5%.
- Ramu decided to pursue D.Ed (Diploma in Education) despite scoring good marks because this was the cheapest course he could find. He also could get a job as a teacher and support his family.
- Along with this degree, he also pursued a degree in Arts through distance education. In 2009, Ramesh got employment as a teacher.
Why IAS?
- Surrounded by poverty and having experienced it first-hand, Ramesh wanted to change the system.
- Pained by his mother’s unsuccessful attempts to get a house from the government via a scheme for widows, and also by the malpractices in ration shops which denied needy families like his a decent meal, he decided to do something.
- He formed a political party and had his mother stand for the Panchayat elections. Even though she lost the elections, Ramu marched ahead in life.
- He took leave for 6 months from his job and started preparing for the IAS exam.
Prior IAS Attempts
- He gave his first attempt in 2010 but didn’t clear it.
- In 2012, he gave the exam his all and cleared it with a rank of 287. He had achieved his IAS dream.
- The same year, he got a double delight as he also cleared the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) and achieved rank 1!
- He also scored the highest ever marks in MPSC of 1244 out of 1800.
In 2012, the IAS rank 1 was secured by Kerala girl Haritha V Kumar.
You can read all about her civil services success story here.
The following table gives a few toppers from the year 2012.
| Komal Ganatra – AIR 591 | Vandana Chauhan – AIR 8 |
Apart from his IAS job, Ramesh now gives motivational talks to youngsters and inspired people to achieve their dreams. His proud mother says, “I couldn’t get an education but I had decided that I would educate my sons. Today, my son has become such a big officer and that makes me so happy…. my boy has returned all my debts!”
Ramesh Gorakh Gholap Facts
Rank: 287
CSE: 2012
Native State: Maharashtra
Education: D.Ed (Diploma in Education), Degree in Arts
Attempt: Second
For more such UPSC success stories for inspiration and motivation, you can check out our segment which posts articles on IAS toppers, Get Inspired.
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