Ramesh Gholap from Mahagoan village in Barshi Taluka, Solapur district of Maharashtra, sets an example for upcoming generation to crack UPSC IAS Exam by breaking the glass ceiling. In the very childhood, Ramesh alias Ramu’s left leg was affected by polio. He hails from a family where his father ran a cycle repair shop and mother who sold bangles in nearby villages.

Ramesh received his primary education from Mahagaon primary school. Later he went to stay in Barshi with his uncle to study further. His honesty and commitment made him a star among his teachers.  He lost his father when he was in Class XII. A grim condition prevailed in his home. He didn’t have the money for bus fare also. Despite all the grim circumstances Ramesh took his final exams and scored 88.5%.

He chose to do Diploma in Education (D.Ed) despite scoring so well in the higher secondary examination because this was the inexpensive course he could afford to do to get a job as a teacher and support his family. He completed his D.Ed and also pursued a graduation in Arts from an open university at the same time. Finally, he started working as a teacher in 2009. But in the deepest core of Ramesh’s heart, it was not what he really wanted to do. While pursuing as a teacher he came across several corruption activities in his village itself which made him ponder over the same.

In 2010, Ramesh appeared for the UPSC Civil Services Examination but unfortunately didn’t clear. In the period in-between, he formed a political party with a simple mission–“to come to power and help the distressed” with the help of some friends in his village of Mahagaon to fight the local panchayat elections 2010. His mother stood as a candidate for Sarpanch.

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The results of the panchayat elections were out. His mother lost the elections by a few votes but the loss did not break him. Instead, the failure gave him the strength to stand up and fight back against the corrupted system. He left his teaching profession as he cracked the State Institute of Administrative Careers examination. He painted posters to take care of his expenses.

Finally, Ramesh cracked UPSC IAS Examination 2011 with an all-India rank of 287 without any coaching. Along with that he the Maharashtra Public Service Commission results were also out and this time he broke all records and topped the Maharashtra Public Service Commission examination in the year 2012, securing the highest ever marks of 1,244 out of 1,800.

Ramesh Gholap UPSC marks: 1133/2300

This story brings nothing but the rays of hope of clearing IAS examination despite all grim conditions.

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