Meet IAS officer, who got married at 16, faced domestic violence, attempted suicide, later cracked civil service exam, she is...

Clearing UPSC is no easy task - requiring dedication, passion and relentless hard work. There's no dearth of inspiring stories that leave a lasting impact on our minds - tales of underpriviledged, brave aspirants who never knew how to give up, journeys of specially-abled aspirants who never got tired till they achieved their dreams. 

In this article, we are going to tell you about one such inspiring journey of IAS Savita Pradhan who faced an abusive marriage, yet demonstrated the courage to leave the torture behind and stand on her own feet. Let's get to know more about her journey. 

Who is Savita Pradhan?

Born into a tribal family in Madhya Pradesh's Mandai village, Savita Pradhan witnessed her family struggling to make ends meet. Initially, her financial struggles made education seem like an unachievable dream. However, she received an academic scholarship which allowed her to complete her matriculation. Interestingly, she became the first girl in her village to achieve this milestone. 

However, her educational dreams took a sad turn as she was married into a wealthy family. After marriage, her in-laws and her husband didn't treat her well. He often used to hit her and threatened to kill her. Moreover, Savita was not allowed to sit at the dinner table and eat with everyone else. She would often sleep on an empty-stomach. 

Even after she gave birth to two kids, her in-laws continued to assault her. Unable to bear the torture anymore, Savita once attempted to commit a suicide. Seeing her trying to hang herself from the ceiling fan, her husband attempted to physically harm her son. 

Savita gathered all her courage and protected her kid. It was then she realised that it was nonsensical to give up on life for people who didn't care about her. Later, she decided to leave behind the toxic marriage and do something of her own. 

She left her in-laws' house and started a beauty salon. Alongside this, she provided tuitions to kids to earn an extra income. With the support of her parents and sibling, Savita enrolled in BA public administration and topped her college at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. 

Later, she got to know about state civil service examination. With her hard work and consistent endeavours, she cracked it at the age of 24, kickstarting her career as a chief municipal officer. However, the story doesn't end here. 

Her passion saw her rise through various ladders to become an IAS officer. As per her Instagram profile, Savita Pradhan is currently serving as Joint Director, urban administration, with the Madhya Pradesh government.