Meet man who worked as coolie, cracked state administrative exam in one attempt, then attempted UPSC, became IAS officer, he is from...

Success stories of IAS officers and others who have showcased surprising results because of their academic hard work have been inspiring many for decades and every year in the UPSC we see shining candidates with their UPSC exam results. Some of them start from a poor beginning but due to commitment they excel the one of most difficult competitive exams in India to enter the coveted central administrative services. Sreenath K who used to do menial jobs used opportunities around him to become an IAS officer.  

Who is Sreenath K? 

Sreenath K was a coolie in Kerala who surprised everyone with cracking the IAS exam in just a single attempt. He comes from Kerala’s Munnar and worked as a coolie at Ernakulum Railway Station. Wanting to uplift himself and his family from a poor background, Sreenath K decided to study to secure a reputed government job. He cracked the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) for the Karnataka Administrative Services KAS Exam by studying everyday through his mobile phone by using the free Wi-Fi service at the railway station. 

With the help of WiFi, he downloaded audiobooks and videos for preparation while working. He bought a phone, memory card, and earphones to aid him in study. After appearing for the KPSC exam and clearing it with good rank, he wanted to make his success bigger by attempting the UPSC exam to become an IAS officer.  

For the UPSC exam preparation, he started working in two shifts to earn more. Even though he used to earn Rs 400-500 daily, he continued and succeeded in securing a good rank in his fourth attempt at UPSC and became an IAS officer. His success was acknowledged in 2018 by the then Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal who congratulated him, while his story was even shared by Google India.