Meet specially-abled son of cycle-repair shop owner, who used to sell bangles with mother, cracked UPSC to become IAS officer with AIR…, he is…

With hard work and determination, one can fight all odds and emerge successful. IAS Ramesh Gholap’s journey sets the perfect example. Despite challenges, he cracked the Union Public Service Commission exam, the toughest exam, to become an IAS officer. Hailing from a small village in Maharashtra, he was born to Gorakh Gholap, who ran a bicycle repair shop in a village in the Solapur district of Maharashtra. His left leg was affected by polio. As his father's health deteriorated due to alcoholism, he had to take responsibility for his family of four at an early age. That’s when he began selling bangles with his mother on the streets to support the family. 

Despite poverty, Ramesh has been a bright child since childhood. He was highly regarded by his teacher. Trouble began when he lost his father when he was in class 12. He did not have enough to pay for the bus fare for his father’s funeral. He realised his poor condition and took education as a last resort to pull himself and his family out of poverty. He worked hard and achieved good marks in his school exams. After completing his schooling, he decided to pursue D.Ed (Diploma in Education) since it was the cheapest course. Later, he pursued a degree in Arts through distance education. He later worked as a teacher. He was devastated by his mother’s unsuccessful attempts to get a house from the government. After which, he formed a political party and had his mother contest for the Panchayat elections. He took a gap of 6 months from his job and began preparing for the IAS. 

Ramesh failed to crack UPSC in his first attempt; however, his hard work paid off in 2012, when he successfully cleared it with a rank of 287. The same year, he also cleared the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) and achieved rank 1. He scored the highest ever marks in MPSC of 1244 out of 1800.