Meet woman from small village, used internet on rooftop for preparation, cleared UPSC in third attempt, now she is...

Pooja Sahu is a young woman from a small village in Dhamtari district, Chhattisgarh, has become a symbol of determination and resilience. Despite facing challenges due to the remote location of her village, Pooja successfully cleared the prestigious UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) in her third attempt, securing an impressive All India Rank (AIR) of 199. Her achievement has brought pride to her village and district.

Born to teacher parents, Pooja grew up in a humble yet supportive environment. She studied in a Hindi-medium school until eighth grade, later switching to an English-medium school in Dhamtari. After completing her schooling, she chose the biomedical stream and pursued engineering at NIT Raipur. Her dream of becoming an IAS officer was inspired by former IPS officer Kiran Bedi, India’s first woman to join the officer ranks of the Indian Police Service. Pooja’s mother often used Kiran Bedi’s example to motivate her, and this, coupled with her observations of society’s needs, drove her to aspire to join the civil services.

One childhood incident left a lasting impression on her. Pooja recalled seeing a beggar eating food from a garbage heap. She wanted to help but felt scared and ran away. This moment made her realize the importance of food and inspired her to work towards helping the underprivileged. She believed that while she could help a few as a regular citizen, she could make a much bigger difference as a civil servant.

During her UPSC preparation, Pooja faced significant hurdles, including poor internet connectivity in her village. To access better signals, she would climb onto her house roof daily to study online. Despite these challenges, she remained focused.

Her journey wasn’t easy. She failed to clear the preliminary stage in her first two attempts in 2019 and 2020. However, she didn’t lose hope and continued working hard. In 2021, her dedication paid off as she cleared all stages of the exam and made it to the final list of successful candidates.

Pooja aspires to serve as an IAS officer but is ready to contribute in any role assigned to her. Her story is a testament to the power of perseverance and hard work.

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