Meet man, who once worked as street vendor, aced UPSC with AIR...

"Where there is a will, there is a way" -- the journey of Indian Ordnance Factory Service (IOFS) officer Manoj Kumar Rai serves as a testimony to these lines. Rai, who tackled with odds to secure an impresisve All India Rank (AIR) 870 in Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) CSE exam 2010, is now an inspiratiopn to many. 

Manoj Kumar Rai, who battled with extreme poverty, used to work as an egg and a vegetable vendor to make both ends meet. 

Who is Manoj Kumar Rai?

Born in a small village named Supaul in Bihar, Manoj Kumar Rai was raised in a destitute household. Since childhood, he had seen his parents struggle to earn bread and butter on an everyay basis. In 1996, he had to move to Delhi in quest of work to feed his imporverished family. 

While it was a daunting task for a village boy to survive in a big city, Rai tried his hands at multiple jobs. After several failed attempts, he had to open an egg and a vegetable cart to earn a little money. He also mopped the floors of offices for additional income. 

Journey to one of the most prestigious posts in the country

Manoj Kumar Rai, who also worked as a delivery man to supply goods to the renowned Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), got in touch with the students there who inspired him to prepare for UPSC. 

“They advised me to complete my studies. I thought getting a degree would help me find a decent job. So I joined Sri Aurobindo College (evening) and completed my BA in 2000, while selling eggs and vegetables,” Rai said.

After his graduation, he started preparing for UPSC. “Honestly, I wanted to study more but I did not have the financial resources. I took some days to figure out if I really wanted to get into civil services and work as a bureaucrat, and finally, made up my mind to give it a try,” he said.

Manoj Kumar Rai then shifted to Patna and received coaching under the guidance of a renowned mentor, Rash Bihari Prasad Singh. He prepared for three years and gave his first attempt in 2005. However, he flunked his first attempt. 

In his second attempt, English language proved to be an obstacle for him. “In UPSC, clearing English and one regional language paper is mandatory. So if one does not clear either, other papers like General Studies and Optional subject will not be evaluated. The language papers are like qualifying papers whose marks will not be evaluated in the final mark sheet. I failed to clear English paper and my entire year’s hard work was wasted” he asserted.

In his third attempt, he failed to clear mains and the interview. Finally, with his determination and never-say-die attitude, Manoj Kumar Rai succeeded in his fourth attempt in 2010 with an AIR 870. 

Rai also revealed his 'Mantra' behind his success and said, "Instead of studying for the Prelims, I first completed the Mains syllabus. By doing this, I had automatically covered 80 per cent of the prelims syllabus. I also diligently read NCERT textbooks of class 6-12. That strengthened my basic concepts needed for General Studies".