Perseverance and tenacity helped him crack the Civils

For 28-year-old Ramakrishna who is with the Indian Police Service nothing could stop him from achieving his hallowed goal. The former Indian Railways employee’s journey is a lesson in perseverance and tenacity.

Born in a middle class family, Ramakrishna was educated in Vijayawada and his first job was that of a booking clerk in South Central Railway (SCR). On the advice of his father

A Prasad, who is a senior section engineer in the Signals and Telecommunications wing of SCR, he joined the Vocational Course in Railway Commercial scheme (now discontinued) where the student after Intermediate is absorbed into the Railways.

After working from 2004-2008, Ramakrishna was not satisfied. With sheer hard work he got a seat in IIM Ahmedabad and resigned from the Railways. “All along I wanted to crack the civils and it was always playing on the back of my mind,” recounted Ramakrishna.

Not one to get lured by the glitz and glamour of the corporate world after a brief stint with Delloite and TIME, he got into the Indian Police Service in West Bengal cadre but in 2005 he took six months leave and prepared for the IAS.

Today, Ramakrishna is a satisfied man as his dream has come true. The boy from Amali High School in Vijayawada has made it and gives credit to single-minded devotion and perseverance.

This was his fifth attempt and he has got 84 rank. Was there any specific way in which he prepared for the test? “I just enjoy the whole process of preparing for the exams. All I can say is if one enjoys something it becomes that much easier,” he said.