Rickshaw puller's son Govind Jaiswal stayed in a 12x8 room and is now an IAS officer

Growing up in a household where the sole bread winner was a rickshaw puller, meant living with very limited access to basic amenities. But the story of Govind Jaiswal stands as a testament to what hard work and determination can make you achieve. He recorded his name in history after he ranked 48th in the UPSC exam in his first attempt.

Hailing from a middle-class family, Govind was the youngest of his three sisters. He lived with his family lived in a 12x8 ft rented room, where his father was the only earning member. Eventually, he completed his schooling from a government school in Usmanpura and graduated in Math from the government degree college in Varanasi, says IAS paper.

During his formative years, the neighbouring localities faced 14 hours long power cuts every day. The neighbouring households used generators as power backup which led to unbearable noise. However, this did not stop the determined Govind. He says,

I used to shut all the windows and put cotton balls in my ears so as to reduce the noise of generators running all around in the locality.

Soon after his graduation in Varanasi, he moved to Delhi to prepare for the civil service examination. Unable to manage the expenses of living in a metro city, Govind's father Narayanm Jaiswal sold his only piece of land for Rs 4,000. To cover his own expenses, Govind used to take Math tuitions and prepare for his exams in the next 18-20 hours which eventually led to him clearing the IAS exam in his first attempt in 2006, says Rediff.

Remembering the day when the results were out, he says

For first few minutes, I was shocked and shivering as my hands were not in my command when I tried to give this news to his father. He had a sleepless nights for about 10 days before the result came out.

Over this entire phase, Govind has been inspired by the words of Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam,

After Gandhiji, President Kalam has given us a dream and the power to dream. His dream is of a developed India and he is a symbol of many common people’s dreams.

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