Sivaguru was born to a poor family of farmers from Melaottankadu village in Pattukottai in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district. Content warning: if you are somebody who constantly tries to shed responsibility and blame people and situations for the issues you face, please do not read any further, for, you may have a feeling of scorn and lack of admiration for yourself when this story ends!
This is an inspiring tale of a youngster who showed that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are. The hero in this story is Sivaguru Prabhakaran, who cracked the UPSC Civil Services examination 2017 and secured the 101st rank.
Some flashback
Sivaguru was born to a poor family of farmers from Melaottankadu village in Pattukottai in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district. His mother was the only earning member of the family, who made a livelihood out of weaving palm leaves. He cleared Plus Two with excellent marks and was aspiring to pursue engineering. But he had to hold himself back because of financial constraints.
Normally, the story would end here. But in Sivaguru’s case, the story begins now. He took a break from studies and practised farming, but never let go of his dreams. The gritty youngster even worked as a sawmill operator for about two years in a bid to support his family and save as much as he could for his higher education. Sivaguru also set aside a portion of his savings to marry off his sister, and after fulfilling all family obligations, he went back to education.
Sleeping on railway platforms
In 2008, Sivaguru enrolled in the civil engineering stream at the Thanthai Periyar Government Institute of Technology in Vellore. It is then he realised that his inability to converse effectively in English could dampen his employment prospects. In order to improve his language skills, he travelled to Chennai during weekends and attended coaching classes. As he had no friends or relatives in Chennai, he was forced to sleep on platforms at the St Thomas Mount railway station.
He would return to college on Mondays and work part-time at mobile outlets in the area after classes. He had landed a job in a public sector company soon after completing engineering, but he did not take up the job despite the rising burden of debt and bank loans, because already he had decided that he wanted to be an IAS officer. Sivaguru became more confident of his abilities after bagging the first rank in the M.Tech entrance examination conducted by IIT Chennai.
Mastering his own destiny
“There were seemingly unsurmountable odds along the way, but I was ready to struggle and try hard to realise my dream. Even while sleeping on the railway platform, I used to dream of being a collector who travels in a car and redresses the grievances of people. I didn’t have to look anywhere else for motivation.”
Friends in need
I’m obliged to all my friends for their help and support. When I received the interview call letter from the UPSC, I thought I could use the Rs 10,000 in my savings account for travelling to Delhi. But the bank authorities did not allow me to withdraw that amount because of non-repayment of education loan. I went to attend the interview with the money offered by my friends. My IIT batchmates from Kerala Lini, Shalini, Sreenath, Parvathy and Vineetha were very supportive.
Were you disappointed after failing to clear Civil Services exam thrice?
After every interview, I would immediately start preparing for the next preliminary examination. I learned valuable lessons from failures and used them as an opportunity for future success.
What makes you happy? What are your pastime activities?
I phone my mother at least thrice a day. I also help students in my village prepare for competitive examinations. I love learning something new every day. I also enjoy writing poetries and watching cricket in my free time. Watching Vadivelu’s comedy scenes on YouTube was the stress-buster for me.
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