Lakhs of aspirants appear for the UPSC Civil Services Examination every year with dreams of becoming IAS and IPS officers. Only a few thousand get selected and among them are some extraordinary stories of struggle and grit. One such inspiring story is that of Delhi Police Head Constable Ram Bhajan Kumar, whose journey from breaking limestone in a Rajasthan village to cracking the UPSC exam is nothing short of remarkable.
Born on September 1, 1988, in Bapi village of Dausa district, Rajasthan, to Kanhaiya Lal Kumhar and Dhapa Devi, Ram Bhajan grew up amid severe poverty. Until 2003, he worked with his mother, breaking limestone, earning just Rs 10 for 25 baskets of stones. In an interview, he recalled that his father initially sold ice cream in nearby towns, but when that wasn’t enough to sustain the family, he too began breaking limestone in the Bapi Industrial Area. When Ram Bhajan was barely five or six years old, his father developed asthma in 1998, became bedridden and the responsibility of supporting the family fell on Ram Bhajan and his mother.
From college student to Delhi police constable
While studying in the Government College of Dausa, Ram Bhajan was in the second year of his graduation when he was selected as a Constable in Delhi Police in 2009. His dedication and hard work helped him rise to the rank of Head Constable in 2022.
UPSC attempts and final breakthrough
Ram Bhajan began preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 2015. With no guidance, he faced repeated failures. He says the biggest lesson he learned was that reading too many books on the same subject was not helpful. After changing his strategy and focusing on selective study, he finally achieved success in UPSC 2022, securing a rank that earned him a position in the Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS).
Recalling his early years, he said he had no proper clothes to wear to school and often went in torn, stitched-up uniforms. With no electricity at home, he studied under the light of a kerosene lamp. Even food was scarce and he often didn’t know that a proper meal included roti and vegetables, sometimes chutney alone counted as food.
Ram Bhajan became the first person in his family to get a government job and the first from his village to crack the UPSC exam. His story stands as a powerful reminder that determination and hard work can overcome even the harshest circumstances.
