From being a farmer to an IPS officer, this story will inspire you to never give up on your dreams
If you’re down in your life, here’s some Sunday inspiration to motivate you.
Humans of Bombay , a photoblog which captures the lives of Mumbaikars, recently shared a story of Additional Commissioner of Mumbai Police, Pratap R Dighavkar.
The IPS officer always wanted to be a part of the government. It was his childhood dream that came true after years of hard work and struggles. Read the complete story here…
“I was born in a small village called Litania near Nashik. We had only one primary school in our village and the only available profession for men was farming but since I was young I wanted to be a part of the government. It actually was a really funny incident — once when I was young and I saw an aeroplane in the sky, I asked my mother who owns these planes and she randomly said ‘the government’ and since then that’s what I wanted to be a part of. I used to study night and day and stood first in the SSC board exams. After that I got into college which was 23 kilometres away for me, but I didn’t miss a day. Despite getting 86% , I lost admission at the only college we had in our village by 1 mark and that’s when my father told me it was time for me to give up studying and become a farmer.
At the age of 16, I was a full-fledged farmer but because of a dispute with my dad I decided to give revisit my dream of studying further. I borrowed 350 rupees from my mother and enrolled myself in a distance learning programme. While I was still working hard on the field, I was studying night after night to get my degree. At 18, I had completed my graduation for a total amount of 1,250 rupees and I had cleared my Police Service exam and the combined defence exam as well. In 1987, at the age of 22, I was selected for the post of Assistant Commissioner — it was the happiest day of my life.
Even after I got the position, I never stopped studying — I’ve held many positions all over the country. My biggest case so far has been the 1993 bomb blast — we were working 18 hours a day, everyday and I still remember interviewing a terrorist called Faki Ali. We had tried everything to break him, but he refused to open his mouth. It was during this time that I had completed my distance learning course in psychology. I don’t know what hit me then, but I just calmly went to him and said if he didn’t start talking, we were going to bring his entire family to the station to watch him suffer. His behaviour shifted and within 10 minutes he had given us the location of where 30,000 rounds of AK47 bullets, hand grenades and guns were located. That incident just proved to me that in order to grow you have to keep learning.
In 2000, I became an IPS officer — from being a farmer and spending not a rupee over 1,250 — I became an IPS officer. I’ve built schools in my village, set up a dream housing society for 10,000 constables and spoken at the United Nations — all because I had a dream. Receiving Vanshree award and Indira Priyadarshini award made me feel overwhelmed. Pursuing commando course in US was altogether a lifetime experience.
So many times people complain about policemen, but what they don’t realise is that we’re doing our job. We give up spending time at our own homes and celebrate every festival on the street. We’re on call 24/7 and nothing comes above our duty. I still remember when it was my brother-in-law’s wedding and I was on my way there when I got a call to come in— I left that second. It has been an honour to serve the people all these years— and I’ll continue to do so. My only message would be to chase that dream with so much passion, that there’s no other choice but for it to come true— and it does…I’m the living proof of that.”
Hey guys! This is Gaurav talking to you. I am an IIT-Roorkee student pursuing B.Tech in Chemical Engineering. Well, I am here to share some of my secrets to crack
- Never be over confident. I always considered myself what I really was—an average student. Don’t pretend you can do this and that. Stay in your limits. It will bring you more respect amongst people. It will help you crack JEE.
- Work hard and be smart. I believe in the fact that working hard makes you smarter. If you try solving a question and can’t get the answer then try doing it by another method. Next time you will automatically solve that question.
- Don’t depend on your luck: I got the meaning of luck after getting selected in JEE because at that time everyone said you are lucky.
- Learn from your past/ failures: Going down of my batch made me more responsible towards my studies.
- Have faith in your coaching/Institute: I had materials from Bansal classes but I didn’t follow them. I Simply solved Resonance sheets, DPPs etc.
- Make short notes of every topic: In last 5 days before JEE exam, I studied only short notes prepared by me during 11th and 12th.
- Teach your friend if you can: It will make your concepts more clear.
With JEE Main 2015 Score Card released on April 27 a total of 1.5 lakh candidates have been qualified for JEE Advanced 2015. The qualified candidates must now be gearing up for the second stage of this national level engineering exam which is JEE Advanced. The applications for the same will begin from May 2. Midst of all these, Careers360 brings you JEE Main 2015 topper Pranay Agarwal who shares his success story.
Pranay Agarwal, scoring 341 of 360 in JEE Main 2015 credits his success to NCERT books and sincere self-study. Pranay who deactivated his facebook page and kept his mobile phone aside for months during his preparation period for JEE Main shares his success mantra and strategy to crack the next level -JEE Advanced 2015, scheduled for May 24.
Read here what the JEE Main 2015 Topper says regarding his JEE Main 2015 Preparation and exam taking strategy.
Interview Excerpts –
Careers360: Congratulations! How are you feeling by being in the JEE Main 2015 topper’s club?
Pranay Aggarwal: Thank you so much. Though I was confident of clearing JEE Main 2015 exam but was not expecting such a nice score. This result has alerted me to be more focused for the next level. Yes, I am very happy but trying to concentrate more for JEE Advanced 2015.
Careers360: What was your overall and section wise score in JEE Main 2015?
Pranay Aggarwal: My total score is 341. I have scored 116 in Chemistry, 115 in Physics and 110 in Mathematics.
Careers360: Now that you are a topper of JEE Main, what do you think was the key factor behind your spectacular performance in this most competitive engineering exam?
Pranay Aggarwal: I cannot name any one key factor behind my success. Through study of NCERT Books, continuous guidance from my coaching institute and sincere self study, I have been able to score this much marks in JEE Main exam.
Careers360: What was your exam taking strategy for JEE Main 2015?
Pranay Aggarwal: I started preparing for JEE since I was in Class IX. Mathematics was my strongest subject. However, I used to devote my time equally for all the three subjects. I used to remind myself that do not lose concentration. It is also very important to know your strengths and weaknesses. I have always tried to convert my weaknesses into my strengths.
Careers360: How much time you devoted for your preparation?
Pranay Aggarwal: Well initially, apart from my school and coaching classes, I used to devote two to three hours a day for self study. But, after some days I felt that I need to devote more time for self study, so I started studying for 5-6 hours a day.
Careers360: So was it a hectic preparation schedule for you? Could you find time to connect with your friends on Facebook during your preparation?
Pranay Aggarwal: I am not at all active on Social Media and I do not have an account on Facebook. I do not have a mobile phone because my only focus is to crack JEE Advanced exam with a single digital Rank. To connect with my friends, I simple give them a call.
Careers360: What was the role of your family members in guiding you towards your performance?
Pranay Aggarwal:Preparing for Class XII Board exams and simultaneously studying for JEE Main was a time demanding schedule. At times, I used to get worried and nervous but my parents have always helped me in overcoming this pressure and maintaining my pace for study.
My elder sister, always helped me in studies. It was her precious tip to attempt easy questions first followed by less difficult and the toughest to be solved in the end, thatmade me solve the paper in the perfect manner.
My father, who is a Vice President of a software company in Jaipur, kept me calmed and adviced me not to take pressure. Many times, he asked me to play outdoor games and recreate during exam day pressure.
Careers360: So once, you crack JEE Advanced 2015, which engineering branch would you like to opt and which IIT would you prefer?
Pranay Aggarwal: For engineering branch, Computer Science is my preference and my dream college is IIT Bombay. But, even if I get a chance to study another branch in IIT Bombay, I will accept the admission offer.
Careers360: Besides studies what is your favourite activity?
Pranay Aggarwal: I play outdoor games, whenever I get time. I really enjoy playing cricket with my colony friends. This also helps me in relaxation and let me concentrate more on studies.
General Studies Tricks
Popular Posts
- This is how Haryana girl Vandana Chauhan got through IAS!
- Pawan Kadyan IAS tips
- Toppers Story – Ranchi Girl Nancy Sahay, IAS
- Apurva Dubey — A regular and consistent schedule helped clearing IAS
- Marks obtained by UPSC Toppers in Mains 2012-13
- The inspiring story of Suharsha Bhagat – 5th Attempt and 5th Rank
- IAS 2nd Rank 2013 Munish Sharma shares his Secret of success
- How To Top In Civil Service Exam
- How To choose an Optional in Civil Services Exam by Swarochish Somavanshi, AIR-49, CSE-2011
- Topicwise booklist and study-plan for CSAT 2014 General studies Paper 1