UPSC Success Story of Komal Ganatra: From Dowry Victim to Civil Servant - Testbook.com

The Early Struggles of Komal Ganatra

• Komal Ganatra began her married life in 2008 at the age of 26 with a businessman based in New Zealand.
• Unfortunately, her marital bliss was short-lived as her in-laws started demanding dowry and evicted her from their house for her inability to meet their demands.
• Abandoned by her husband who flew back to New Zealand, Komal found herself alone and helpless just two weeks after her wedding.
• Despite seeking help from the police and government departments, justice seemed elusive.
• With no other option, she returned to her parents’ house in Savarkundla, Gujarat. There, she had to endure the harsh criticism and taunts of relatives and neighbours.
• Komal, who held a diploma in engineering, decided to carve out a new path for herself. She moved to a remote village about 40 km from her hometown.
• She took up a job as a primary school teacher and managed to sustain herself on a meagre salary of Rs.5000 per month.
• It was during this time that she started preparing for the civil services examination. Her personal experiences motivated her to become a part of the system and work towards changing it for the better.
• Komal Ganatra completed her engineering diploma from Rajkot Government Polytechnic. She also earned a BA degree from Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University and a Primary Teachers Training Certificate from a college in her hometown.

Journey Towards UPSC Preparation

• Preparing for the UPSC examination in a remote village presented its own set of challenges. Komal had to deal with irregular power supply and lack of proper guidance.
• She also faced difficulty in accessing an English newspaper, a crucial resource for staying updated with daily current affairs for the UPSC exam. However, candidates can find daily news articles tailored for UPSC preparation at our daily news analysis.
• Despite the challenges, Komal managed to gain brief access to Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration (SPIPA), a Gujarat government institute that trains IAS aspirants. IAS preparation involves understanding the exam pattern, prioritising the topics, taking mock tests and mastering answer writing skills. For these reasons, IAS coaching can be extremely beneficial for aspirants.
• The year 2012 marked Komal's fourth attempt at the civil services examination. She secured an all India rank of 591 and was allocated the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) .

To understand the differences between the IRS and the more popular IAS, click here .

• Komal chose History optional and Gujarati Literature as her optional subjects.
• She opted for Gujarati as her medium for the interview.

The UPSC exam in 2012 was topped by Haritha V Kumar from Kerala. To know more about Haritha's IAS preparation strategy, click here .

Key Facts About Komal Ganatra

1. Rank: 591
2. CSE: 2012
3. Attempt: Fourth
4. Optionals: Gujarati Literature, History
5. Service allocated: IRS

Aspirants can draw inspiration from the success stories of UPSC toppers and understand their strategies to crack the UPSC exam. For more such inspirational tales, check out our Get Inspired section.

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