Bhubaneswar, April 19 -- From serving as a police sub-inspector to clearing UPSC, Shanthappa's tale is that of resilience and triumph. He has secured an impressive All India Rank (AIR)-644 and is most likely to become an IPS or IRS officer.

Hailing from a nondescript Hosa Genikehal village in Ballari district, his childhood and growing days were marked by adversity, having lost his father at the tender age of one. He was raised single-handedly by his mother, who toiled in farmlands to provide for her son.

Initially, not very interested in his studies, Shanthappa studied till PU because of his friends in the village.

Speaking to TOI, Shanthappa said, "I studied till PU because of my friends in the village. I had taken PCMB and failed in...