Overcoming challenges

Tags

competitive examination, District Collector, Gujarati medium, IPS, Safin Hasan, UPSC CSE 2017

“The challenges we face in life’s journey are not to reveal our weaknesses but to help us discover our inner strengths. We can only know how strong we are when we strive and thrive beyond the challenges we face.” 
― Kemi Sogunle

Safin, was born in a poor family in Kanodar village in Palanpur district, Gujarat. His parents, Mustufa and Naseembanu, used to work in a small diamond unit, where their earnings were so meager that they could hardly make both ends meet. After the recession his parents lost their jobs. His father started working as an electrician and his mother started making chapattis in bulk for restaurants, marriages and functions. His mother used to wake up at 3 am and make dough of 20 to 100 kgs flour for making chapattis the whole day. Ironically she used to earn about Rs 5000 to Rs 8000 per month. His father used to sell black tea and boiled eggs in the evening.

During one of the functions the District Collector was the Chief Guest. He came escorted by armed bodyguards, and was given a warm welcome. Young Safin asked someone, “how does one become a Collector?” He was told, anyone who works hard and clears a competitive examination can become a Collector. That was the day Safin found the mission of his life.

Safin studied in a Gujarati medium school till class He did well in studies as well as curricular activities. After passing class X with 92 % marks, some of his teachers who had joined a private school advised him to study there.His fees was subsidized from Rs 85000 to Rs 5000 only as he was a bright and deserving student. He used to teach poor children of Kanodar village during spare time ans also organize cultural activities for them.

A local businessman Hussain Polra and his wife, Raina Polra were so much impressed by the potential of Safin that they spent Rs 3.5 lakh from their own pocket. They funded Safin’s two-year stay in Delhi including the fees of coaching institute, his travel, lodging and boarding. Safin feels indebted to them as they are not even his blood relations.

Safin Hasan qualified UPSC CSE 2017 with Rank 570 in the first attempt. After clearing the prelims examination when he was going to appear in the mains examination he met with an accident in which his knee, left hand and head got injured. He found that his right hand was intact, so he took pain killers and went to appear in the examination. Later he confessed in an interview “I could not take a chance to skip the mains as I might not be able to clear even the prelims next year.” After that paper (GS3), he went for the primary checkup and gave next five papers in that condition.

Subsequently he was advised one and a half months bed rest to come back to normal. Safin is eligible to join the IPS, but he plans to appear in the Civil services

Exam next year and make it to the IAS which is his childhood dream. Safin has no complaints in life. He believes that God does everything for our good. He adds “God gives problems to those who can handle them”. He is grateful to his teachers and regards his parents as his role models.

In a message to the youth he says “Whatever be the situation, never regret. Have faith in yourself, accept and move ahead, success will be yours. “If you find a strong reason, why you want to be a civil servant, nothing can stop you.” he adds.

 

 

 

He holds more than 145 Academic Degrees!

Tags

140 degrees, Chennai, College, degrees, graduates, Mr. Parthiban, University

“It is virtually impossible to compete in today’s global economy without a college degree”- Bobby Scott

If you ask any College student, he will tell you how difficult it is to get a University degree. According to the 2011 census, only 8-15% people are graduates in India. So many people are not able to get a suitable job because of not having a degree. Several girls are not able to find a good match for marriage, because of not being graduates.

Can you imagine a person having more than a hundred degrees? Yes, it not a fantasy. Professor VN Parthiban has more than 145 degrees which he acquired over the last 35 years. A look at his visiting card makes it difficult to believe. He has earned 145 degrees in various subjects and is teaching over 100 subjects in multiple colleges in Chennai.

His qualifications include   12 research degrees, 8 Master of Law degrees, 10 Master of Arts degrees, 8 Master of Commerce degrees, 3 Master of Science degrees, and 9 Master of Business Administration degrees, among others.

Parthiban, who is 55, however, hasn’t found it very difficult to keep studying for the last 35 years. Mr. Parthiban is presently employed as an Associate Professor of Commerce at Rama Krishna Mission Vivekananda College – Chennai, India. Can you believe that he spends 90% of his income on studies? Appearing for exams is his passion He started applying for so many courses, that sometimes he prepared for the wrong subject and failed in the paper.

He enjoys studying and does not get bored in learning so many diverse subjects simultaneously. It is no wonder that every Sunday he appears for some or the other exam. The invigilators know him by face in the examination hall. Parthiban comes from an ordinary family in Madras. When he was young, studying was considered a luxury. He scored only 59.9 % marks in his first-degree exam. His mother was disappointed as he could not get a first division. That is the time he decided that he should do something to make her proud. He made it a mission of his life to get more and more degrees and get multiple first divisions.

He took up his first job as an assistant in the judiciary department. He kept switching positions, preferring those that do not impose any restriction on enrolling for multiple courses simultaneously.

You might think that a person with so many degrees is expected to have a sharp memory, but that isn’t the case with Parthiban. He reveals that he has difficulty in remembering people’s faces. And, that sometimes he even forgets the routes that he takes on a daily basis. “I do not burden my mind with anything that is less important. I keep my mind calm,” he said.

The daily schedule of Mr. Parthiban is mind-boggling. He gets up at 5 am, and leaves for teaching at 6 am. He takes classes at various Colleges, Institutes, and University throughout the day. He reaches home at 10 pm, has a light dinner of 2-3 idlis and goes off to sleep.

Teaching hundreds of subjects in different colleges isn’t easy either. Sometimes, he goes to a class and forgets what he’s supposed to teach. “But the students never complain,” he said.

When asked which subject he dreads, Parthiban promptly said ‘Mathematics.’He failed in Actuarial Sciences, as the course required an in-depth knowledge of Mathematics. He could not pass CA (Final) exam because he was teaching in a College which took a lot of his time.

Parthiban’s wife is also following his footsteps-she has nine academic degrees and is working in a bank. His son and daughter, both have completed Engineering and MBA.

He is an Engineer, a Doctor, and a Professor, but son of a peon!

Tags

dreams, Professor

“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.”

-Colin Powell

A sleepy village ‘Sundi’ about 70 kms from Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh, has nothing to boast of, except that the hero of this story was born there.Rekh ram was the eldest of three brothers.His father was a farm worker. Unfortunately, he lost his mother when he was just four years old. Financial difficulties forced the family to migrate to Raipur in search of survival. His father Dukhuram managed to get the job of a peon on contractual basis in National Institute of Technology, Raipur.

Rekh ram went to a Government school.It was a difficult childhood, as he had to toil in the farm after school. To make ends meet, he would distribute newspapers in the morning on a cycle. He was sincere in studies and got reasonably good marks. After passing Class XII in 2000, he told his father to leave the job of a peon, as it was unbecoming. His father put forth a problematic condition, “when you become a Professor or Officer in this very College where I am working as a peon, I will resign”. These words touched his heart, and he decided to honor his father’s words. It was a farfetched dream, which seemed almost impossible at that time.

Rekh ram got admission in Rungta College of Engineering and Technology, Bhilai .He applied for an education loan of Rs 5 lakhs, but there was a problem of finding a guarantor. When his friends came to know of it, one of them came to his rescue by referring Prof Anupam Shukla as his guarantor. Finally, the loan was sanctioned, but to meet the monthly expenses Rekh ram had to do something which anyone would dread to do. He mopped the floor, cleaned utensils and washed the clothes of his roommates.

After passing B Tech, he started teaching in the same College, as he had to repay the loan. His desire to enhance his educational qualification led him to enroll for M Tech at NIT Raipur. After completing M Tech in 2007, he did Ph.D. in 2013 from Indian Institute of Information Technology, Gwalior. The topic of his research was fascinating “Detection of breast cancer with the help of software. “His guide was none other than his mentor Prof Anupam Shukla. After completing doctorate he applied in various colleges, but because of lack of vacancies, he had to teach in a private Engineering College in Bhopal for about two years.

In 2015 he got offers from prestigious Institutions and Engineering Colleges from Manipur, Allahabad, Bhopal, Raipur, and Ahmedabad. He joined as an Assistant Professor at NIT Raipur-his dream job. He reminded his father of the problematic condition which he had laid for resigning, and which he had now fulfilled. His father’s joy knew no bounds, and he happily left. Very few fathers are lucky to have such a worthy son.

Dr. Rekh Ram was invited to the University of Cambridge to present his research paper at an International Conference. He is being requested by many institutions like Akash Institute to deliver motivational talks to the students. In one such function, his father was also felicitated.

When asked about his vision, he said that he is working on a project in which underprivileged children of villages would be provided all facilities and guidance to fulfill their dreams. No wonder, he draws strength by reading spiritual and motivational books.

(The above story is based on an interview with Dr. Rekh Ram Janghel by Maj Pradeep Khare)

A slum dweller becomes an ISRO scientist

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aptitude, engineering, ISRO, scientist, slums, study

It is quite surprising that no Mumbaikar has become a scientist at ISRO, it is even more remarkable that Pratamesh Hirve became the first one to break that spell considering the odds that he faced. Pratamesh’s journey to the incredible heights of space research is all the more amazing because of his humble beginnings. Living in a 10×10 shanty in the densely populated Filterpada slums, Pratamesh concentrated on his studies and never lost sight of his goal.
His friends and neighbors would see him study day and night, and often asked him what he hoped to achieve, but Pratamesh never allowed his self-confidence to dwindle – not even when a career counselor told him he was capable of taking up Arts stream. His aunt and parents had taken him for an aptitude test in south Mumbai. The counselor said to his parents that his cousin brother had the aptitude for engineering, but he should choose a career in Arts instead. He was upset but refused to give up. He decided to become an Engineer, and his parents believed in him. In 2007, he got admission to Bhagubhai Mafatlal Polytechnic College for a diploma in electrical engineering. However this was just the beginning of his journey, and he had yet to overcome the most significant challenge – the language barrier.

Pratamesh studied in a Marathi medium school up to Class X. The first two years of the diploma course were challenging for him because he could not understand English and the complex engineering terms. He was a backbencher so the professor would not ask him questions. In the second year, he told his teacher about the language problem, and he advised him to refer to the dictionary as often as possible. During his internships at L&T and Tata Power as well, his teachers encouraged him to go for a degree, so he decided to pursue a degree from Smt Indira Gandhi College of Engineering in Navi Mumbai.
After getting his degree in 2014, Pratamesh had big dreams for his future, but not everything worked out the way he had planned. He applied for a coveted post in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) recruitment but failed. He then set his sights on the sky, and applied to ISRO in 2015, but could only reach to the waiting list. By this time, he had started getting job offers, so he took up the job of an engineer. But his goal was to make it to ISRO, so, in May 2016, he applied again,
There were there were 16,000 candidates, out of which only nine could be selected – Pratamesh was one of them. “On November 14, when he found out that he was through, it was such a happy moment for him.” I struggled for ten long years before I could reach ISRO. “I have got my initial posting at Chandigarh. Now I will give my parents a better home and life,” said ISRO’s newest electrical scientist.
Most of Pratamesh’sfamily members had never heard of ISRO until he landed in a job there, but his loved ones are thrilled by his success. Pratamesh’s mother, Indu, 46, said, “I have studied up to class 3. Initially, I could not understand what this job meant. When my husband explained that our son would be working with such an elite organization, I was in tears. I remembered all the difficult times since his childhood. I am very proud of him, he has realized his dream.”
Pratamesh’s achievement is even more exciting for his father, Soma, 52, a primary school teacher. He said, “When Pratamesh refused to join Arts stream and insisted on science, I cautioned him that he would have to work very hard, and he agreed. When he told me he got a job at ISRO, I realized he had been right all along. He would study day till late night, and our lights would never be switched off. Everyone at our native place in Dahiwadi, Satara, is as proud of him as we are.”
Pratamesh has actualized the famous quote from Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist: ‘when you want something desperately, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.

A coolie’s son going to study at the London School of Economics!

Tags

ambition, backwardness, coolie, discriminate, scholarship

His father who worked as a coolie is a heart patient. His illiterate mother is just 45, but having carried heavy loads on her back all her life, she suffers from severe back problems. Until the local Panchayat gave community members proper houses, they lived in huts. When it rained, his parents could not go out and work, and there were days when there was no rice at home and they ate only jackfruit seeds. When he was young, the only desire he had was to have rice to eat every day. Can you believe it, this 24 years old youth has been admitted to the prestigious London School of Economics?

In school, if he remained a silent, invisible backbencher, it was mainly because no teacher paid any attention to him. There was nobody to guide him or advise him on his studies, so much so that he didn’t even know what to study and how to do it. It was only when he was in Class VII that he passed a subject for the first time. His primary and middle school days went by without anyone hurting him much. But the moment he went to high school, he felt discriminated against.

There were only socially backward and poor students in the upper primary school, so they all felt the same. But once he got to high school, there were socially and financially sound students in the school and they looked down upon him with contempt. Once when he was out on the school ground for physical education, a teacher asked him which House (children are divided into various Houses) he belonged to. When he said he was a member of the Blue House, the master sarcastically remarked, ‘you should have been in the black house; not the blue one!’ That incident discriminate him a lot.

Recalling the caste discrimination Binesh said “I still remember the upper-class people shutting the door in my face when I went to watch TV at their home. If they saw their children playing with us, they would immediately call them home. On festival days and birthdays, they used to call us to eat, but would make us sit on the floor at the back of the house and serve us food there.”

Life changed dramatically for Binesh when a senior student in his school took him to an Internet cafe. It was during the summer vacation after Class VII; the year he had for the first time passed a subject in school. At the cafe, he was introduced to video games first. After that, he started going there often to play games. From games, he moved to the virtual world, a world where there was no caste, religion or backwardness, where nobody looked at him with contempt or judged him. He created an e-mail id for himself, and also an account on Orkut.

When the new academic year started, there was an allotted hour for students of Class VIII to study computers. For the first time, Binesh felt confident in front of the other students, having already learned to operate a computer. He was so fascinated by programming languages that he scored full marks in the subject and became a hero for the other students! That made him decide it was the field he was going to study after Class X. He was going to become a network engineer!

He was also interested in dancing but didn’t know where to learn. Again, the Internet came to his rescue, and he started learning dance watching YouTube videos of Michael Jackson. He learned the most difficult steps first and became a reasonably good dancer. Dancing also helped him break free from the shackles that bound him since childhood. He also started reading e books and learned to design Web sites.

Binesh was very keen to study network engineering and was admitted to a college in Bangalore. However, due to a local politician’s interference, he did not get funding from the government, and there ended his dream of studying network engineering. Disappointed, Binesh had to bury his dreams and join a nearby college to study development economics. He started spending more time in the library to improve his language skills and knowledge of the subject. After completing his graduation, Binesh decided to do an MBA at the Kerala University campus. That was the time he was introduced to Dr. Ambedkar.”Like Ambedkar, I also wanted to go out and study where I would not be judged on my color, background or financial status.” he said.

In the meantime, he was selected among 20 students to win the National Overseas scholarship of Rs 45 lakh. Binesh applied to the London School of Economics and was admitted for an MSc in Social Anthropology. What worked in his favor was a paper he published in the Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies on tribal medicine that can detoxify the bodies of alcoholics before they started counseling. As he gets ready to go to LSE in 2017, he says, “I have found that if these universities notice that you have potential, they encourage you.My ambition is to do a Ph.D. at Oxford or Harvard”

He cleared the IAS at 21 years

Tags

IAS, struggle, success, youngest IAS officer

The UPSC civil services exam is considered one of the toughest exams in the country. Lakhs of people appear in the exam and only a few hundred qualify in the end. Only a proper combination of hard work, guidance and tenacity can help UPSC aspirants crack these exams. Many candidates, despite having all the comforts and coaching that money can buy, fail to clear the Civil Services exam. But some determined and zealously diligent candidates achieve success despite all odds stacked against them. One such inspiring person is Ansar Ahmad Shaikh, who cleared the UPSC civil services exam, 2015 in his very first attempt. He secured AIR 361 and he was just 21; beating Roman Saini who was 22 when he became an IAS officer.

Ansar is the son of Yonus Shaikh Ahmad, an auto rickshaw driver from Jalna’s Shedgaon village in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra. His mother worked in fields. His younger brother, Anees dropped out of school in standard VII. Anees worked in a garage to support the family and help his brother to prepare for the IAS exam. His financial condition forced him to go without food for two to three days during his preparation for the exam.

Ansar worked almost twelve hours a day for three years to achieve his IAS dream. His success is especially commendable because of the fact that education wasn’t a priority in his family. In his own words Ansar describes his domestic situation, “Education has never been a watchword in my family. My father, a rickshaw driver, has three wives. My mother is the second wife. My younger brother dropped out of school and my two sisters were married off at an early age. When I told them that I had cleared the UPSC and in all likelihood will be an IAS officer, they were stunned.” Ansar has been given West Bengal cadre. His father used to beat his mother often and his two sisters were married off at ages 14 and 15. However, braving all challenges and with the support of his brother and mother, the perpetual topper during most of his academic career focused on studying and cracking the UPSC exams at first shot.

Even though Ansar’s large family struggled to make ends meet, he remained a bright student Science from Fergusson College, Pune.He thanked Rahul Pandve, his 30-year-old teacher for giving him guidance and support. (Pandve had also cleared the UPSC civil services exam in 2015 with AIR 200).

Ansar said on his success “There is no alternative to hard work. During my struggle, my friends helped me a lot mentally and financially and even my coaching academy waived a portion of fees due to my poor financial condition”.The 21-year-old Muslim lad from Maharashtra had to change his surname to a more acceptable “Shubham” to get accommodation and food without hassles.  He had come to Pune in 2014, as a Fergusson College student.

However, since he belongs to the Other Backward Class category, he is optimistic of an Indian Administrative Services (IAS) posting, which could catapult him as country’s youngest IAS officer

“I was marginalized by three different categories. I am from a backward undeveloped region, I hail from a poor economic background and I belong to a minority community. I will tackle all these issues as an administrator since I have witnessed these issues at close quarters,” Shaikh added.

 

Not eligible to appear for IIT, she got into MIT!

“No student ever attains very eminent success by simply doing what is required of him: it is the amount and excellence of what is over and above the required that determines the greatness of ultimate distinction.”- Charles Kendall Adams

Time and again, the flaws of the education system in India have been highlighted. The percentage of marks scored are given more importance than the competence of the student. Without passing school-leaving examinations, one cannot imagine getting admission to a college. Moreover getting into one of the prestigious IIT’s requires cracking the IIT-JEE. The case of seventeen-year-old Malvika Raj Joshi is the perfect example of this anomaly. This Mumbai girl did not attend a school like regular kids but instead was homeschooled. Well, you know how difficult it is to get admissions in a country obsessed with marks?

The making of a Professor

“Through hard work, perseverance and a faith in God, you can live your dreams.”
-Benjamin Carson
He was pulling a rickshaw in Jaipur, on the steep upslope of Brahmapuri.The sweltering heat and the weight of three passengers was making him sweat profusely .He was feeling exhausted. Thinking about the circumstances, that made him a rickshaw puller brought tears in his eyes. His life was confined to the rickshaw, so much so that he had to eat and even sleep there. Sometimes he used to come to drop passengers at the gate of Rajasthan University, but he could not dare to enter the University campus.Lo and behold, this lad has now become an Assistant Professor in Rajasthan University.
Let’s turn the clock of time back by a few years, to track how this incredible success story materialized.Jagdeesh Meena was born in a poor farmer’s family in Karnaver village (District Baswa) Rajasthan. Shortage of irrigation facilities forced his father to abandon farming and work as a mason to sustain his family .Jagdeesh was the second among five siblings. Financial crisis always gripped the family .During his school days he was fond of drawing. “I used to make drawings on the blank spaces in my book, which would annoy the teachers” recalls Jagdeesh.His Art teachers always encouraged him to pursue drawing and painting. In due course of time he passed the Class X examination. As the board and colours were expensive he resorted to making pencil sketches. Sometimes he would go to nearby parks and Jawahar Art Centre to make pencil sketches of people for a paltry sum of Rs 100. “I would make a pencil portrait in just about 10-15 minutes” he recalls. These earnings would supplement his father’s income.

He was always on the lookout for finding ways to earn money. He came to know that some boys used to go to Jaipur and pull rickshaws to earn money. He decided to join them, oblivious of the fact that it involved grueling physical labour.But he was not prepared to sacrifice his studies, so he would pull the rickshaw only seven days in a month. Having earned some money he would come back to his village and rejoin school. Remembering those difficult days he said, “I used to feel suffocated among the rickshaw pullers who used to smoke ‘beedis’ and talk in uncultured language. When asked about the turning point of his life Jagdeesh said, “Whenever I used to come to the gate of Rajasthan University to drop passengers, I would park my rickshaw on the left side of the gate.I used to tell myself that if I compromise on studies now,I will have to remain a rickshaw puller all through my life. It was then, that I nurtured a dream to become a Professor one day.” He continued this routine of rickshaw pulling from Class X to XII.
After passing Class XII Meena got admission in BA Fine Arts in Rajasthan University. He was staying in the hostel. His parents had to borrow money and send him about Rs 2000 every month to meet the hostel expenses. Sometimes even this was not possible owing to financial constraints. He evolved a novel method to earn money. He used to serve as a waiter in marriages and other functions at night. In 2007 Meena got admission in MA (Fine Arts).He used to take drawing classes in private schools to meet the hostel expenses. He remained committed to his goal and each day brought him closer to it. He surprised everyone by topping the list of successful candidates, and winning the gold medal. It was a moment of pride and glory.Jagdeesh thanked God from the core of his heart, as he always believed that one can only put in his best but the result is in the hands on God.
After completing his post-graduation he cleared UGC NET examination in 2009 and subsequently enrolled for PhD .He got selected as an Art teacher in a government school in Rajgarh, where he worked for three years. After a long gap of 31 years the posts of Assistant Professor in Rajasthan University were advertised.Jagdeesh applied and got selected. He is happily married and his wife is an Assistant Engineer. He is busy preparing his thesis for the topic “A study of Indian miniature paintings depicting Mahabharat”.In a message to people in similar situations, he said “don’t be afraid of difficulties or problems, and face them. Chase your dreams and God will help you”.Not content to rest on his laurels ,Jagdeesh wants to keep on perfecting his Art and find a place in the top ten artists of the world.
(The above success story is based on the interview of Jagdeesh Meena by Major Pradeep Khare)

The making of a CA

“Follow your dreams, believe in yourself and don’t give up.”

-Rachel Corrie

His parents often engaged in family quarrels over financial issues in the household. He got fed up with the tense atmosphere prevailing at home and ran away at the tender age of just 8 years. He had to do petty jobs as a child labourer in hotels at Bhopal, Indore and Ujjain. When he used to go and give tea to bank officers, he would dream to become like them one day. Luck brought him to Mumbai where he got inspiration from a girl and enrolled for Class X examination through open school. This story which runs on the lines of a film script is soon going to be the subject of a biopic. The real life hero of this story is Mukesh Singh Rajput who has become a qualified Chartered Accountant. Not only this, a biographical account of his struggleful life has been published in the form of a book titled “CA pass –the real story”. The book was released on 01 July 2015.

 

Mukesh did not have the company of bright students for doing group study, so he formed a group of weak students. His sincere efforts broke the age old myth, that blind cannot lead the blind, and he succeeded. During these difficult days he earned money by doing an assortment of odd jobs like security guard, boiler man, and bus conductor and even at octroi posts. After passing Class X examination, Mukesh went to the girl he fancied. His enthusiasm was punctured, when he came to know that she had been married off by her parents. Having lost his first love, he found it difficult to come to terms with life. It took him three years to reconcile. He came back to Bhopal and took up the job of a security guard. In the meantime he developed liking for another girl. When she came to know of it, she got annoyed and chided him for not even passing Class XII.Mukesh took it as a challenge and put his heart and soul into it.No wonder he cleared the examination with good marks in the first attempt. Armed with his new found success, he went to his girlfriend’s house to share the good news. His disappointment knew no bounds when he came to know, that not only she had been married, but had also become a mother. However there seemed a ray of hope as the girl was seeking divorce. Without losing time, Mukesh proposed to her, but she rejected saying “you first do something for your career, before you come to me.” After being second time unlucky in love Mukesh was baffled. In desperation he became a driver.

Then came the turning point of his life. One day he was asked to go and hand over a document to a CA in his office. He was mighty impressed to see the CA’s office! Deep down in his heart he nurtured a dream of becoming a CA himself someday. On enquiring, how one becomes a CA, he was told that it was very difficult.Mukesh determined to stretch himself to realize his dream. He switched over and became the driver of a loading auto, in the hope that he would be able to find some time for studies. His efforts paid off and he completed his graduation in 1998, and that too without any coaching. He got admission in CA Intermediate in 2000.Nonetheless coping up with studies was an uphill task along with his tiring job. He failed six times in the IPCC-Integrated Professional Competence Course, but did not give up. Sure enough, his persistence paid, and he passed in the seventh attempt. Another girl came in his life in those days. He was quite hopeful that she would accept him, but luck again played hide and seek. She committed suicide because of family problems.Mukesh was once again disappointed, but reconciled and decided to complete CA for the sake of his siblings. His efforts bore fruit and in 2010 Mukesh became a full-fledged CA and started practicing in Bhopal.

Not content to rest on his laurels, Mukesh decided to share the secrets of his success. He penned down his experiences during his long struggle, for the benefit of CA aspirants. There is something in this book for both categories of students-those who have all the amenities but find excuses not to study, and also those who have nothing but find reasons to study. He has given tips on memorizing and also how to overcome examination phobia. The book outlines practical approaches of turning failures into achievers.Mukesh has also launched a website to guide students and help them to realize their dreams. He has shown to the world the even a professional course like CA can be completed against all odds, provided one doesn’t give up ,and continues to chase his dreams.

From Peon to CEO of his own company

“The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent.” – Arnold

When he graduated in 1998 with a BA degree from Government College, Dhaliara, near his village in Himachal Pradesh, he hadn’t ever used a computer. He moved to Chandigarh about fifteen years ago. He was jittery about his future, when a friend told him that a computer course would enable him to get a job for ₹ 5000 a month. He came to Chandigarh, in search of a job. Very soon he realized that a plain graduate like him could not get a job, unless he acquires some professional qualification. He was not the one to go back empty-handed. He got a job as a peon at the local Aptech Computer Education Centre, and managed to fund his one-year computer course as well. To save money, he often had to skip meals, because he knew that his parents could not support him as they were not financially well off.

It is my privilege to present before you Mr. Chhotu Sharma who is now is the founder CEO of CS Group. He is a Microsoft Certified Software Developer and has been training IT professionals in Microsoft technologies since last 12 years. He is recognized as “The Guru of Microsoft Technologies”. For his excellent work in the field of education, he has been conferred with the title of “Himachal Gaurav” by the Chief Minister in the year 2007.

Chotu Sharma with Shalini Sharma  

Working as a peon, Chhotu had to spend all day at the centre, which gave him a lot of free time to practice his computer lessons. He also started guiding other students with their programming lessons—and discovering his skills as a teacher. He decided to make a career in the field of computers. After becoming a Microsoft certified software developer, Chhotu continued teaching. He bought a bicycle which he used to reach the houses, where he would provide home tuitions in Computers. He was also offered a job of a part time Computer Instructor in Aptech for their evening classes. By 2000, he was earning enough to buy a motorbike and his first PC, with which he started his own computer institute in a rented two-room flat. In six months he had 80 students and more computers— all in a bigger place.

His students have been picked up by Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft, Accenture, TCS, Infosys and others. In the year 2009, he established CS Soft Solutions Pvt. Ltd, a company offering complete IT solutions in multifarious IT applications. He has been instrumental in shaping the goals and evolving the values of CS Soft Solutions. Pvt. Ltd. His strong penchant for excellence at professional as well as at personal front, backed by a sincere and an honest approach towards life are the basic reasons for the success of the ventures he has launched and actively developed. These qualities of sincerity and honesty easily percolate among his students, ensuring their success in future lives too.

Today, he teaches advanced software development to more than 1000 students in his own Chandigarh-based CS Infotech. About 125 employees work in CS Soft Solutions, his software development company in Mohali. Chhotu also helps those in need: he reaches out to deserving students, funds marriages and helps youngsters from his village get an education. Some of his students testimonials mentioned below speak volumes about the dedication and effectiveness of Chotu Sharma and his faculty members.

Name: – RUNEET VASHISHT

Company: – Microsoft Technologies

My association with Mr Chhotu Sharma goes around a decade back now. He has been a Teacher, Mentor and Friend to me. Mr Sharma has been a pioneer of Technical education; He has always been ahead of the curve in anticipating ever changing technology and dissipating it to budding technologist helping them build their careers.

Name: – Yadvinder Rana

Company: – FISERV

He is a master of technology and has been doing a great job by mentoring, teaching and building good technocrats who are doing well in the IT Industry. I thank him for him for his extraordinary efforts in mounting careers and giving good professionals to IT industry.

It is said ‘behind every successful man, there is a woman’. The woman in Chotu Sharma’s life is Shalini Sharma. She is an embodiment of immense patience and optimism while possessing, sharp analytical as well as people management skills. Sincerity, simplicity and honesty have been her hallmark. She has trained thousands of students since last 10 years. She has prowess in the wide array of languages such as C, C++, C# ASP. Net, Visual Basic, Ajax, Silver Light etc. Her current affiliations include being a Trainer at CS Infotech and the Director at CS Soft Solutions Pvt. Ltd. She received her Bachelor’s in Technology in Computer Science from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Abreast with Chhotu Sharma in imparting technical training, since the existence of CS Group, she’s tirelessly worked with full dedication and sincerity.

“Back in my village, I never thought I’d get this far,” says Chhotu. “But all it takes is a little extra education and effort to make it work.”  When asked about his future plans, Chotu Sharma said, “By providing total solutions we tend to move further for the accomplishment of our vision viz, to be the leader in the industry oriented quality education and training and be the country’s premier institute for certification in the field of ICT.”