24-04-2025
Was rearing sheep when Kolhapur candidate heard of UPSC exam success
Kolhapur:
Birdev Done
's unwavering dream became his driving force behind his success in UPSC exams and securing 551st rank. Born in Kagal tehsil's Yamage village in
Kolhapur
district, Done and his shepherd relatives were rearing goats and sheep in the vast grasslands between Maharashtra and Karnataka border when the results were declared on Wednesday. The story of Done, son of a shepherd, will be narrated for generations to come, at least in his community— which moves from place to place for rearing sheep and goats.
Despite his share of challenges, Birdev Done completed his education from College of Engineering Pune and cleared the UPSC in his third attempt.
He gives credit to his elder brother for his success. "My elder brother wanted to become a cop, but financial constraints led him to choose the army. Now he is a Naik. He helped me with my education all along. I finished primary and secondary education from a public school. Since the first year of my engineering, I aimed to become an
IAS officer
. I was poor in English, so I downloaded a dictionary and improved my English. With the help of my mentor Nishant Deshmukh's grandfather, I secured some funds for coaching in New Delhi," said Done, speaking to TOI.
Done said: "Nurture a deep inner drive to become something meaningful in life, and the universe will find ways to turn your dream into reality." Done said during the interview he was asked about why there is a sudden demand for sheep's milk and also whether violent action is the way out for resolving the India-Pakistan border dispute. "I think my answers to these questions were received well by the interview panel, which helped me score well in the personality test," added Done.
Rural candidates
shine
Dilipkumar Krishna Desai, the son of an ex-army man, ranked 605th. He is from Jambulwadi village in Gadhinglaj tehsil. He did his electronics and telecommunications from RIT College Islampur. His sister Swati, who is currently a Deputy Collector, inspired him to become a civil servant.
Aditi's giant leap
Aditi Chougule from Jaysingpur town of Kolhapur district, who secured 433rd rank last time, ranked 63rd this time. She said focusing on studies helped her improve her rank.
