A cobbler’s son has secured 2,232rd rank in the examination for Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) and will soon be appointed a block supply officer.
Birendra Kumar’s father Bhikhari Ram was a cobbler who passed away in 2012 and his mother, a homemaker, died in January this year. His elder brother Jitendra Kumar supported Birendra Kumar to realise his dreams with the income from his family business of shoe making and repairs.
“I didn’t get any fancy education. I did my schooling from my village’s government school and pursued graduation from Daudnagar College of Aurangabad. I was motivated to prepare for the BPSC examination by a senior named Rajeev, and it changed my life,” an ecstatic Kumar said. Needless to say, he is the first member in his family to have qualified for a reputed government job.
After his father’s demise, his elder brother took the responsibility of running the house and helped Kumar continue his studies but when the family’s financial situation deteriorated further, Kumar was forced to sell eggs to keep his dreams alive.
“I started selling eggs in 2012 and continued [doing so] for five years till my brother’s business flourished. I studied rigorously for the examination under the guidance of Rajeev sir and with the help of the internet and cleared the examination in the first attempt,” the 27-year-old said.
“With my humble family background and simple education, I used to feel that cracking the BPSC exam was beyond my capacity. Then I worked to overcome my weaknesses while pondering over qualities that will help me stand out among hundreds of thousands of aspirants,” he said.
Kumar regrets his mother couldn’t see him become an officer.
“My mother passed away in January. I miss her. She motivated and instilled self belief in me, saying hard work pays off someday,” Kumar recalled. He has now set his sight on cracking the Union Public Service Commission examination.
Kumar hoped his success will help his family’s coming generation to get a good education and better living conditions.
“My family reeled under poverty for a long period. Filling the basic needs was tough for us. But I hope our next generation will not have to do odd jobs like we did,” he added.
