From a Sleepy Village to IAS – Surabhi Gautam’s Story
You know those stories that make you stop and think, if she could do it from there, what’s stopping me? Surabhi Gautam’s journey is exactly that.
Who is Surabhi Gautam?
She comes from Amdara, a small village in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh. Barely a thousand people lived there when she was growing up. Born in the rainy month of August into a big joint family of more than thirty members. Only her parents were happy that day. For the rest of the family it was just another ordinary birth. Her father was a lawyer in the Maihar civil court. Her
mother, Dr. Sushila Gautam, taught in the local higher secondary school. They didn’t have much, but they believed in education.
School was the government Hindi-medium school in the village. No fancy buildings, books often came late, and many nights she studied by the light of a lantern because electricity was never reliable. Still she was sharp. In class 5 she scored full marks in maths and the teacher told her she was special. That stayed with her. In class 10 she got 93.4 percent with perfect 100s in
Maths and Science. Her name came in the state merit list. Around that time a local newspaper
asked her what she wanted to become. She said “Collector.” The dream started there.
Early life and Education:
Class 12 was tough. She got rheumatic fever and had to travel 150 kilometres to Jabalpur every fifteen days for injections. Even then she scored well, got the Abdul Kalam scholarship, and cleared the state engineering entrance. She went to Bhopal for Electronics and Communication Engineering.
Here’s a quick look at her basic details:
Full Name | Surabhi Gautam |
Birth Place | Amdara, Satna, Madhya Pradesh |
Education | B.Tech Electronics & Communication |
Major ranks | AIR 1 IES 2013, AIR 50 UPSC 2016 |
Cadre | Gujarat, 2017 batch |
And her family:
Relation | Details |
Father | Lawyer, Maihar Civil Court |
Mother | Dr. Sushila Gautam, High School Teacher |
Family | Large joint family of 30+ members |
Status | Single |
Her Personal life:
She keeps her personal life quiet. Work comes first. When she went back to the village as an IAS officer the same people who barely noticed her birth welcomed her with garlands and slogans – “Gaon ki beti kaisi ho? Surabhi Gautam jaisi ho!”
She still talks about wanting better electricity, better medical facilities, and more chances for girls in places like her village. That quiet fire is still there.
Some common questions people ask:
Did she really struggle with English?
Yes. They mocked her in college. She turned it around by learning ten words a day and wrote the UPSC papers in English.
@Rohit Manral
FAQs:
Only one. Rank 50 in the first try.
Yes – lots of them, including AIR 1 in IES.
None. Just school, self-study and her parents’ support.
The memory of studying under a lantern and the wish that other village kids get better chances
than she had.
Surabhi’s story is not about magic. It’s about showing up every day when people laugh, when the lights go out, when your own body fights you. From a girl whose birth almost went unnoticed to an IAS officer who makes her whole village proud – she simply refused to stay small. And that is why her journey still lights a fire in so many others.