She Once Hid Rotis to Survive. Years Later, Savita Pradhan Became an IAS Officer
“I would hide the chapatis in my undergarments and eat them in the bathroom since I was not allowed to eat”, For Savita Pradhan this was the reality she used to live in. This was her reality to showcase her childhood and also as that of a married woman living amidst poverty, starvation, and harassment. Savita belongs to a poor Adivasi family in Madhya Pradesh. Her father was a daily wager who hardly earned enough to support his family. Savita would walk to school as she did not have the money to travel by bus which cost two rupees. Even with poverty around her, Savita wanted to study and she became the first girl from her village to appear for the class 10 exam. She had great dreams of becoming a doctor. However, Savita’s life took a different turn when her parents got her married at the early age of 16. Her parents told her that she could continue her studies after marriage, but her husband did not allow her and harassed her. She narrates, “I would hide chapatis in my undergarments and eat them in the bathroom since I was not allowed to eat”. On top of not being allowed to eat, she faced harassment from her husband. Savita adds, “He would beat me in front of the children. He even threw urine on me.” But Savita’s inner strength prevented her from giving up on life. Whenever she was insulted or beaten, she would get up, freshen up, and go for the exams. Savita attempted suicide due to the mental agony and torture. However, her children kept her going and she also wanted to give them a different life so she decided to change her life path. She left her husband and started living on her own. From here, Savita started working in a beauty parlour, doing private tuition, and preparing for various competitive exams. It was during her preparation for these exams that she came across the civil service exam. She had no idea what it was, but she wanted to secure a job that would financially stabilize her. As she later said, “I did not know what it meant becoming an IAS. All that I knew is, with this exam, the miseries of me and my children would come to an end. That was the only thing that kept me going.” Her perseverance and hard work paid off when she topped the state civil service examination and bagged the second position in her cadre in her first attempt. At the young age of 24, she became a chief municipal officer. From there, her journey up the civil service ladder began until she became an IAS officer. What can Savita Pradhan’s story teach us? That cracking the IAS exam is not as difficult as it seems? Or that to become rich and famous all you need is to become an IAS officer? Or is Savita Pradhan’s story just another feel-good story of an inspirational IAS officer? Well, Savita Pradhan’s story is not just the journey of an ordinary woman who fought and cracked the IAS exam to become rich and famous. It is the story of a woman who came from the gutters of society and climbed up the social ladder to become an IAS officer. It is the story of a poor girl who used to distribute rotis wrapped in rags and today forms policies that decide how the government spends its money. It is the story of a mother who used to leave her house searching for jobs and now has a son and a daughter who have bright future ahead of them. It is the story of a woman who wanted to give up on life but had greater purpose to achieve and therefore fought on and changed her life completely. That is the message that Savita Pradhan’s story brings to every individual ready to change their lives. @Rohit Manral