Meet UPSC topper whose father left him, was raised by mother who worked as loan agent, once wanted to become sanyasi, cleared civil service exam in 5th attempt with AIR…, he is…

A Bengaluru-based graduate, Dhanush Kumar, wanted to become a monk. After completing his college, he spent over six years in meditation. After long years of meditation, he made up his mind to serve the nation. With his mother’s support and hard work, he cleared the civil service exam on his fifth attempt, with an All India Rank (AIR) 501 in UPSC CSE 2022 exam. He was expected to join the Indian Police Service (IPS). 

How Dhanush’s UPSC journey began?

A native of Arasikere in Hassan district, Dhanush was brought up by his mother, Chetana Gowda, a single parent. At a very early age, his father deserted him, leaving his mother to raise him. He studied in Arasikere up to Class 5, and later he moved to Bengaluru. He graduated with a degree in Computer Science and Engineering from BNM Institute of Technology. Following this, he shared that he wanted to become a sanyasi. “I wanted to become a sanyasi (monk) and spent most of my time in meditation for over six years. All through this, my mother supported me, and she just said I should become a responsible citizen. After many years of meditation, I concluded that I should dedicate myself to society. Later, I decided joining the civil service was the best way to render service to society,” he was quoted as saying to The Hindu. 

How did Dhanush prepare for UPSC CSE?

During his CSE preparations, Dhanush also worked as a tutor at Shankar IAS Academy. While preparing, he used to regularly read the newspaper to follow current affairs and analyse developments. After multiple attempts, he finally cleared the exam on his fifth attempt. In his previous attempts, he was selected for the interview three times but could not make it to the final list. He chose Kannada literature as his subject in the main examination. 

Dhanush became his support during his UPSC CSE journey. His mother, who single-handedly raised him, worked as a direct selling agent (DSA loan agent). Crediting his mother for his success in the exam, he said, “My mother is the force behind my studies and my success in the Civil Service Examination.”