SIVAGURU PRABHAKAR I.A.S

 

We will whistle if the dialogue in the cinema speaks of  'என்ன கொடுமை சார்’.  But young IAS officer Sivaguru Prabhakaran has achieved such a real cruelty. He has secured 101st position in India in the  civil service examination.  Behind his success stories is a war like life.

Sivaguru was born to a poor family of farmers from Melaottankadu village in Pattukottai in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district. His mother was the only earning member of the family, who made a livelihood out of weaving palm leaves.

Sivaguru has always been a bright student, and his mother has played a vital role in ensuring that all his dreams become reality. "When I was in school, I need a book and we were poor, early in the morning around 4am I was crying worrying about how to do he homework assigned without the book. My mom saw me crying and on knowing it is for the book she immediately set off with me carrying a lantern. We walked for over a kilometre and she got me the book," said Sivaaguru, "if you need something you need to get it was what my mother always told me."

When the Kumbakkonam tragedy happened in Tamil Nadu Sivaguru saw J Radhakrishnan, the current Health Secretary of Tamil Nadu, and then and there Sivaguru wanted to be like him.

He cleared Plus Two with excellent marks and was aspiring to pursue engineering. But he had to hold himself back because of financial constraints.

During his training period for IIT Sivaaguru for close to four months used to sleep in the St Thomas Mount railway station. "I didn't know anyone here. The coaching classes were on Saturday and Sunday and I had no place to stay. I used to travel by train and reach on Saturday attend classes and then take shelter at the platform where I used to study and the following day I used to go to class and then return home," Sivaguru said. This went on till he found a friend in his coaching class who was ready to share rooms with him.

Life has had its ups and downs but Sivaguru says that the women in his life taught him how to be hardworking and constantly aiming for succeeding. "My mother, grandmother and sister they have been always supportive. There is no hurdle that can't be broken. I used to hit every obstacle harder and harder till it broke. Perseverance and hard work will take everyone a long way," said Sivaguru who likes to be addressed as a farmer as well.

On his fourth attempt Sivaguru cleared his UPSC. He says that constant preparation and an urge to serve the public is what helped his achieve this success. From a small village to finishing engineering and then IIT with a 9.0 GPA to now cracking the UPSC this villager is an inspiration for hundreds of people now.