UPSC journey of every aspirant is fraught with ups and downs. Despite facing numerous challenges, Ramya Chandrasekaran, hailing from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, became an IFS officer by securing an incredible 46th rank in UPSC 2021. Her early life story follows typical trajectory where she graduated from IGNOU and even worked as a data entry operator. She couldn’t even clear the prelims in her first five attempts, and yet, today, she is serving the nation as a successful IFS officer. 

Background

Ramya’s family resides in Ram Nagar Kattoor, Coimbatore. She is the only daughter of R Muthulakshmi and R Chandrasekhar. She earned her graduation from Coimbatore Institute of Technology and completed her MBA from IGNOU. 

UPSC preparation

After her father’s sudden demise, she shouldered the household responsibilities and began working at a company in Bengaluru for three years. During this time, she decided to pursue UPSC. She left her job in the year 2017 and began her preparation.

Enduring challenges

During her UPSC journey, when Ramya faced financial difficulties, she worked as a data entry operator. Her journey was far from easy, especially after failing to clear UPSC prelims five times in a row. Despite these setbacks, she persevered and continued with her preparation. On her sixth attempt, she achieved AIR 46 and was ranked second in the state. Today, she is serving as an IFS officer. 

The secret to success

On her social media account, Ramya shared about her CSE journey. Cracking UPSC and joining the Indian Foreign Service was immensely challenging but was worth it. What lies ahead is understanding and mastering global affairs, different cultures, diplomacy and more. She believes that learning is a never-ending process, and her own journey to learning continues.