A Mechanic’s Son to an IAS Officer: Altap Shaikh’s UPSC Journey

February 8, 2024

4 Minutes

Introduction

If “perseverance” is to be seen as synonymous with a person, it would undoubtedly be Altap Shaikh. Hailing from Kathiyawadi Village in Pune, Maharashtra, his itinerary lined up with hardships is a testimony to his commitment to the dream that he and his father shared. Altap secured rank 545 in the UPSC CSE Examinations, 2020, and he is currently serving as an officer at the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. As a child, he spent more time in his grandmother’s tea shop and father’s garage than in school. Let’s dive into his journey from a librarian to clearing the UPSC examination.

The Quest to Read

While working at his Amma’s tea shop, Altap used to go to various beer shops to serve tea. While doing so, he used to grab newspapers from these places, and he developed an interest in reading. Moreover, near his father’s garage, there was a chemist shop. A person named Milind used to ask Altap to spell the names of the medicines. With every correct spelling, Altap used to get Melody chocolate. This ignited a spark in Altap to read.

Facing Hardships and Leaving Engineering

In 1998, Altap’s family was in debt. They had to sell their house and leave their village. They shifted to Islampur district. Islampur was more developed as compared to his village. In his new school, his fellow classmates used to make fun of him.

In 9th grade, Altap secured admission to Jawahar Navodya Vidyalaya. When he went to the school for admission, most of the students there were from affluent backgrounds. His chappal’s strap was dislocated, and Altap was ashamed of his state. Then his father said to him:

 “Beta, gareebi mein kabhi mat sharmao,Aur ameer hone par ghamand mat karo.”

These lines hit Altap hard, and he decided to accept his situation as-it-is.

In another instance, after 12th grade, when Altap was getting admission to various NITs, his father had no money. Once, a bank manager clearly refused to give money because there was no collateral, and as a result, Altap decided to drop the idea of engineering.

Altap As a Librarian 

Once, in 2003, an inspector stopped by Altap’s father’s garage to get his Jeep repaired. He saw Altap reading something in the corner and encouraged him. He also commended Altap’s father for not letting him work and rather getting him to study. At that time, Altap didn’t know what being IPS meant but later on he realised that. This inspector was none other than Shahid Ashok Kamde, the officer who lost his life in the 26/11 attacks.

With the support of his college principal, J.K. Patil, Altap completed his graduation and joined his college’s UPSC academy as a librarian. He used to work as a librarian, clean the library, and water the plants during the day. In the night, he used to study. Around 800 students from the academy took the state services exam, and Altap was one of the four students who qualified it. Furthermore, Altap joined the intelligence bureau. He took  five UPSC attempts but wasn’t able to clear the exam.

Father’s Death and Revival of the Dream

In 2017, while mountaineering in Sikkim, he was called by his head and informed that his father was no more. Altap was shattered. He promptly headed back to his hometown and went to his father’s graveyard. He promised his dead father that he would fulfill his dream of being an IAS officer, which they saw together. 

Altap, then, introspected his own mistakes in his last attempts. He focused more on test series and revision. He avoided being overconfident. He used to study before going to work and after coming back. On August 3, 2020, the results were declared, and Altap again didn’t make it. He called his mother and cried. However, he still did not lose hope and was firm in fulfilling his promise to his father. Altap studied again, and his seventh attempt proved to be the last step towards his dream. His name was on the list. The dream that he saw with his father was fulfilled.

Learnings from His Journey

Firstly, Altap suggests to stop making excuses. He said that if you have willpower, no sort of lack can stop you from achieving your goals.

Secondly, he says that not all days are good. On bad days, all you need to do is be patient.

Thirdly, he says that every time you fall, at least try to get up. Always go back to the basics.

Conclusion

Altap always wanted to make his father proud by fulfilling his dream and he did it. His journey was full of roadblocks, but he was persistent. He never stopped. Altap’s hard work and honesty towards the promise he made to his father made him reach the list. In the end, Altap quotes the famous lines by Harivansh Rai Bachchan:

“ लहरों से डरकर नौका पार नहीं होती,कोशिश करने वालों की कभी हार नहीं होती। ”

To know more about Altap's journey, click here.