'Dad borrowed money for my fees': Jangaon auto driver's son makes father proud, cracks IFS

Hyderabad: Most of the time, students start preparing for the Civil Service examination when they are pursuing graduation or post-graduation. However, only a few are able to clear both. 23-year-old Kasarla Raju, a student from Suraram village in Jangaon, has proved that balancing both academics and Civil Service preparation is possible. "It is difficult but possible," he says.

Raju, who is currently in his first year of MSc Forestry at Forest College and Research Institute in Mulugu has secured 86th Rank in the Indian Forest Service Exam 2021. Raju was a little nervous on the day when the results came. He frankly says he had expected a better rank but he is determined that he would write the exam the next year as well.

Raju, who comes from a poor family had a childhood filled with financial challenges. But, he says his father never let him know of any of them. "My father is an auto driver. Besides, both my father and mother do farming. My father worked very hard and tried to hide his hardships from me. I don't even know how he managed. But he always motivated me to pursue whatever I wanted to," says Raju. Raju had not told his father anything about the Civil exam or the Prelims result. On Tuesday, when he told his father about the final result, his father cried.

Raju says up to his intermediate class, things were a little easier as he got a seat in a social welfare school and got free education. But after that, he had to pay fees. "My father used to borrow money from others to pay my fees. But he always hid it from me," says Raju.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao felicitating Kasarla Raju

Into the wild

Raju developed an interest in Civil Services during his 7th standard. "I felt that it was one of the best positions one can aspire for and started admiring the profession," he says. When he completed his intermediate, he cracked MBBS and Agriculture entrances. However, he was determined to do something different.

"Forestry was a new course in the state so it had a lot of opportunities too. Also, I wanted to pursue something different and interesting. My ultimate aim was always Civil Services," says Raju. Raju also added that FCRI and the professors in the institute played a significant role in his success.