“When you desire something with all your heart, the entire universe conspires to help you achieve it,” SRK said in a famous dialogue from the film Om Shanti Om. But it was Om Prakash Makhija’s rebirth that made the impossible happen. Vijay Vardhan believes waiting for 35 government exams can feel like a lifetime for anyone. But that lifetime of hard work brought him a lifetime of opportunities that most people only dream of.Government exams are an obsession in India. People spend years to achieve “sarkari naukri” even if it means accepting a position much lower than their qualifications.Vijay Vardhan’s story goes one step further. His perseverance exceeded that of about 10 such aspirants combined. He failed in 35 government exams and finally passed UPSC (not once, but twice) to make up for all his failures and become an IAS officer.Vijay, who hails from Sirsa, Haryana, studied electrical engineering before moving to Delhi to prepare for IAS, a move that was not easy and required years of hard work and heartbreak. Like most aspirants, he applied for many government exams, including the most famous ‘Plan B’ in UPSC circles. He appeared for Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC), Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC), Staff Selection Commission Combined Postgraduate Level (SSC CGL) and Combined Defense Services (CDS) examinations but failed in each one.This would not only break anyone, it would tear them to pieces. But Vijay’s perseverance is legendary, like Dashrath Manjhi, who carved a path through the mountains using only a hammer and chisel.Vijay attempted UPSC for the first time in 2014 and although he failed, he did not give up. His breakthrough came in 2018 when he cleared AIR 104 and became an IPS officer. But as the famous saying goes, he didn’t get to this point just to get to this point. What’s the point of all these years of grinding and failing if he never tries again for India’s top job as IAS? In 2021, Vijay made it to level 70 and took revenge for his failure in every government exam by surpassing all possible successes in the government exams of the country and became an IAS officer.What Vijay Vardhan does would break even the most persistent and hard-working person because let’s be honest, the UPSC journey can be a pretty lonely one. You see your peers getting higher education, passing exams, entering careers, earning well, getting married and having children. You have friends and family who want you to settle down. Psychologically, so many failures can leave you mired in self-doubt that can be difficult to shake for years.A famous psychologist once said: “Give me a dozen healthy babies, raise them in my own designated world, and I promise to pick any one at random and train him to be any kind of expert I may choose – doctor, lawyer, artist, business owner, yes, even beggar and thief, regardless of his talents, tastes, tendencies, abilities, occupation and ancestral race.” Indeed, if you pursue something in life, no matter what the cost, no matter how long it takes, you are likely to get it.
