Kolape Pravin Uttamrao, who got AIR 584 in UPSC Civil Services Examination 2025, hails from a small village of Maharashtra, and it has certainly not been an easy road for him to reach here.
There was no celebration and nothing much when the results were declared. Instead , he went in search of his mother. He saw his mother plucking wheat from a field she was working on as a daily wage labourer. This is where he informed his mother about the results that he had achieved after seven years.
A Journey Far From Easy Beginnings
Pravin is a part of Mitki, which is a village known for being prone to droughts, and has always led an uncertain existence.
Even in terms of academics, he did not have any special talents, and had performed average in his class 12 examinations with approximately 60%, and pursued a degree of B. Sc., traveling miles each day for college education.
There had never been any kind of guidance or tuition, only hard work and determination.
His main pillar of strength was his mother who used to work as sugarcane cutter and daily wage laborer, working diligently to let him study.
Setbacks That Tested His Resolve
The path to UPSC success was filled with setbacks.
He failed the prelims four times. He appeared for more than 30 other exams and couldn’t clear them. At one point, he even reached the interview stage but missed the final list.
Without access to coaching or expensive resources, every attempt came with its own challenges. But he chose not to stop.
Turning Things Around
Rather than being deterred, Pravin chose to shift his strategy. He concentrated on his shortcomings and put in more efforts towards regular practice and solved over 10,000 MCQs.
However, his most marked improvement was seen in his interview where he scored 135 marks previously but scored 195 this time, which proved vital in his ultimate selection.
The Moment That Said It All
At a later felicitation function, Pravin chose to take the focus off himself and instead told people,
“Stop looking at me. Start looking at her. If you have anything to learn about resilience, you should learn it from my mother.”
This may be a small statement, but it summed up the entirety of his journey.
Pravin’s journey is not merely about achieving an exam result; it is about being consistent despite there being no immediate results for many years.