A Real Inspire Story of An I.A.S Officer
Ramesh Gholap, known as Ramu, Mahagoan village in Barshi Taluka, Solapur district of Maharashtra His father Gorakh Gholap was a cycle mechanic. Ramu’s left leg was affected by polio. His father health is not good because of constant drinking. So Ramu’s mother Vimal Gholap started selling bangles in nearby villages to support the family. Ramu and his brother joined their mother's little venture.
Mahagaon Village had just one primary school. Later Ramu went to stay in Barshi with his uncle to study further studies. When he was in Class 12 and his college model exams were going on in year of 2005. Ramu got news of his father’s death. He didn't have bus fare to go his village Mahagaon. His neighbours helped him to go his village. Because of father death he skipped the exams. He did not even submit his journals also.
The final exam for Class 12 was just a month away when he received a letter from his teacher that he had scored 35 marks out of 40 in chemistry. The teacher wanted to meet him. With help and encouragement from his teacher, Ramu took his final exams and scored 88.5%.
After 12th Ramu chose to do D.Ed (Diploma in Education) because this was the cheapest course he could afford to do to get a job as a teacher and support his family. He completed his D.Ed and also pursued a graduate degree in Arts from an open university at a time. Finally, he was able to start working as a teacher in 2009. This was like a dream come true for his family. But, it was not what Ramu really wanted to do.
In September 2009, he took the first step towards his dream. His mother had taken loan from a self-help group in his village. Ramu decided to use the money to prepare for UPSC exam. He took 6 months job leave. Ramu went to Pune to prepare for the UPSC.
Ramu appeared for the UPSC exams in May 2010 but unfortunately didn’t get. In the meantime, he had also formed a political party with the help of some friends in his village of Mahagaon to fight the local panchayat elections. His mother stood as a candidate for sarpanch. On October 23, 2010, the results of the panchayat elections were out. But Ramu’s mother, Vimal Gholap lost the elections by a few votes but the loss did not break Ramu. Instead, it gave him the strength to stand up and fight back again against the system. On the same day, he announced in front of all the villagers that he was leaving the village and would come back only when he became a powerful officer. Ramu turns this date as the biggest turning point of his life in his autobiography, Ithe Thambne Nahi (I Won’t Stop Here).
He left his job and cleared the State Institute of Administrative Careers (SIAC) exam. This gave him a hostel to stay in and a stipend as scholarship. He also painted posters to take care of his expenditures. Cleared the UPSC examination with an all-India rank of 287, without any coaching.
"A son of illiterate parents, studied in a zilla parishad school and by correspondence with open universities". Ramu proved that Background is not important, But the goal is only important.
Ramu was selected for the IAS in the year 2012. As per his promise, he came back to his village on May 12, 2012, after finishing a long journey from being Ramu to becoming Ramesh Gorakh Gholap, IAS. Now Mahagoan village people proudly saying that, Ramesh Gholap IAS is from our village. Ramesh Gholap is now working in Jharkhand.
Powerful and Inspire words by Sri Ramesh Gholap IAS:
“Whenever I cancel the licence of a PDS shop owner who has been black marketing kerosene, I remember my days when I had to turn off the lantern for lack of kerosene. Whenever I help a widow, I remember my mother begging for a house or for her pension. Whenever I inspect a government hospital, I remember my father’s words when he had left drinking and just wanted better treatment. He would ask me to become a big man and take him to a private hospital. Whenever I help a poor child, I remember myself, I remember Ramu,”
