Manohar Pradhan, 37, son of a balloon seller from Sundargarh district, has demonstrated extraordinary grit and determination by rising from a factory worker to achieving the 131st rank in the Odisha Civil Services Examination-2024. Born to Mangal and Gura Pradhan, Manohar grew up in poverty and worked as a laborer in a steel plant for a year after completing his Plus II. Despite facing financial difficulties, he persisted in his studies. Currently serving as a sub-inspector (communication) at the district police office in Rourkela, Manohar successfully cracked the OAS in his third attempt.
Hailing from Bagbud village in Bargaon block, he attended a local school until Class VII before transferring to a government-run tribal residential school for grades VIII to X. He completed his +2 science at Panchayat College, Barangakachhar. With his father’s modest income from balloon sales insufficient to support their six-member family, Manohar was unable to pursue higher education immediately.
In 2006, he relocated to Jharsuguda and worked under a contractor at a steel plant until 2007. After a year, he enrolled in a three-year certified teachers’ training course at a government training school in Titilagarh, Balangir district. To support himself while preparing for competitive exams, he also provided tutoring services. In 2010, he successfully passed the written and physical tests for a CISF constable position and was selected. Manohar served as a constable in Ankleswar, Gujarat, from 2010 to 2013. During his service, he completed his graduation in political science through distance learning.
He married in 2018 and was transferred to the Rourkela communication office four years later, allowing him to concentrate more on his UPSC and OPSC exam preparations. His journey with OPSC was not without challenges; he failed to clear the prelims in his first attempt in 2022. In 2023, he passed the prelims and mains but missed the final list by just four marks. However, in 2024, he achieved a commendable 131st rank in the recently announced results.
Expressing his joy over his success, Manohar stated, “I am very happy to have secured 131st rank in my third attempt. I attribute this to my consistent hard work and determination, which involved four to five hours of studies — from 4 am to 6 am and from 7 pm to 10 pm — alongside my work. My parents and my wife also deserve credit.” His father, Mangal Pradhan, expressed pride in his son’s accomplishments, saying, “He was always hardworking from childhood. His hard work and determination ensured his success. I am proud of my son’s feat.” Manohar’s wife is a government primary school teacher in Sundargarh, and the couple has two children.
Source: Times of India
