Meet Vijay Amruta, Daily Wager's Son Who Became IAS Officer In First Attempt

Success stories that come out of adversity offer us hope like none other.?One such incredible story of resilience and inspiration is of IAS officer Vijay Amruta Kulange.

Born in the tiny village of Ralegan in Maharashtra’s Ahmadnagar district to a father who worked as a tailor and a mother who worked as a daily wage worker on farms, Vijay grew up seeing his parents toil all day long to make both ends meet.

His parents earned a mere Rs 200 a day and constantly worried about the education of their two children. Basic necessity like two square meals a day were unimaginable on some days.

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But Vijay had a burning desire to do something in life, setting aside all his struggles and make his parents proud. And all through his life, he did just that.

His education

An avid reader, Vijay was always among the top performers at school — in the 10th board exams and his 12th board examinations. Having grown up in a drought-prone village with high poverty levels and very little development, he decided to become a doctor and serve the underprivileged. However, despite getting a college seat to pursue MBBS, he had to drop this dream due to the family’s financial circumstances.

“We were still living in poverty, and I needed to start earning as soon as possible. The 7-8 years needed to make a career in the medical profession was something I couldn’t afford. I had a younger sister, and as was common in those days, my parents were worried about her marriage. Plus, we would have needed to take a huge loan. Any failure would have meant disaster for the family”, Vijay tells The Better India.

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His qualification

Choosing a Diploma in Education (D.Ed) after careful consideration, he completed it and joined as a primary teacher at a government school in the nearby Nevasa taluka within six months. A steady salary from this job went a long way in assuaging his parents’ worries while also helping him do his graduation via distance education.

But Vijay always felt he could have achieved more. His father also sensed this constant thought in Vijay’s mind and encouraged him to prepare for the state civil service exam.Inspired by his father's words that studying for an exam is never a loss, he decided to prepare for Maharashtra State Civil Service (MPSC) exam.?

Covering the vast syllabus wasn’t an easy task, but he persevered, sticking to a strict routine of working by day and studying by night.In his first two attempts, Vijay failed to crack the exam. Naturally, he was disappointed, but his parents never let his spirits drop. On the contrary, they constantly bolstered up his belief in himself, so Vijay decided to quit his job and dedicate all his time to a final attempt.

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The decision paid off when he cracked the MPSC exam on his third attempt and became a Sales Tax Inspector in Ahmadnagar. In the following year, he also cleared the exam for the post of Tehsildar.

His career

In 2012, he cracked UPSC CSE in his first attempt and earned the rank of an IAS officer.Since he still struggled with English, he chose to give the exam in Marathi, which made preparation more challenging since little study material was available in the language. But, as they say, fortune favours the brave.

Vijay’s first posting as an IAS officer was in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district. He has since penned a Marathi book ‘Aajcha Diwas Maza’, where he described his struggles, journey, and the sacrifices his parents had made to raise their children.

His work

Today, he lives with his proud parents and continues to work proactively towards transforming Odisha.From Temporary Medical Camps (TMCs) during covid to timely evacuations at the time of cyclone Yaas and fighting child marriage, Vijay always has a task at hand for himself.

The list of IAS Vijay Kulange’s initiatives is a very, very long one, however, he wears this praise lightly. “It wasn’t easy, but I was willing to work hard for it and was determined to succeed. That is what got me through,” concludes the IAS officer.

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