Daijiworld Media Network - Rajasthan
Rajasthan, Dec 4: At an age when most students are still searching for direction, Sulochana Meena had already rewritten her destiny — and the aspirations of her entire village. Growing up in Adalwada, a remote settlement in Rajasthan’s Sawai Madhopur district, she nurtured a quiet dream that would one day carry her to the heart of India’s civil services.
Today, at 22, she serves as the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of Palamu in Jharkhand, the youngest IAS officer in the district and the first woman from her village to enter the elite administrative service. Her story is not just one of personal triumph, but a catalyst for change in a community where girls once hesitated to imagine a future beyond basic schooling.
Sulochana cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 2021, securing an All India Rank of 415 and sixth rank in the ST category in the 2022 results. The achievement, earned in her very first attempt, instantly placed her among the youngest candidates in the country to crack the highly competitive exam.
For her parents, who once wished she would pursue medicine, her decision to choose civil services brought a new sense of purpose. In an interview with Local18, she said the administrative field allowed her to fulfil both her father’s aspirations and her own growing desire to work for the public. “My parents saw a new dream through me,” she shared, adding that her success has helped broaden the mindset of her community.
The seeds of her ambition were sown early. As a child, she often heard people say that an IAS officer is the “boss of the district”. That idea took root and stayed with her. After completing her schooling, she moved to Delhi, where she earned a degree in Botany from Delhi University. Her involvement in the National Service Scheme (NSS) deepened her commitment to social service and instilled leadership skills that she would later carry into her administrative career.
Back home, her success has sparked a quiet revolution. Families that once hesitated to send daughters to cities are now enrolling them in coaching centres in Delhi and Jaipur. Several young girls from Adalwada have begun preparing for UPSC, inspired by one of their own who broke barriers with grace and grit.
For aspirants, Sulochana offers a straightforward strategy anchored in discipline and consistency. She urges students to begin reading newspapers and staying updated with current affairs as soon as they finish college. In her own early days of preparation, she spent nearly six hours just analysing the newspaper thoroughly, eventually turning current affairs into her strongest section. She studied 8 to 9 hours daily and emphasises patience as the key virtue every UPSC aspirant must cultivate.
She also highlights the value of free online resources. Telegram channels, YouTube classes, analysis videos and answer-writing sessions, she says, helped her prepare effectively without expensive coaching. Starting with NCERTs and later standard reference books, she relied heavily on mock tests and test series to build accuracy and time management.
Even today, she continues to follow free content from toppers and educators, a reminder that success in UPSC need not be tied to costly institutes — only to determination and the right approach.
From a village that had never produced an IAS officer to the administrative command of an entire subdivision, Sulochana Meena’s journey shows what becomes possible when ambition meets opportunity. Her rise has given her parents a renewed sense of pride, her community a new vision, and young girls everywhere a reason to dream far bigger than before.