Bhikan Jagan Rojekar, the son of marginal farm labourers from Jalgaon Sapkal village in Maharashtra’s Bhokardan taluka, has secured All India Rank 812 in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination 2025 after four consecutive failures.

His breakthrough on the fifth attempt marks the culmination of an extraordinary journey marked by extreme financial hardship, relentless discipline, and sustained perseverance. In an examination widely regarded as one of the most demanding competitive tests in the world, Rojekar’s achievement stands as an inspiring testament to human grit, transforming years of private struggle into public triumph.

Roots of Hardship and Academic Grounding

Rojekar grew up in an environment where basic sustenance required continuous physical labour. His parents initially worked as farm labourers in Wada village located in Maharashtra’s Chalisgaon taluka before eventually returning to their ancestral village to cultivate two small acres of land. To ensure the household stayed afloat and to finance their children’s education, his mother also worked on local agricultural fields as a daily-wage labourer.

Despite these acute economic constraints, education remained the household’s foremost priority. Rojekar attended Vinay Vidyalaya in Jalgaon Sapkal, completing his schooling up to Class 10 entirely in the Marathi medium. He subsequently transitioned to the Science stream for Classes 11 and 12 before moving to Vivekanand College in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where he completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture. Recognizing the severe uncertainty inherent in competitive public exams, his family, particularly his brothers, had advised him to secure a formal professional qualification to serve as a career fallback.

The Long March Through Setbacks

Rojekar committed to preparing for the civil services full-time in 2021. To access advanced study resources and intensive preparation environments, he shifted his base to Delhi in 2022. Financial relief arrived in 2023 when he was awarded a scholarship by the Maharashtra state government, enabling him to formally enrol in coaching classes and sustain his rigorous daily routine.

The path, however, was repeatedly stalled by elimination. Rojekar endured four unsuccessful attempts before finally breaking through to the UPSC Mains stage in 2024 and 2025. Demonstrating multi-front competence during his final campaign, he also cleared the UPSC Indian Forest Service Main examination in 2025 and reached the personality test interview stage of the Central Armed Police Forces Assistant Commandant selection.

Micro-Planning and Strategic Execution

Rojekar’s ultimate success was built on rigorous strategy rather than chance. He emphasised that conquering the UPSC syllabus requires disciplined micro-planning, structured answer writing backed by verified facts and data, and an analytical deconstruction of recurring patterns. He noted that serious aspirants must work through at least a decade worth of previous years’ question papers to grasp the evolving demands of the examination.

He also highlighted that a strong command of language remains vital for scoring well in the essay paper, while optional subjects require dedicated, detailed answers built directly from past questions. Crucially, he maintained that keeping a solid academic Plan B—such as his agriculture degree—provided the psychological safety needed to handle the unpredictability of competitive tests.

"I am elated. I have worked with complete honesty, and I want my son to serve people with the same dedication."

A Family Dedicated to National Service

The Rojekar household has now produced two sons dedicated to national service through vastly different, hard-won avenues. While Bhikan prepares to enter administrative governance, his younger brother, Vikas Rojekar, serves the nation in uniform as a soldier in the Indian Army. For a family that weathered years of daily-wage farm labour to keep dreams alive, their collective triumphs stand as a powerful symbol of quiet, enduring resilience.