Farmer’s son from Mandya secures upsc rank 554

Mandya: In an inspiring achievement, 27-year-old R Dhananjaya, the son of a farmer from Karadahalli village in Nagamangala taluk, Mandya, secured All India Rank 554 in the UPSC civil services examination, bringing pride to his family, village, and the district. His success marked the culmination of nearly seven years of consistent effort, perseverance, and self-belief.
Born to Mangalamma and Ramachandra, Dhananjaya came from a humble farming family. He completed his primary and high school education in Kannada medium at the govt school in Karadahalli. He later pursued his education at Navkis PU College in Mysuru and went on to earn a BSc degree from PES College, Mandya in 2019. Motivated by the ideals of public service, Dhananjaya decided to prepare for civil services. Inspired by former IAS officer DK Ravi and IPS officer Ravi Channannavar, who also came from rural backgrounds, he moved to Hyderabad in May 2019, to begin focused preparation. He cleared the prelims in his first attempt, but missed the mains by a narrow margin. During the second attempt, there was the Covid-19 pandemic that impacted his performance.Undeterred, he continued preparing and eventually reached the interview stage twice, in 2024 and 2025. "Self-belief, self-confidence, and consistent effort yielded results. I look forward to provide the best possible service to society," added Dhananjaya. He also thanked his younger brother, Dharmaraja, who sacrificed a lot for his success.Alongside his preparation, Dhananjaya worked as a faculty member at AKKA IAS academy in Bengaluru, mentoring nearly 250 civil service aspirants. He chose Kannada literature as his optional subject and read around 700–800 Kannada literary works. Encouraging rural students, he said those from Kannada-medium backgrounds should never feel inferior, adding that consistent effort and confidence can lead to success. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Women's day wishes, messages and quotes !