Sanjay Dharaiya—a resident of Chhattisgarh’s Mahasamund district who secured 946th rank in the 2025 Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)’s Civil Services Examination (CSE)—says his life experiences were all the motivation he needed.
Civil services exam results: Anuj Agnihotri secures top rank; 958 candidates qualify
His journey to selection, a “childhood dream”, was derailed by nearly a decade-long battle with cancer that relapsed multiple times, forcing him to undergo four surgeries. The illness left him with partial hearing loss and paralysis on one side of his face. Even before this curveball hit him, his path was not linear.
Early inspiration
“I studied at a Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya School, and the chairman used to be a senior IAS officer. That planted the seed in my mind at a very early age. But given my background, I had to take up jobs to fend for myself. I started working right after Class XII as a government school teacher while continuing my studies. That was followed by stints in various PSU/government jobs, including the State Bank of India and India Posts,” said Mr. Dahariya, a day after the CSE results with 958 names were announced.
