“Every time I thought of giving up, I reminded myself why I had started.” — Sagar Aswathappa
Every year, thousands of UPSC aspirants begin their preparation with hope. Many prepare sincerely, some come painfully close to success, and only a handful finally see their names in the coveted UPSC merit list.
For Sagar Ashwathappa, securing All India Rank 641 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2026 was not the result of one brilliant attempt. It was the culmination of six years of perseverance, repeated failures, relentless self-analysis, and an unwavering belief that persistence eventually pays.
His journey is not extraordinary because he cleared UPSC. It is extraordinary because of everything he had to overcome before clearing it—a Kannada-medium background, difficulty with English, multiple Preliminary Examination failures due to CSAT, balancing government service with preparation, and the constant temptation to settle for a secure career instead of chasing a dream that seemed increasingly distant.
Today, Sagar stands as an inspiration for thousands of aspirants across the country. His exceptional 266 marks in Kannada Literature, 190 marks in the UPSC Personality Test, and AIR 641 tell only one part of the story. The real story lies in the years before the result.
A Dream Born in Rural Karnataka
Sagar hails from Nenumanahalli, a small village in Karnataka’s Kolar district. His father, Ashwathappa, is a farmer, while his mother, Susheelamma, is a homemaker. Growing up in an agricultural family, he witnessed the value of hard work long before he understood the meaning of competitive examinations.
His education began in government schools. He studied at Government High School, Annehalli, securing distinction in SSLC, and later completed his Pre-University education at Government PU College, Kolar with excellent academic performance.
He then pursued Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering at Dr. Ambedkar Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, graduating with First Class with Distinction.
Like thousands of engineering graduates in Bengaluru, Sagar could have easily entered the IT industry. A stable career, financial security, and a predictable future were within reach.
But his aspirations were different.
Inspired by the life and work of the late IAS officer D.K. Ravi, Sagar realized that he wanted a career where he could contribute directly to society. Public service appealed to him far more than a corporate job.
That decision marked the beginning of a journey that would test him in every possible way.
The Battle Nobody Could See
People often assume that the biggest challenge in UPSC preparation is the vast syllabus.
For Sagar, it wasn’t.
His biggest challenge was English.
Coming from a Kannada-medium background, he found it difficult to understand English textbooks. Reading NCERTs itself required patience. Subjects like Economy and International Relations seemed intimidating because of unfamiliar terminology.
Then came The Hindu newspaper.
Many aspirants read newspapers to improve their preparation. Sagar first had to improve his English just to understand the newspaper.
“There were days when I searched almost every difficult word on Google to understand its meaning,” he recalls.
It would have been much easier to shift completely to Kannada.
Instead, he deliberately chose the harder path.
He believed that English offered wider resources, better guidance, and broader exposure. Rather than avoiding the challenge, he decided to conquer it—one word, one page, and one newspaper at a time.
Years later, the very newspaper that once intimidated him became one of the strongest pillars of his preparation.
Failure After Failure… Yet Never Giving Up
Sagar’s UPSC journey officially began in 2019, and his first attempt came in 2020.
Looking back today, he smiles while remembering that attempt.
“I didn’t even know how UPSC should be approached.”
The years that followed were painful.
His Preliminary Examination results kept following the same pattern.
His General Studies performance was consistently good.
His dream stopped at CSAT.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
And again.
Many aspirants would have concluded that UPSC simply wasn’t meant for them.
Sagar refused to think that way.
Instead of asking, “Why am I failing?” he began asking, “What exactly is UPSC trying to test?”
That single change in mindset transformed his preparation.
Learning How UPSC Thinks
In 2022, Sagar stopped chasing endless strategy videos and began analysing the examination itself.
Previous Year Questions became his teachers.
Instead of merely memorising correct answers, he carefully studied why the other options were wrong. He noticed that UPSC frequently converted those seemingly incorrect options into future questions.
He also made another important discovery.
Current Affairs and static subjects are not separate.
Every important news article has a constitutional, historical, geographical, economic, or environmental foundation.
From then onwards, every newspaper article became an opportunity to revise the static syllabus.
This integrated approach fundamentally changed his preparation.
He no longer studied just to complete the syllabus.
He studied to understand the examiner’s thought process.
A Government Job That Strengthened His Preparation
In 2023, Sagar joined the Karnataka Legislative Assembly Secretariat as a Junior Assistant.
Many aspirants fear that a full-time job will affect UPSC preparation.
For Sagar, it became a blessing.
Until then, he believed that success required studying fourteen hours every day.
Working in the Assembly taught him something different.
Quality matters more than quantity.
With limited time available, every study session became focused and purposeful.
More importantly, working inside the Legislative Assembly gave him first-hand exposure to governance, legislation, and constitutional processes. Concepts that previously existed only in textbooks suddenly became real.
Later, he joined the Karnataka Police Department as a Police Sub-Inspector.
Even after securing a respected government position, he never abandoned his original dream.
Whenever he felt exhausted, he reminded himself:
“If becoming a PSI was my goal, I could have prepared only for that examination. Why did I begin preparing for UPSC in the first place?”
That simple question kept him moving forward.
Turning Passion into Performance
One of Sagar’s greatest strengths was his love for Kannada literature.
During engineering itself, he had written Kannada short stories purely out of passion.
Naturally, he chose Kannada Literature as his optional subject.
His interest was genuine, and his preparation was systematic.
The result spoke for itself.
He secured an impressive 266 marks in Kannada Literature, one of the strongest optional scores in his year.
His Mains strategy was equally simple.
Prepare concise personal notes.
Revise repeatedly.
Write answers regularly.
Improve structure.
Complete every question.
For Sagar, answer writing was not just about knowledge. It was about communicating ideas clearly and effectively.
From “Sir, I Am Underconfident” to 190 Marks in the Interview
If there was one phase that truly transformed Sagar, it was the Personality Test.
After clearing the Mains Examination, he approached Vinayak Sir with complete honesty.
“Sir, I am very underconfident because my communication isn’t good.”
The problem wasn’t knowledge.
It wasn’t even English grammar.
The problem was confidence.
Having spent most of his life speaking Kannada, Sagar had very little experience expressing his thoughts in English.
Under Vinayak Sir’s guidance, he began working on communication rather than memorisation.
He participated in mock interviews.
He deliberately spoke in English with friends.
He discussed current affairs every day.
He improved his voice modulation, body language, and clarity of expression.
Slowly, the hesitation disappeared.
The same candidate who once feared speaking English entered the UPSC Personality Test with confidence and secured an outstanding 190 marks.
For Sagar, this was proof that confidence is built through consistent practice.
Giving Back to the UPSC Community:
Today, Sagar’s journey has come full circle.
Along with his professional responsibilities, he is now serving as a Mentor for Kannada Literature at La Excellence Bengaluru.
The aspirant who once searched every English word on Google now mentors future civil servants.
The candidate who struggled through repeated failures now helps others avoid the mistakes he once made.
For him, mentoring is more than teaching a subject. It is about giving aspirants the confidence to believe that their background does not determine their future.
An Inspiration Beyond a Rank
Sagar Ashwathappa’s story reminds us that UPSC is not merely an examination of knowledge.
It is an examination of character.
It tests patience when results disappoint.
It tests courage when repeated failures tempt us to quit.
It tests humility when success finally arrives.
From a Kannada-medium government school in rural Karnataka to AIR 641, from repeated CSAT setbacks to 266 marks in Kannada Literature and 190 marks in the Personality Test, Sagar’s journey proves that no obstacle is permanent for those who refuse to stop learning.
His story carries a simple but powerful message for every aspirant:
Never measure your journey by the number of failures. Measure it by the number of times you choose to begin again.
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