In a country where millions have dreams of clearing the UPSC Civil Services Examination, very few make it past the finish line. And among those, there are some tales that stand out above ranks and marksheets — tales of perseverance, ceaseless pursuit, and unbroken spirit. One such tale is that of Sai Vinod, who bagged 577 rank in UPSC CSE 2024 in his very last attempt. His story is a shining example of how no situation is too unpalatable and no dream too far out of reach if chased with unflinching resolve.
A Childhood Mourned by Irreplaceable Loss:
Sai Vinod was born to Nageswara Rao and Parimala — both of whom are unfortunately no longer with us today. Orphaned of both parents, he bore within him not only the burden of individual loss, but also the onus of creating a life of purpose and influence. Where many would have been broken by such loss, Vinod converted his tragedies into strength.His grand parents and uncle stood as a strong support for him.
A Glorious Academic Journey
Hailing from Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, Sai Vinod was always an excellent student. He passed his 10th grade from Ravindra Bharathi High School, earning a whopping 92.5%. His brilliance did not end there with his intermediate studies where he achieved 95.4% in the MPC stream.
But academics alone wasn’t his forte. Vinod’s enthusiasm for problem-solving and technology led him to the elite Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, where he studied Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering and graduated with a good 7.11 CGPA.
Corporate Life and the Inner Calling
After his IIT days, Sai Vinod worked at SAP Labs India Pvt. Ltd in Bengaluru as a developer, earning a fat pay of ₹1.22 lakh every month. To the world, he had arrived. But in him, there was a burning desire that he can do better — a passion for public service.
Vinod’s fascination with civil services wasn’t an overnight instinct; it was a quietly nurtured dream between football fields and engineering classes, all-night coding sessions, and leadership roles. He wasn’t only a student at IIT Kharagpur — he was a Sports Secretary at Lal Bahadur Shastri Hall, an inter-hall football player, and a house captain in school. His journey of leadership started early, and it only grew stronger with the passage of time.
The Relentless UPSC Journey
Sai Vinod’s achievement in UPSC exam was not an overnight success. He had appeared several times for the Indian Forest Service (IFS) — with attempts in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 — just missing out before being recommended finally in 2023. But the dream job, the UPSC Civil Services Examination, eluded him until 2024.
The 2024 exam was his last shot — a do-or-die situation. The pressure was tremendous. Years of hard work, personal sacrifices, and mental wars culminated. And this time, he won.
His Exam Strategies:
Sai Vinod cleared prelims exam every time he wrote. When he first started preparation he used to get less marks in the mock tests. Then he met one of his seniors and got some tips. He started analysing exam pattern and micro startegies. He cleared his prelims while working in the I.T. sector. Not much time was given for mains due to workload. Later he quit the lucrative job to pursue his dream of IAS. He made incremental changes to his preparation.
With mathematics as optional, he does not have much time to prepare for Essay and General studies. What he did is he joined La Excellence’s ‘Enhance Core Group’, where quality meets commitment. This is where everything changed for him. We have created a best peer group in India where aspirants involve in a process of Active Learning and constant updation by teaming up with each other. This helped him master General Studies which was his weakness at that point of time.
At our ‘Enhance Core Group’ he met people like Sai Chaitanya Jadhav(AIR-68), Challa Pavan Kalyan (AIR-146) and Venkatesh Banna (AIR-15) and they formed into a peer group, where they discussed on various low lying fruits and hotspots of UPSC mains exam. This helped Sai Vinod to gain confidence on his General studies papers and do well this time.
Added to that, he was guided by expert mentors at La Excellence constantly pushing him towards betterment.
During Interview phase, he enrolled with our Interview Guidance Programme where he was guided by senior most faculties like Dr.Rambabu sir, Venkat Mohan sir and other serving officials. He rightly utilised every opportunity and cleared the exam by scoring 176 marks in the UPSC Interview. His 8 years of planning and hardwork finally paid off with AIR 577.
An Inspiration for Aspirants
What makes Sai Vinod’s tale so deeply inspiring is not his academic achievements or his IIT background. It’s his capacity to overcome personal tragedies, to exchange comfort for adversity, and to refuse to quit — even when the odds were against him.
His journey teaches aspirants that:
Your past does not determine your destiny.
Failure is a detour, not a dead end.
Perseverance, when combined with passion, makes miracles happen.
Sai Vinod juggling a stressful corporate career, several UPSC and IFS attempts, and personal challenges — but never allowing his spirit to die down.
Beyond Academics: A Man of Many Talents
Besides academics and civil services, Vinod is a passionate football analyst and a professional Sudoku solver. His passion for football accompanied him from school days to IIT, where he played for his hall’s football team. His adaptability and eagerness for learning in different fields show the kind of rounded personality that civil services seek to recruit.
A Message to Fellow Aspirants
Sai Vinod’s tale is a light that shines for people who feel stranded in the maze of UPSC, for individuals fighting personal despair, and for those on the brink of hope. It’s a message that every failure is a setup for an even better comeback.
To all the dreamers out there who are reading this — if Sai Vinod can come back from the ashes of defeat and find his niche in India’s most elite service, so can you. Your tale is waiting to be told.
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