Meet IPS officer Santosh Mishra, who quit his Rs 50 lakh job in US to crack UPSC and serve the country
Meet IPS officer Santosh Mishra, who quit his Rs 50 lakh job in US to crack UPSC and serve the country
From leaving his high-paying US job to serving the country and teaching underprivileged kids, here's the inspiring story of IPS officer Santosh Mishra
Cracking the UPSC civil services exam is no mean feat. While lakhs of aspirants dream of doing so every year, only a small fraction succeed. The road to this toughest exam not easy but for many Indians who aim to serve their country, this is the ultimate platform.
It doesn’t come as a surprise then when some even leave their cushy, high-paying jobs to crack the prestigious civil services exam. One such story belongs to Santosh Kumar Mishra, IPS officer who quit his high-paying job in New York to return home and clear the exam to serve his country.
From humble origins to turning tables on a comfortable, well-paying professional career
Hailing from Patna, the capital of Bihar, Mishra was born to an Army Officer father and a homemaker mother. A bright student, he went on to study mechanical engineering from the University of Pune after completing his schooling.
After graduating in 2004, Mishra was presented with the opportunity to begin his career in Europe, from where he landed in the US after 4 years with a whopping salary package of Rs 50 lakh.
However, three years later, Mishra decided that something was amiss and it was time to return home to pursue his true calling. He had grown up with the inclination to serve his country, which he had inherited from his Army officer father.
The road to cracking UPSC
Mishra quit his lucrative job in the US, packed his bags and jetted back home. He got on to the task right away. What makes him stand out is the fact that he decided to not take the support of any formal UPSC coaching and took the onus to crack the exam by self-study.
His efforts bore fruit right away as Mishra cracked the UPSC exam in his first attempt in 2012. He joined the Indian Police Services and was posted as the Superintendent of Police in UP’s Amroha district.
From serving the country to social responsibilities
While ably disposing his duties as a high-ranking police officer, Santosh Mishra also started a noble effort of teaching underprivileged kids while posted in Ambedkar Nagar in 2017. This decision came after he was moved by the plight of a Class 5 student who stopped going to school and started working in his father’s business.
Recently, IPS officer Mishra has been busy keeping the residents of Gonda district in UP safe and secure. Mishra and his team were in the news recently for admirably cracking a case of abduction and nabbing the culprits in no time.
As the SP of the area, Mishra took prompt action after three criminals tried to kidnap a trader for a ransom of Rs 20 lakh. The police force put bounties on the accused and launched a massive manhunt. Two of the people were arrested by the police and later, the main-accused who was on the run surrendered himself as he walked into the police station.
