Disabled Bangle Seller to IAS Officer: How a Polio-Affected Boy Turned Struggle into Success

IAS Ramesh Gholap

• Ramesh Gholap overcame polio and poverty to become an IAS officer.
• Promoted to Special Secretary, Jharkhand Drinking Water and Sanitation Dept.
• His journey shows that determination can overcome humble beginnings.

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In a small village in Maharashtra, a young boy would walk through the dusty lanes, his call ringing out: “Bangde ghya bangde!” (“Buy bangles!”). His left leg, affected by polio, made the walk difficult, but he kept going. This boy, Ramu, was helping his mother sell bangles to keep their family afloat. No one then could have imagined that this same boy would one day become a senior Indian Administrative Service officer, steering crucial government missions.

Ramu’s full name is Ramesh Gholap. His father repaired cycles, but struggled with illness. When his father’s shop closed, his mother, Vimal, became the sole provider. She started selling bangles, and Ramu and his brother became her little sales team. They had no choice; survival was the only goal.

Education was Ramu’s escape route. He was a bright student, but tragedy struck during his Class 12 exams when his father passed away. Ramu, studying in a nearby town, did not even have the two rupees for his discounted disabled person’s bus fare to get home for the last rites. A neighbor helped him.

Despite his grief, he finished his exams and scored an incredible 88.5%. Yet, dreams felt like a luxury. To support his family quickly, he chose the cheapest professional course and became a teacher in 2009. For his family, it was a huge achievement. For Ramu, it was not enough. The hardships he had seen gnawed at him.

He had seen his mother, a widow, beg officers for a pension and a house, only to be turned away. He remembered the ration shop owner who sold kerosene on the black market, leaving their lantern dark. He remembered his father not getting proper care in a government hospital. Ramu decided: I will become a powerful officer. I will fix this system.

In 2009, with a loan his mother took, he went to Pune to prepare for the UPSC exam. He knew nothing about it and couldn’t afford coaching. He met a teacher and simply asked him to write down basic answers: What is UPSC? Can I take it in Marathi? The teacher said, “There is nothing to stop you.” That one sentence became his fuel.

He failed his first attempt. Back in his village, his mother lost a local election by just a few votes. That day could have broken him. Instead, it made him steel. Standing before his village, he made a promise: “I am leaving this village. I will only return when I am a powerful officer.”

He left his job. He studied in libraries and painted posters to pay his bills. This son of illiterate parents, who studied in village schools, relied entirely on his fierce will.

In 2012, the result came. Ramesh Gholap had cleared the UPSC exam, achieving an All India Rank of 287. He was selected for the IAS. That same year, he topped the Maharashtra state service exam with a record score.

True to his word, he returned to his village not as Ramu the bangle-seller, but as Ramesh Gorakh Gholap, IAS.

His journey from those village lanes has been one of steady purpose. In July 2025, the government promoted him from Additional Secretary to Special Secretary, placing him in charge of the vital Drinking Water and Sanitation Department for the state of Jharkhand. This promotion highlights the government's confidence in his talent for mission-driven work that directly touches lakhs of lives.

His journey whispers a powerful truth: your beginnings do not decide your endings. It is the fire in your heart, and the will to take the next step—even with a limp—that carves your destiny.