Birdev Siddhappa Dhone, a shepherd from Karnataka, made waves on Tuesday, April 22, after inspiringly cracking the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations in his third attempt. Despite enormous hardships in his journey, Dhone passed the nation’s toughest exams with a rank of 551. In a powerful gesture of solidarity, Shikhar Pahariya has donated 1,000 books to support newly appointed IPS officer Birdev Dhone’s inspiring grassroots effort: building a library in his native village for students preparing for competitive exams. Birdev is the first person from Kagal tehsil in Kolhapur to clear the UPSC exam.
Birdev recently went viral for asking well-wishers to send books instead of bouquets—a heartfelt appeal that resonated across the country. Moved by his vision, Shikhar responded swiftly, sending a large consignment of educational and preparatory books to support the initiative. From very humble backgrounds, before cracking the UPSC, Birdev worked as a postman between 2020 - 2021, nurturing his dream of UPSC. He later moved to Delhi to prepare, faced acute financial struggle but persevered with determination - at 27, he became an IPS officer on his very first attempt.Photos and videos of the handover are circulating widely on social media, with netizens applauding both Birdev’s humble mission and Shikhar’s meaningful act of support.
Dhone passed out of the College of Engineering Pune in the civil engineering branch in 2020, having done his 10th standard studies from his village’s Zilla Parishad school before completing his senior secondary education at Jai Maharashtra School.Hailing from the village of Yamage in Kagal taluka of Kolhapur, Dhone was born into a family of traditional shepherds, Dhangars. Apart from his supportive parents, the youngster has an elder brother, who is a Naik in the Indian army. The family owns an acre of land and uses sheep and goat rearing as its main source of income. Dhone got a job as a postman in the Indian Post and worked there in 2020-21 but his civil service aspirations never died. He took an incredible leap of faith when he resigned from his postman job to pursue the UPSC single-mindedly. He even went to Delhi for his preparations, with his friend providing him with financial support in the city.