Born among discarded things, she became the keeper of what matters most — dignity, duty, and dreams.”
Ria and her family were ragpickers, earning their bread by selling scraps. A sack slung over her shoulders, barefoot, and with unkempt hair, she roamed the city streets collecting discarded items — plastic bottles, broken toys, strands of hair, bits of cardboard — anything that could fetch a few rupees. These scraps were their only means of sustenance.
Though she dealt with trash every day, her eyes often wandered toward schoolchildren — clean uniforms, backpacks, books — and a life she yearned for.
One day, while sorting through a heap of garbage, she found a tattered storybook. The pages were worn, the cover torn, but the pictures inside captured her imagination. She couldn’t read the words, but her heart longed to know the story.
Summoning courage, she approached the teacher who conducted free classes for slum children. The teacher, moved by the spark in her eyes, welcomed her.
Evenings turned into lessons. Ria attended every class with quiet determination. Homework was done under the flickering glow of a streetlight. Her hunger for knowledge was insatiable. Soon, the teacher helped her get admitted to an open school.
She devoured her textbooks like a starving soul, and in time, she topped her class. Impressed by her grit, the school management arranged for her admission to a reputed college.
While others her age partied or wasted time, Ria stayed focused. She had tasted hardship, and she knew what she wanted.
“Her past was harsh, her path uncertain — but her purpose lit the way.”
In college, she learned about the UPSC examination. It was said to be one of the toughest in the country, a true test of diligence and resolve. But it offered a chance to serve the nation — and that was all the motivation she needed.
Guided by kind-hearted professors and her own willpower, Ria began preparing. Once again, the streetlight became her companion — its dim, flickering glow illuminating the pages of bulky books and her unwavering spirit.
She appeared for the exams. And cleared them — in her very first attempt.
The interview panel was struck not just by her intellect, but by the fire in her story.
“With grit in her soul and dreams in her pocket, she turned the impossible into her identity.”
Ria became an IAS officer — a moment she dedicated to the forgotten lives she had grown up among. Her first mission? To improve the lives of waste workers and slum dwellers.
She initiated education programs for underprivileged children, created health and hygiene awareness, Most importantly, she had solar-powered street lights installed in every corner of the slum — dispelling darkness, and lighting the dreams of children
“From the stench of survival to the scent of service — her past didn’t hold her back; it gave her wings.”
Beneath the very streetlight where she once studied, a plaque was installed. It read:
“Life gave her rags; she stitched them into a uniform of pride.”
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