Vijay Amruta Kulange turned crushing poverty into a remarkable success story. He cleared the UPSC examination in 2012 with All India Rank 176. Today he serves as an IAS officer of the 2013 Odisha cadre batch, loved as the People’s Collector.
Born in Poverty in Ahmednagar
Vijay was born in a very poor family in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district. His father did small tailoring work and daily wage labour. His mother worked as a daily wage labourer in other people’s fields. The parents struggled all day to earn barely enough money. Yet they never let Vijay’s education suffer in any way.
Doctor Dream Cut Short by Money
Vijay was a bright student from childhood. He scored excellent marks in Class 10 and Class 12 exams. His dream was to become a doctor, and he got selected for MBBS. But the family’s weak financial condition forced him to drop this dream. The heavy cost of medical studies was simply beyond their means.
Teacher Who Kept Studying
To support his family early, Vijay completed a Diploma in Education (D.Ed). He started working as a teacher in a government primary school. While teaching, he finished graduation from Pune University. He also completed an MA in Sociology from the same university. He then began preparing for the state civil services examination. After initial failures, he became a Sales Tax Inspector. He later cleared the next exam and got selected as Tehsildar.
Clearing UPSC Without Costly Coaching
While working as Tehsildar, an IAS officer inspired Vijay to prepare for UPSC. He studied hard alongside his job without any expensive coaching. In 2012, his persistence paid off with All India Rank 176. He became a 2013 batch IAS officer of the Odisha cadre.
Ganjam’s First Child Marriage Free District
As Collector of Odisha’s Ganjam district, Vijay achieved several big milestones. His efforts made Ganjam the first child marriage free district in Odisha. He played a major role in transforming government schools. Welfare schemes reached the ground level under his leadership. The people lovingly started calling him the People’s Collector. His journey is a strong message for every student. Poverty and limited means can never stop firm determination.
