We all love to find excuses. Age, gender, marital status, financial background, lack of facilities, work-pressure – these are only some of the excuses one can make. But not Poonam Dalal. Her story is a story of hard work and willpower. It is a story which portrays up to what level ordinary Indian women can rise if she thinks she can. It’s a story which can inspire not only thousands of women but also men.
ClearIAS Team came to know about Poonam Dalal, when she sent us a thank you mail once she cleared the toughest exam in the country – UPSC Civil Services Exam – more popularly known as IAS Exam. More about that later. Now more into the life of Poonam Dalal, who is currently serving as the ACP Vigilance Gurgaon.
From a primary teacher to ACP
Poonam Dalal says she is slightly different from many others yet at the same time very similar to a lot of us. She has her ancestral roots at Chhara village in Jhajjar District, Haryana. But she was born and brought up in Delhi.
Poonam started her career as a primary teacher in a government school at Delhi. Along with the job she did her graduation as an external student from Delhi University.
After completing her graduation she appeared for different Bank PO Exams and SSC Graduate Level Exam and cleared all of them. SBI PO, SBI Associates PO, Union Bank Of India PO, SSC Graduate Level 2005 etc are some of them.
She finally chose SBI PO. She regrets that there was nobody to guide me about UPSC Exam. (Had there been somebody at that time to guide her about UPSC Exam, you would have been reading this interview much earlier!)
She also shares the fact that at that stage she used to be very under-confident about her chances at CS Examination. She says, “I am sharing these thoughts so that all of those who are somehow feeling the same as I had once been, can come out of it and not repeat the mistake which I did”.
After 3 years in SBI, she joined the Income Tax Department securing a very decent rank (7) at all India level in SSC graduate level Examination 2006 which gave her the confidence of writing UPSC. This is also a time she realised that being a General Category candidate her attempts were going to be wasted anyhow because of her age (Poonam was around 28 by then, and 30 was then the upper age limit for General Category candidates.)
She gave her first attempt at UPSC CSE in 2009 at the age of 28 and got Railways (RPF).
She didn’t join that service and sat for CSE 2010. She again got Railways, but a different service (IRPS).
Meanwhile, she had cleared Haryana PSC and joined as Dy.SP in Haryana Police in 2011.
Wait; the story is not over yet!
In 2011, she couldn’t qualify Prelims. She thought her tryst with UPSC was over due to the age-limit. (As hinted before it was only 30 years for general category candidates then, and even now it’s only 32 years).
‘Fortune favors the brave’ – many say. Life has kept more surprises for her. In 2015, because of agitations and petitions from candidates who were affected by pattern change in 2011, the government gave an extra attempt to all those who wrote for Civil Services Exam in 2011. Thus, Poonam got an opportunity to appear again for UPSC.
9 months pregnant at the time of Prelims; had to take care a 3 months old baby while writing mains!
This attempt came as a great challenge as Poonam was out of touch with preparation, being working 24*7 in police force. Much more than that she was 9 months pregnant at the time of prelims. She cleared UPSC prelims in flying colors by self-study. While preparing for mains she had also to take care of her son who was just 3 months old. It was never easy. But as Poonam puts it, she got her best rank in her most challenging circumstances – all India rank 308! CSE 2015 Roll number: 0506094.
ClearIAS receives Thank You mail from Poonam Dalal
It is the policy of ClearIAS that we should not claim the success of toppers unless the toppers themselves share their success with us. ClearIAS – as self-study package for UPSC Civil Services exam – has been providing free online study materials and test-series for Prelims at a very affordable price, but we believe we have no rights to brag about the results. It’s only the brilliance and hard work of our students which resulted in their success. We only guide them. We just give assurance that if you have potential, even by self-study you can clear IAS exam.
Nothing is more rewarding to us than our students/readers sharing the success moment with us. Poonam Dalal did. Even at the success moment, she is very humble. We are publishing her testimonial, thinking that this would give confidence to thousands of followers of ClearIAS who cannot afford expensive classroom coaching, but depend on our guidance for self-study. This is her mail to clearias.com.
Hello sir,I am writing this mail to thank you for your website (www.clearias.com) for helping me prepare for UPSC CSE 2015. I am currently posted as ACP Vigilance Gurgaon (through state services batch 2011 Haryana Police Services) and had earlier also been selected in UPSC allied services of railways twice in CSE 2009 and CSE 2010. I appeared in CSE 2015 because of the extra attempt provided to CSE 2011 candidates.Working 24*7 in the police for the last 5 years and been out of touch with the preparation, I took the guidance from your website, especially the ClearIAS prelims test series. I bought it and found it to be the best available online.Also, last year the attempt was more difficult for me as I gave the prelims while I was 9 months pregnant and mains with my 3-month-old son. So , you can very well understand how I would have managed. I want to thank you personally, but I am not having your contact no. If possible then please provide me the same. Anyhow, accept my sincerest gratitude for being a beacon of hope for students of self-study like me. Thanks a lot.Keep the good work going. You yourself don’t know how much helpful you are to so many students in this vast ocean of confusing preparation.Thanks againRegardsPoonam
ClearIAS wishes Poonam all the very best in life and career!
khalid raza says
May 25, 2016 at 10:03 pmsuch a wonderful and inspiring stoury
ABDUL SATTAR says
October 3, 2016 at 8:22 pma magic and motivational story
Anjana says
May 25, 2016 at 10:46 pma real ispiration ma’am… 🙂
Anaranya Biswas says
May 25, 2016 at 11:31 pmIt’s absolutely Unique and Most Inspirational Story that we never read this before…..
Poonam mam proves that, if anyone is strongly determined to achieve something then no barrier can’t able to stop him / her…..
This is called hunger of Success…..
Chaitali mitra says
May 26, 2016 at 12:13 amCongrats poonam mam on your success.your success story is truly inspiring & motivates others.your story proves that if one is determined then he/she can cross all hurdles and barriers in the path of progress.
gajanan V. Satpute says
May 26, 2016 at 7:17 amअभिनंदन पुनम जी और ढेर सारी शुभकामनाएं….!!!!!
VIPAN SAIN says
May 26, 2016 at 9:26 amA Big Congrats to Mam….
GANI says
May 26, 2016 at 4:19 pmexcellent and courageous brave wo
man, and every one take inspiration from her
amar karve says
May 26, 2016 at 5:23 pmGreat person great work…inspiration to millions…thank u madam
Arun says
May 27, 2016 at 9:22 amGreat saluate to you ma’am for yours achievement in desirous goal.its inspiration gives the moral boost to the other aspirants who are in race and by fate not accommodated in final list.but you rvthe icon of talent and best guidelines for the youths who have opted the challenge , true and hard work never goes in vain and certainly gives the way….directly or indirectly you are icon and symbol of motivation and inspiration to specialy general….and m also on your path.its gave a lot of hope and inspiration. General are having everywhere limitation and tough boundary. But it says that the hard work and determination always gives the way.thanks a lot ma’am .wish u all the best future…from arun.
Sona says
May 27, 2016 at 5:00 pmI salute to u mam… Even i would like to become the same…
Ajita says
May 31, 2016 at 1:03 amI salute u ….mam . so brave u r . at least after three attempt evry one can feel I can’t do this but u proved this ….” Where is a will there is success ” …..
Jyoti says
June 5, 2016 at 12:17 amI salute you mam.You gave a good lesson that ‘never give up’ always go ahead.
ankit singh says
June 5, 2016 at 8:13 amamazing ,super story sir I am Ankit Singh presently serving in the Indian navy. sir ,how can I prepare for IAS exam? sir I am a Hindi medium students.plz guide me sir
gautam says
June 17, 2016 at 11:35 aminki story dekh ke sirf itnaa kah sakte hain ki… god help thmm,,, who helps themselves….
so nice story’
binod says
June 30, 2016 at 4:22 pmSalute u mam, no words to say, hope n believe may god gave all of us the same strength n patience to combat the life game..
Ashna says
July 23, 2016 at 3:46 pmReally these stories r inspirational
Good luck to those aspirants who r preparing this exam!!!
mahendra says
August 8, 2016 at 2:53 pmreally poonam mam i am very much inspired by your success journey.and for that very very thanks to you poonam mam.
Monawar Rahman says
August 13, 2016 at 2:19 pmPoonam Madam,
To si great ho
You are an asset of the nation
Once I was an aspirant of CSE, I couldn’t make that but still I love those people who aspire to be a CS
May Allah bless you with lots of success
Warmth regards
Monawar Rahman
Endy says
August 24, 2016 at 10:35 pmHats off !
Surendra pal Singh says
August 30, 2016 at 10:30 amThis was a great great inspirational story which we ever heard as you break all the hurdles and prove that anyone have the fire to get the goal can achieve whatever they wants…and Good bless you for your little child ….
saiz says
August 30, 2016 at 12:31 pmCongrats Poonam Ma’am…really this is the result of yours true dedication…
you have became an inspiration for all of us…
Best of luckkk…
I hope your success goes on like this in future…
sumit says
September 6, 2016 at 11:11 pmmam I salute u this is a true inspirational story
Vineet Mishra says
September 13, 2016 at 9:10 pmA herculean effort..!
sandeep kumar says
September 16, 2016 at 7:04 pmno word to explain YOU ARE GREAT MAM PLEASE ALSO HELP ME by giving your brightful suggestion how to prepare cse
santosh kumar says
September 25, 2016 at 10:22 pmI am a very proud of mam
Ravi kumar says
September 29, 2016 at 6:48 pmVery inspirational story for middle class student in respect of not only in economic background as well as in study also
Mohana Priya says
October 1, 2016 at 7:33 pmReally this very inspirational to me mam. Great salute to you poonam mam.
sarath says
October 14, 2016 at 1:21 pmMam you proved yourself. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Hard work never fails. You’re my role model. I’m doing self study . three times I gave attempt. I couldn’t clear. here I found a good materials thank you so much for website clearias.com.
Ghanshyam Rosewal says
October 18, 2016 at 4:59 pmVery Inspiration Story…
Ghanshyam Rosewal says
October 18, 2016 at 5:01 pmशानदार ।। बहुत खूब
Taseem says
October 19, 2016 at 1:42 pmVery Inspiration story….
You gave a good lesson that never give up always go ahead.
Raushan kumar says
January 19, 2017 at 9:06 pmOh God thnkeew so muchh mam being an inspiration for thousand of aspirants nd arised the people who loved to make excuses CS is the most favourable job for all students yet bcos of the effort what the people like u putting here
Having all grt designations u remain single minded nd focused on the mountain where u had to climbed
shubham chauhan says
January 25, 2017 at 12:30 pmwe proud of you mam
sai shwetha naidu says
April 23, 2017 at 5:30 pmsuch a great women i too need and serive to the socity i was one o the most inspried one of all them thank you mam i hope that you move on in many events to insprie the students with your great hard work mam
Surabhi Gurjar says
May 4, 2017 at 4:56 pmYou did a commendable job Poonam Mam. Clear IAS has no doubt been very helpful for people preparing for IAS.
gajanan V. Satpute says
May 4, 2017 at 11:37 pminspirational & motivational…!!
anbu murugan says
May 4, 2017 at 11:37 pmThank you so much i have confident in my first attempt in June 18 th ,2017.your lot of experience and your hard work never fails
Gulshan says
May 5, 2017 at 1:58 amI read many success stories but this is most inspiring.
Now we can believe that nothing is imposibble if we do our work honestly.
devansh lilhare says
May 5, 2017 at 11:19 amYou are brilliant
devansh lilhare says
May 5, 2017 at 11:21 amGood
ramesh p says
May 5, 2017 at 5:43 pmCongrats mam on your success.thankyou so much for sharing on your exprienses.you are my rolemodel
Remo says
July 10, 2017 at 7:18 pmAwesome great Inspired everyone who read it thanks for sharing with us