What sheer hard work and a refusal to surrender can achieve is best summed up by the story of Dheeraj Kumar from Jehanabad. After tasting failure eight times in various exams, he still kept his nerve and, on his ninth attempt, finally fulfilled his dream of donning the Bihar Police uniform. The most striking part is that when his name appeared on the merit list, he was out in the market selling matka kulfi — and he even heard the news of his own success from someone else. Today he is overjoyed, and he credits the entire achievement to his family.
Who Dheeraj Is and Where He Comes From
Dheeraj Kumar lives in Hulasganj block, roughly 25 km from the Jehanabad district headquarters. A graduate, he is married, and the responsibility of his wife and three children rests squarely on his shoulders. Both his parents are frequently unwell. From the very beginning, his ambition was to land a government job, but his family's financial situation was extremely weak. The urge to make something of himself had been with him since childhood, and he was always ready to toil day and night to get there.
Family Burdens and Roadblocks Along the Way
After marriage, the weight of running a household multiplied. On one hand there was no money in his pocket, and on the other he had an entire family to look after. At home, he kept hearing complaints from his wife and other relatives. His father would urge him to go away and earn so that something would come in, and his mother more or less echoed the same advice. He did leave for a while to earn elsewhere, but his heart wasn't in it and he returned home. The obsession with securing a government job had taken hold of him. After graduation he sat for eight different job exams, yet came away empty-handed each time. Every attempt cost money, and his wife's frustration only grew.
Selling Goods Door to Door, Kulfi in the Summer
Battling these circumstances, Dheeraj eventually bought a vehicle and began going street to street selling garlic, detergent and soap. He sustained his life this way for several years. In the summer months he would also sell matka kulfi, which brought in a little money and somehow kept the household running. Through it all, his studies never stopped — selling goods by day and sitting with his books at night became his daily routine.
Fate Turned on the Ninth Attempt
With the same hope as always, Dheeraj filled out the Bihar Police form for the ninth time, and what followed left the ground shifting beneath his feet. When the exam result came out, he was selling garlic, and when the merit list was prepared, he was out on his kulfi rounds. The moment he learned of his selection, his joy knew no bounds. As he puts it, years of hard work had finally paid off.
'No Shortcuts — Hard Work Is the Only Path'
Sharing his journey, Dheeraj says one should never accept defeat until success is achieved. In his words, this is a hard-won victory born of immense struggle, one that came only after eight failures. His message to other young people is simple: just keep working hard, because there is no shortcut to success.
