Hyderabad: Kerala-born Shehansha KS, who cracked the IPS on his seventh attempt, has proved that perseverance and hard work can overcome all failures. It was Shehansha's dream to become an IPS. So, despite failing, he never lost hope, but continued to pursue his dream. He scored a rank of 142 and was selected as the all-around topper in the training.
Earlier, he worked as an Assistant Commandant in CISF and Divisional Security Commissioner in the Indian Railway Protection Force Service (IRPFS), where he stood as the best indoor, best outdoor and a best overall probationer in the 48th batch of IRPFS training. Despite, getting a government job, he did not put his desire to become an IPS officer on the back burner. Inspired by his grandfather, who served in the Indian Army, Shehansha aimed at becoming an IPS one day.
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So, he prepared for the UPSC while continuing to work in the CISF in Hyderabad and Lucknow. "Initially, I studied for 10-12 hours a day, but later I could study for 4-6 hours due to my job," he said. He was selected for Mains six times and appeared for the interview four times. Finally, at the age of 30, he achieved his dream. He managed to clear the IPS on the seventh attempt.
Born in 1991 in Kerala's Thrissur, Shehanshah completed his B Tech in Mechanical Engineering from Government Engineering College. He also received training in athletics from the Sports Authority of India and won 30 state and 14 national-level medals in eight years.
Sports has taught Shehansha to overcome failures. "Failures are a part of athletics. As a sports champion, I know how to overcome them. I applied the same principle at UPSC as well. I believe that hard work and perseverance are the two keys to success. That's why even after failing in Civils six times, I got 142nd rank on the seventh attempt. If there is a chance to get IAS, I will still choose IPS because I like the job of the police. I am eager to serve the people of my state,'' Shehanshah said.
