ADILABAD: Jadhav Sai Chaitanya, son of a head constable from a remote tribal hamlet in Adilabad district, has secured All India Rank 68 in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination and joined the Indian Administrative Service.
Early life in tribal hamlet, education across states
His mother, Kavitha, is a government teacher, while his father, Jadhav Govindrao, works as a head constable at Narnur police station in Adilabad district. The family hails from Pulsi (B) thanda in Talamadugu mandal and later settled in Utnoor for employment.
Sai Chaitanya completed his primary education in Utnoor and joined Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Kagaznagar, in Class VI. He pursued Intermediate in Hyderabad and later completed Mechanical Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli.
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Two incidents steer him towards civil services goal
Initially focused on campus placements, Sai Chaitanya turned towards civil services after two incidents. During his third year at NIT Tiruchirappalli, an interaction with senior Keerthi Vasan, who had cleared the civil services, inspired him to consider UPSC.
Earlier, while studying at Navodaya, a teacher encouraged him to aim higher. When toppers were honoured by a district collector, the teacher told him, "Why not become a collector yourself and give certificates to others?" he recalled.
"These two incidents pushed me to attempt UPSC repeatedly without giving up," he said.
Failures before success, joins IAS after sixth attempt
Sai Chaitanya first attempted UPSC in 2019 but did not qualify. In 2020, he cleared prelims but failed in mains. In 2021 and 2022, he reached the interview stage but did not make the final list.
In 2023, he was selected for the Indian Forest Service. While in service, he appeared again in 2024 and secured Rank 68 in results declared in April 2025, earning a place in the IAS.
He has been appointed as a trainee collector in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu cadre.
"Failure never goes waste. It gives experience and lessons," he said.