Doctor, IAS and Entrepreneur: Meet Roman Saini

He cracked his medical exams at 16 and went on to become a junior resident doctor at AIIMS. At 22, he cracked the civil services entrance exams to become an IAS officer. And now he is giving back to the community through his entrepreneurial endeavor, which makes UPSC learning available online for free.

Meet Roman Saini. He represents today’s India, which is pushing the boundaries and making everything possible for those with determination, entirely on merit.

I believe we can achieve anything if we really want it. For me, there were no external benchmarks to conquer. I have done everything that I really enjoyed doing. I play the guitar as I love music, not because I aspire to go to Trinity College in England. Medicals, civil services, to now giving back to millions of UPSC aspirants (online content) — all these have stemmed from internal drive, says Roman.

And why not? Hailing from a middle class family in Jaipur, Roman has made things happen for him because he set his heart on it. “My parents gave up on me very early because I did not attend any social functions with them. I have not attended any family weddings for a very long time. My circle of relatives and friends realised that I was different, maybe weird. And probably they are right. I live in my own world and do things that I enjoy. Somewhere I have cultivated this ability to differentiate between the essential and non-essential in my life. This has helped me in doing correct things and doing it well,” muses Roman.

“I was not interested in studies in school and was not even a meritorious student. I believe getting high marks in schools etc is quite overrated. I don’t agree with the mugging-up culture we have in schools and colleges to pass exams. I only sat for the medical entrance exam because biology caught my attention and I loved reading everything there was on the matter. I enjoyed it and so I wrote the test. Getting selected in AIIMS was a good outcome of my interest in the subjects. Similarly, for UPSC, I followed my instinct to just relish the subjects.”

Today Roman wants to share his achievements with everyone. He wants everyone to be able to do what he has done. His online venture is a clear testimony to that. He says, “I have started this online programme to decode UPSC exams. Everyone can crack it if you understand it well. Mind you, it’s the toughest exam in the world, you cannot write it without completely loving what you have set out to do. Please don’t give this exam because it is considered to be a gateway to power, money, prestige etc, do it because it holds a real meaning for you. It’s a tough process and tests mental strength like no other exam can. In your toughest moment, the only guiding force will be your innermost drive.

“What drives me is the quest to constantly learn. I want to learn from every situation and everyone. I am hungry for knowledge all the time and I shamelessly seek new information. It keeps me going.” Roman is thrilled that his role as an IAS will make him work in the rural areas and solve the problems of people there.

On a parting note, he has this to say to all our readers, “If you have any problem regarding any entrance exam or taking any decision in life and are confused about it, reach out to me on my Facebook page. and Twitter ”

What are you excited about? What drives you? We look forward to hearing from you.