This Gujarati Woman, Out Of An Abusive Marriage, Is Now An Officer At Defence Ministry – News18

There are lakhs of candidates who aspire to become civil servants and crack the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exams, every year. Almost every successful candidate has a story to tell, but there are very few stories that touch our hearts. Such is the story of Komal Ganatra, who is now an inspiration to many. Her story is a testament to the fact that one writes their own destiny. Komal Ganatara hails from a small town in Gujarat’s Amreli. At the mere age of four, her father introduced her to UPSC. In her family, education was given the top priority. She has been brought up in an environment, where she took her own decisions and was independent. Her father always taught her to dream big and make her own identity.

At the age of 26, Komal Ganatra was married off to an NRI from New Zealand in 2008. She was married into an educated family; however, her in-laws demanded dowry and asked her to leave when she called them out for their regressive practice. Just 15 days into the marriage, her husband left her in India and went off to New Zealand and never returned. Komal Ganatra was left heartbroken and devastated.

It was her education that gave her the strength to face all the challenges. Komal Ganatra tried to seek justice for their wrongdoings and approached the police, but they did her no good. It was then she made up her mind to be part of the system and decided to channel her emotions to clear UPSC exams. She shifted to a small village in Bhavnagar and took up the job of teaching. She earned Rs 5,000 per month. In the remote village, she also did not have resources like the internet or a laptop to study for UPSC. So, she taught during the weekdays and at the weekends, she visited Ahmedabad to prepare for the exams.

Finally, in 2012, she secured a 591 rank in her UPSC exam and was one of the 11 candidates to clear the Civil Services Exam (CSE) on her third attempt. She is now posted in the Ministry of Defense as an Administrative Officer in Delhi. She gave marriage another shot and tied the knot with Mohit Sharma, a Judicial Magistrate posted in Gujarat. They have a daughter named Takshvi.