‘How I met my Pandey’: IAS officer recalls his UPSC journey, similarities with 12th Fail

IAS officer Awanish Sharan described how his friend Dev proved to be a rock of support while studying for the UPSC examination in Delhi.

IAS officer Awanish Sharan

The film 12th Fail has inspired people and left many reminiscicing their own journeys of clearing UPSC exams — considered one of the toughest in the world. Now, IAS officer Awanish Sharan has shared an emotional tale about his friend Dev, who, like the character Pritam Pandey in 12th Fail, was the rock as he cleared his UPSC exam. 12th Fail tells the incredible story of Manoj Kumar Sharma, an IPS officer who overcomes all obstacles to become an IPS officer.

“Every successful person also has a ‘Pandey’ with them.” Sharan tweeted. The bureaucrat recalled how he met Dev while searching for a place to stay in Mukherjee Nagar, north Delhi, which has multiple coaching institutes for the civil services examination. Though Sharan faced language barrier, the support of his friend eased his path.

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“Every successful person also has a ‘Pandey’. I met my Pandey when I was wandering in the streets of ‘Mukherjee Nagar’ in search of a room. ‘Dev’ met me in a coaching class and gave me a room in his flat to stay. At the time of the main examination, when I was suffering from a 103-104-degree fever and was not in a position to take the exam, Dev used to take me to the exam center in an auto. Used to stand outside Dholpur House during the entire examination. Used to feed me with his own hands. Even on the day of the results on 4th May, my Pandey was with me. As much as my parents were not optimistic about my exam results, he was my friend,” he wrote.

Read the tweet below:

हर सफल व्यक्ति के साथ एक ‘पांडे’ भी होता है. मेरा पांडे मुझे तब मिला जब कमरा ढूँढने मैं ‘मुखर्जी नगर’ की गलियों में भटक रहा था. ‘देव’ एक कोचिंग में मुझे मिला और अपने फ्लैट का एक कमरा मुझे रहने को दिया.

मुख्य परीक्षा के समय जब मैं 103-104 डिग्री बुख़ार से तप रहा था और परीक्षा दे…

— Awanish Sharan (@AwanishSharan) January 9, 2024

Fondness over friendship and hardwork took over the comments of the post, some users tweeted “If you find a true friend then what else can you say?” while some seem to share the same story and connect well with the name “Pandey”.

सच्चा दोस्त मिल जाए तो फिर क्या ही कहने

— Radha Rani (@radharanivideos) January 9, 2024

हालांकि सर मैं भी पांडेय ही हूं लेकिन मेरे करियर में भी एक अन्य पांडेय जी का बड़ा प्रेरक योगदान रहा .. वो पाण्डेय जी मुझे मुखर्जी नगर में ही मिले थे।

— Sanjay Kumar, Dy. Collector (@dc_sanjay_jas) January 9, 2024

Both Sharan’s narrative and the tale of 12th Fail emphasize the priceless value of friendship during difficult times. The IAS officer’s sincere recognition of his “Pandey” echoes the feelings in the popular movie and serves as a reminder of the deeds of kindness that lead to success.