Manoj Kumar Sharma Biography: 12th Fail Tempo Driver to IPS Officer

Intro

Manoj Kumar Sharma is Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, the epitome of pure and unwavering spirit. Manoj Sharma IPS was born in an ordinary village in Madhya Pradesh, India, he had to face many big challenges throughout his life, but still he did not waver from achieving his dreams. His remarkable journey serves as an inspiration for many.

IPS Manoj Kumar Sharma was born on 3 July 1975 in Bilgram village of Morena district of Madhya Pradesh. His childhood was spent in financial week and limited resources. Despite these challenges, he showed keen interest in education and excelled in his studies. However, he also failed in class 12th and failed in important exams. Instead of discouraging him, this setback lit a fire within him to prove his worth.

Undeterred by his academic failure, Manoj Kumar Sharma set out on the path of self-improvement. He worked tirelessly, often doing odd jobs like driving a tempo, to support himself and his family. Along with this, he continued his education, studying diligently. His unwavering determination and unwavering self-confidence propelled him forward.

With a strong desire to serve the country and make a positive impact on society, Manoj Kumar Sharma set his sights on the Indian Police Service (IPS). Despite the difficult nature of the UPSC Civil Services Examination, he remained undaunted.

After three unsuccessful attempts, Manoj Kumar Sharma’s persistence finally paid off. In his fourth attempt, he achieved All India Rank (AIR) 121 in UPSC Civil Services Examination and realized his long-time dream of becoming an IPS officer. This remarkable achievement was a testament to his unwavering determination and unwavering self-confidence.

Manoj Kumar Sharma Posting

Manoj Kumar Sharma’s illustrious career in the IPS is marked by exceptional service and remarkable achievements. He has held various prestigious positions including Superintendent of Police (SP). Manoj Kumar Sharma IPS is currently posted as an Additional Commissioner of Police in the Mumbai Police Force. He is a highly respected and decorated officer with a long and distinguished career. His dedication and professionalism have earned him widespread respect and admiration.

Manoj Kumar Sharm Bio

Bio
Real Name	Manoj Kumar Sharma
Nick Name	Simba, Singham
Date of Birth	3 July 1975
Age	48 (as of 2023)
Birth Place	Bilgram Dist. Morena, MP
Profession	IPS (Indian Police Service)
Civil Service
Position	Additional Commissioner in Mumbai Police (IPS)
Cadre	Mumbai, Maharashtra
Batch	2005
First Service	22 August 2005
Physical State
Height	In Feet – 5’9
	In Meters – 1.75 m
	In Centimeter – 175 cm
Weight	In KG – 65 Kg
	In Pounds – 143 Lbs
Eye Color	Dark Brown
Hair Color	Black
Personal Life
Home Town	Bilgram Dist. Morena, MP
Zodiac Sign	Cancer
Nationality	Indian
School	Local schooling in Morena
College	Maharani Laxmibai Government College of Excellence Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh
Qualification	MA in History
	PhD in Journalism in New Delhi
Marital Status	Married
Religion	Hindu
Caste	Sharma
Family
Father	Ramveer Sharma (Retired MP Govt Agriculture Department Employee)
Mother	Name not known
Siblings	He has a brother and a sister
Wife/Spouse	Sharddha Joshi Sharma (IRS Officer)
Children	Son- Manas Sharma
	Daughter- Chia

IPS Manoj Sharma Early Struggles

Manoj Kumar Sharma, from Morena district of Madhya Pradesh, India, faced significant challenges from a young age. His family’s financial struggles often left him struggling to make ends meet, and he lacked access to adequate educational resources. Despite these obstacles, he showed a keen interest in learning.

In a defining moment, Manoj Sharma failed in his 12th class exam, but he refused to give up and re-appeared in his 12th class exam and passed. More than regretting his failure in 12th class, what influenced him more was who was the officer due to whom he could not cope and failed. Because in local education, passing was usually done by cheating, but with the arrival of the new SDM, the environment there changed and the system improved.

Journey of Self-Improvement

Undeterred by his academic failure, Sharma began a journey of self-improvement. He did odd jobs, including driving tempo taxis, to support himself and his family as well as continue his education. He attended coaching classes and sought guidance from experienced gurus, determined to prove his worth and achieve his goals. He continued working in the library even at low salary and continued studying.

Manoj Kumar Sharma was obsessed with clearing the UPSC exam ever since he came to Delhi. With a strong desire to serve the country and make a positive impact, Manoj Sharma passed the UPSC exam in 2005 and joined the Indian Police Service (IPS). The UPSC Civil Services Examination, the gateway to IPS, was extremely challenging, but IPS Manoj Kumar Sharma was undaunted. He boosted his determination by reading inspiring biographies of individuals who overcame adversity to achieve success.

Succeeding in UPSC Exam

Sharma prepared diligently for the UPSC exam, studying and practicing for long hours. He faced many setbacks and failed the examination three times in a row. After three difficult attempts, Sharma’s persistence finally paid off. However, with determination, he made his dream come true and in the fourth attempt he became IPS with 121st rank in all India.

Manoj Kumar Sharma IPS Facts

• Manoj Kumar Sharma is a 2005 batch IPS officer from Maharashtra who came back into the limelight in October 2023 with the release of the film 12th Fail, which is based on his real-life struggles.
• IPS Manoj Kumar Sharma born in a lower middle-class family in Madhya Pradesh.
• According to Manoj Kumar Sharma, his family was so poor that they could not afford to put a roof on their house. As a result, Manoj spent the night with homeless people on the streets.
• Manoj Kumar Sharma was not academically gifted during his school days. He managed to reach the third grade in the 9th and 10th grades. He once claimed that after cheating in an exam, he managed to secure the third division in grade 11.
• Manoj failed in class 12th. In an interview, he told that ever since the new District Magistrate (SDM) has been posted in Morena, Madhya Pradesh, he has managed to pass only Hindi subject out of all subjects. The SDM instructed schools and law enforcement agencies that they need to keep students on high alert. Stop them from cheating.
• After seeing officers following the instructions of the SDM, Manoj decided to become an officer himself by appearing for the civil services examinations conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC). Before becoming a civil servant, Manoj had planned to take a course in typewriting and then apply for a low-ranking and low-paying job to help his family out of poverty.
• After completing his school studies, he moved to Gwalior, the capital of MP. He came to the city with only 500 rupees & a bag of clothes. There he enrolled in Maharani Lakshmi Bai Government Excellence College and completed his graduation. Since his family could not support him financially, he decided drive tempo to ferry passengers to earn money. He also preparing for the PCS exam at the same time. While in Gwalior, he came to know that there were bigger job openings than those offered by PCS and started preparing for the Union Civil Service Examination (UPSC-CSE).
• Manoj Kumar Sharma once narrated an incident in which he revealed that the Gwalior police had confiscated his tempo. For this, he visited the Gwalior Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Office and urge him to tell the police to let go of his confiscated tempo.
• For the exam preparation, he moved to Mukherjee Nagar in New Delhi, to earn a living in Delhi, he walked pets for wealthy families in Mukherjee Nagar for 400 rupees.
• He then started working as a daily wage laborer in a library with a monthly salary of 300 rupees. According to Manoj Sharma, working at the library has helped him a lot because it has given him access to books that he was unable to buy and read before. He also took a job as a washroom cleaner.
• After living in Delhi for some time, he contacted Vikas Divyakirti, the founder of his Drishti IAS. Vikas offered to give him CSE classes without taking any money.
• Manoj Sharma passed the preliminary exam on the first attempt. However, he was unable to pass the mains.
• Manoj Kumar Sharma performance deteriorated in his second and his third attempt as he failed to clear the CSE prelims.
• Manoj Kumar Sharma IPS admitted in an interview that he had limited knowledge of English and he had difficulty understanding the language. He recalled a particular incident during his Civil Service Examination (CSE) where he mistakenly wrote an essay on ‘Terrorism in India‘ instead of ‘Tourism in India‘ which is his compulsory topic. Sharma said he memorized an essay on terrorism before the exam.
• Manoj Kumar Sharma passed CSE in his fourth attempt and secured 121st rank in the All India Rank. During his interview, he stated that his interviewers initially doubted his suitability for the civil service, citing his past academic difficulties and limited knowledge of English. However, after he shared his opinion, the other interviewers also agreed with him.
• He then joined the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA), Hyderabad, Telangana. There he completed his training to become a police officer.
• On August 22, 2005, Manoj Kumar Sharma was appointed as an IPS officer after completing his training.
• Shraddha Joshi Sharma (his wife) said in an interview that her parents were initially hesitant about her marrying Manoj, even though he became a police officer because he was part of the Maharashtra cadre. During this period, Shraddha was posted in Nainital, Uttarakhand as his PCS officer. To convince her parents, Manoj lied and said that once they got married and submitted a marriage certificate to the government, they would be granted a cadre transfer from Maharashtra to Uttarakhand on compassionate grounds.
• Later, he served several important positions as a police officer in the state of Maharashtra.
• As Superintendent of Police (SP), he was recognized for effectively dealing with protests against illegal collection of highway tolls and soaring sugarcane prices, helping authorities maintain law and order in Kolhapur city.
• IPS Manoj Kumar Sharma assisted the Maharashtra Police in many operations against Naxals in areas like Gajroli, Chandrapur, Gondiya, Yavatmal, Bhandara and Nanded.
• He was instrumental in controlling the riot-like situation in Kolhapur after a Communist Party of India (CPI) member named Govind Pansare was killed by unknown gunmen in 2015.
• He served as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
• After he completed his tenure as CISF, he was appointed as Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) of Mumbai Police.
• In 2021, Anurag Pathak wrote a biography, “Twelfth Fail: Hara Vahi Jo Lada Nahi.” In his book, he has talked in detail about the life struggles of Manoj Kumar Sharma before becoming an IPS officer.
• Manoj set up alleviation to face life’s challenges from reading biographies like Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (Maxim Gorky) and Abraham Lincoln. During his UPSC medication, he read multiple books penned by Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh.
• In October 2023, the film “Twelfth Fail” directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra was released, with Vikrant Massey playing the role of IPS Manoj Kumar Sharma.
• Manoj Kumar Sharma got emotional while his biographical film makers told about his story.

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