Dreams are usually regarded as life’s planets. However, making them true needs something else different than ambition and determination. This necessitates determination, hard work, and strength if only to transcend differences in the physical realities. In this article by TheHinduzone, we will discuss the inspiring story of India’s shortest IAS officer Arti Dogra. Her determined self-belief despite the challenges she had to endure acted as an inspiration to many future bureaucrats. More than anything else, success is the belief in oneself which leads one to push on even when adversities tear apart the being.
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Early Life Struggles of IAS Arti Dogra
Arti Dogra started life with a powerful challenge – the big event of her birth. Born into a society where the physical look and stature of others often counted as potential in a person, her life would leave a mark of uniqueness by having an unexpected physical characteristic. She was only 3 feet 6 inches tall; even from very early on, one often heard the question of her appearing small towards high expectations by various people. At her birth, some people called her a burden on the family. Some of them suspected her future worthlessness whether she could ever do any significant work or not. Many would have crushed the spirit of Arti on hearing such words, given the fact that her parents had kept her alive with enormous love and faith in her potential.
Regardless of the prevailing bias and social stereotypes, Arti’s family managed to generate a profound inner worth in the child. Her parents believed that despite her small stature, their guardianship would limit nothing on her capabilities. This nurturing trait of her family helped build the foundation of Arti’s lifelong wish of becoming an IAS officer.
Educational Journey of IAS Arti
Arti went to Delhi for her bachelor’s degree after completing her studies at school. She spent some of a good time at Lady Shri Ram, Delhi University, possibly the most famous college in town, and she majored in Economics. The place had a lot of growth and learning for her academically and personally. It was then, while she lived, that she got to meet Manisha IAS, the District Magistrate (DM) of Dehradun, who would later become her role model and inspiration in life.
Such an encounter with IAS Manisha was a decisive entering for Arti’s life. Arti had always cherished the dream to serve the nation and make a difference in the lives of people, but Manisha made her realize her dream could segregate her from many. Arti could also follow the course and be an IAS officer when she meets her dream Ideal. It was the assurance from her mentor that made her believe that the reality of her becoming an IAS officer was possible only when she could work hard and clear the UPSC examination with determination.
UPSC Journey of IAS Arti
After completing her graduation, Arti headed back to Dehradun for her post-graduation, and this was the time she started her challenging journey in preparing for the UPSC examination. Quite the difficult road to walk, leading toward IAS. The challenges are harsh, but all the odds are perfectly blended to demotivate. Arti adhered to it. She gave herself over to her studies, worked very hard, and prepared sharply focusing on her dreams.
In all these limitations of resources and the social ostracization of women from the male-dominated society, what kept Arti most solid was her resolve. She did it, and how she found the focus, discipline, and self-confidence to achieve success in the very first attempt at the UPSC exam, which cannot be made except in multiple attempts by most of the aspirants.
Arti Dogra has proven herself and cleared the UPSC Written Examination on her first attempt after a lot of hard work. She becomes the perfect example for people with disabilities who think their goal is too far off. The story of Arti Dogra shows that a proper mindset, attitude, and systematic effort may help us realize anything.
As an IAS Officer: A Story of Hardwork and Determination
That was the sheer force of Arti’s strong efforts and perseverance that got her chosen for the prestigious Indian Administrative Service. Allotted to the Rajasthan cadre, she soon became the District Magistrate in Bikaner, Rajasthan. As the DM, she had started ‘Banko Bikaano’ under which a campaign was launched to sensitize people about open defecation and promote the construction of toilets in rural habitats.
Against open defecation, the ‘Banko Bikaano’ movement exhorted people to not defecate in the open: this practice is quite common in several of India’s rural areas. Under this campaign, 195 gram panchayats under its auspices were treated: under Arti’s leadership, fixed toilets were built in each village. For monitoring and accountability, the campaign was achieved using a special mobile software.
The campaign was a great success. Not only did it significantly improve the sanitation situation of the region, but it also brought greater awareness and knowledge about hygiene and health. Arti’s innovative method of solving this problem was highly appreciated across the nation and she was awarded for her efforts.
And the little work did not go by unobserved. It fetched Ace Arti candid appreciation from the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi himself, besides several awards from the national and state levels.
Not only did Arti Dogra make a difference in making sanitation campaigns highly successful, but she also set a milestone in being the first woman IAS to direct the Jodhpur DISCOM. Arti wriggled out and broke cruelties in doing it in a culture dominated by males.
Arti can be seen as a history in the making, her career functioning as a testament to the power of pure hard work, dedication and the willingness to challenge the status quo. She has been celebrated massively, not just among women, but by all those who have had to face some challenges in their societies or bodies, affirming in every sense that it can be done with the right mindset.
Conclusion
Arti Dogra’s journey is a journey of resilience, hard work, and determination. Truly hers is a story that knows no obstacles when there is commitment and incredible perseverance on one’s side. Arti’s life has become an inspiration to so many in the world facing many of their challenges with the message that one can reach heights that no man would ever have thought himself capable of as long as one never stops trying.
As it was in the past, Arti now serves as an example for those youths aspiring to become IAS officers and people in general. Her story reveals how one could reach something extraordinary and good even when circumstances around him were such that life offered only hardships and nothing else but struggle, provided he did not lose faith in his abilities and worked hard with unwavering determination.
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