'12th Fail' IPS Manoj Kumar Sharma Biography: Early Life, Education & Success Story
Real-life hero of '12th Fail': Manoj Kumar Sharma
Indian Hindi-language biographical drama film '12th Fail' is inspired by real-life story of Manoj Kumar Sharma who overcame various hardships and poverty to become an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. The film also depicts how his love journey was started with Sraddha Joshi (now his wife) and then the journey reached to marriage. Mr. Manoj Sharma is currently working on the post of Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) in Mumbai Police.
📌 Table of Contents
🔗 1. Introduction
🔗 2. Early Life
🔗 3. Education
🔗 4. Journey to be an IPS officer
🔗 5. Love and Marriage
🔗 6. Professional Journey
🔗 7. Achievements
🔗 8. Family
🔗 9. Social Media Accounts
🔗 10. Some Additional Facts
🔗 11. Conclusion
1. Introduction
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Manoj Kumar Sharma |
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Date of Birth |
3rd July, 1975 |
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Birth Place |
Madhya Pradesh, India |
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Height |
175 cm (5’ 9’’) |
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Eye colour |
Dark Brown |
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Hair colour |
Black |
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Educational Qualification |
M.A. in History, PhD in Journalism |
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Nationality |
Indian |
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Service |
Indian Police Service (IPS) |
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Nicknames |
Simba, Singham |
2. Early Life
- Manoj Kumar Sharma was born in a lower-middle-class Hindu family on July 3, 1975, in Bilgram, a small village in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh state.
- His father, Mr. Ramveer Sharma, was a farmer and used to work for the government in agriculture, but now retired.
- His mother has significant role in his life. She influenced him in his life many times.
- Manoj Sharma's family was very poor and therefore, he had to struggle a lot.
- Along with his cousins, he worked on his father's 3 bighas and his uncles' 9 bighas agricultural land.
- During schooling, Manoj started learning Hindi typing in school to secure a good job in his village and help his family.
An old photo of Manoj
Kumar Sharma in young age
3. Education
- Manoj Sharma completed his schooling in Morena. He was not academically excellent when he was in school. He passed upto class 8th without any problems. After that, he managed to pass 9th and 10th exams by cheating, and got third division in both the grades (9th and 10th). He once claimed that he also managed to secure 3rd division in grade 11 after cheating in the exams. But in grade 12, he did not pass in 1st attempt as a new Sub-Divisional Magistrate posted in Morena instructed the schools and law enforcement agencies to maintain a strict vigilance on students so that the student could not cheat anyway. In that attempt Manoj Sharma could pass only in Hindi out of all subjects.
- Manoj passed grade 12 in his 2nd attempt with 3rd division. But he was satisfied with that result as he achieved it without doing cheating.
- After passing 12th grade, he shifted to Gwalior, the capital of Madhya Pradesh. There he graduated from 'Maharani Laxmi Bai Government College of Excellence'.
- He completed M.A. in History.
- He did his PhD in Journalism in New Delhi while preparing for UPSC CSE.
- During final exams in grade 12 in 1st attempt, Manoj saw the school authorities could not deny the instructions imposed by SDM of Morena. This incident inspired Manoj to be an SDM at first. From his friend he came to know to become an SDM one has to clear state PSC (Public Service Commission) exam. So, he started preparing for civil services examinations conducted by Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC). Before being motivated to become a civil servant, he also planned to undertake a course in type writing to apply for low-ranking and low-paying job under the MP state government to help his family financially.
- When he shifted to Gwalior city after completing his school studies, he had just Rs. 500 and a bag full of clothes. As his family was unable to support him financially, he used to drive a tempo to ferry passengers to earn money to afford his own expenses. Beside this, he was also preparing for PSC exams.
- He once talked about an incident in which he said that when he was in Gwalior, his tempo was once captured by the cops for which he visited the office of the Gwalior Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) to urge him to tell the cops to release his confiscated tempo.
- During staying in Gwalior he came to know that there are posts higher than the ones offered by the PSC and that posts, e.g. IPS which is a greater post than SDM, are offered through UPSC. After this, he started preparing for the Union Public Service Commission - Civil Services Examination (UPSC- CSE).
- To prepare for the exams, he moved to New Delhi. There he stayed at Mukherjee Nagar. To earn a living, he used to take the pets owned by rich families in Mukherjee Nagar out for a walk for Rs. 400.
- After that, he worked as a peon in a library on monthly salary of Rs. 300. He started this work as it was helpful for him to access the books which he was not able to buy and read before. Besides this, he also undertook a job as a washroom cleaner.
- He found inspiration to face life's challenges from reading biographies of notable persons like Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (Maxim Gorky) and Abraham Lincoln. He read also multiple books written by Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh.
- After living in Delhi for some time, he approached the founder of Drishti IAS, Dr. Vikas Divyakirti. Dr. Divyakirti offered to give him tuition for CSE without taking any fees.
- Manoj left his library job due to accusations of stealing Rs. 1200. After this, he started to work at a flour mill, where he both worked and slept in the same room.
- Manoj passed his prelims exam on his first attempt; however, he could not clear the mains.
- His performance was poor in second and third attempts. In that attempts he could not clear the prelims of the CSE.
- Manoj Sharma said in an interview that he had limited proficiency in English and struggled to understand that language. He recalled a specific incident during the UPSC CSE in which he mistakenly wrote an essay on "Terrorism in India" instead of the mentioned topic "Tourism in India".
- Manoj was good at memorizing answers and concepts. But he struggles to express his thoughts in writing in UPSC exams. To improve writing abilities, he used to write 40-50 pages everyday.
- He became able to clear the UPSC CSE on his fourth attempt and secured All India Rank (AIR) 121.
- He once stated that an interviewer during the interview in his fourth attempt initially doubted his suitability for civil services due to his past academic struggles and limited English proficiency. However, all the interviewers agreed with his perspective after he shared his opinions.
- Clearing UPSC CSE Manoj Kumar Sharma joined the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA) in Hyderabad, Telangana where he was trained to become an IPS officer.
Manoj Kumar Sharma's photo taken
after he completed his police training
at SVPNPA, Hyderabad - On 22 August 2005 (22/08/2005), Sharma joined civil service as an IPS officer after completing his training.
A photo of Manoj Kumar Sharma with some of
his colleagues
- In Delhi, when Manoj was preparing for UPSC exams, he met a lady named Shraddha Joshi.
- He fell in love with Shraddha after their meeting with each other.
- Manoj and Shraddha both were taking coaching at Drishti IAS. That time they knew about each other more.
- Manoj kumar was initially reluctant to ask Shraddha to date her as he failed in 12th grade. However, after gathering courage he proposed her. He reportedly told Shraddha that if she accepted his proposal and stood by his side, he would work hard to turn their worlds around.
- Initially Shraddha had no deep love feelings to Manoj, but after understanding his true emotions she also fell in true love with him.
An old photo of Shraddha
and Manoj in single frame - Shraddha Joshi helped and influenced Manoj a lot during his UPSC preparation. She stood by his side despite her family's objections.
- When Manoj used to earn money by walking dogs of wealthy families, he initially kept this job a secret from Shraddha, fearing that it would create a negative impact. However, one day Shraddha caught him and instead of feeling bad for him, she accompanied him to his job.
- After becoming an IPS officer, Manoj married Shraddha on 5 December 2005.
- In an interview, Shraddha Joshi Sharma said that her parents were initially unwilling to marry her to Manoj, despite him becoming an IPS officer, due to his assignment in Maharashtra cadre. During this time, Shraddha was posted as a PCS officer in Nainital, Uttarakhand. To persuade her parents, Manoj lied by assuring them that after their marriage, presenting their marriage certificate to the government, he would be granted a cadre transfer from Maharashtra to Uttarakhand on compassionate grounds.
- In an interview Manoj recalled how he tried to impress Shraddha when they were not married by making tea and learning to cook for her. He would often bring her roti and pickles. Even after marriage, he cooks for her to celebrate her career achievements. His menu is fixed and it includes paneer, roti, raita, and pulao.
- Manoj Sharma held many important positions as a cop in Maharashtra till now.
- He worked enough to maintain law and order in the city of Kolhapur as a Superintendent of Police (SP) by effectively addressing protests against unlawful highway toll tax collection and hike in sugarcane price.
Photo of Manoj Sharma
addressing a crown during
a protest - He assisted the Maharashtra police in tackling many operations against the Naxals in areas like Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Bhandara, Yavatmal, and Nanded.
- He played a significant role in controlling the riot-like situation that happened in Kolhapur after a Communist Party of India (CPI) member named Govind Pansare was killed by unidentified gunmen in 2015.
- He served in Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) as a Deputy Inspector General (DIG).
A photo of Manoj Sharma
when serving as DIG
in the CISF - After completing his tenure as DIG in CISF, he was appointed as the Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) of the Mumbai Police.
- During serving as SP in Kolhapur, Manoj Sharma gained recognition for helping the authorities in maintaining the law and order in the city.
- Manoj Sharma earned nicknames 'Singham' and 'Simba' due to his strong personality and authoritative style.
- In 2021, one of his close friends Anurag Pathak authored a novel named "Twelfth Fail: Hara Vahi Jo Lada Nahi" based on Manoj Sharma's life struggles before becoming an IPS officer.
- Famous director Vidhu Vinod Chopra directed and produced a film named "12th Fail" being inspired from the story of the novel "Twelfth Fail: Hara Wahi Jo Lada Nahi" authored by Anurag Pathak. The film was released in October, 2023.
- Manoj Sharma has become inspiration of large number of UPSC aspirants after the release of the film "12th Fail". The film has brought both Manoj Sharma and his wife Shraddha Joshi Sharma (now an IRS officer) under spotlight. Both of them got enough praise from many notable persons and common people after reveal of their journey to be officers and perfect couple through the film.
- IPS officer Manoj Sharma has been awarded the Medal for Meritorious Service (MSM) on the evening of the 75th Republic Day in year 2024. 36 other CISF personnel were also awarded various police and fire service medals on the same day in that evening.
- Manoj Sharma's family is very important to him.
- His dad, Mr. Ramveer Sharma, is a retired MP Govt Agriculture Department employee.
- His mother is a housewife.
- He has a brother and a sister.
- His spouse Shraddha Joshi Sharma is an IRS officer.
- He has two children- one son named Manas Sharma and a daughter named Chia.
Manas and Chia
10. Some Additional Facts about Manoj Sharma
- Growing up, Manoj Kumar Sharma enjoyed reading History books, which made him known among adults as a studious boy.
- His love for reading led him to be an excellent storyteller. He even offered entertaining commentary at local cricket matches.
- He tried tutoring children but found no success for his limited proficiency in Math and English. He would go from house to house offering his tutoring service.
- He once took a job at Madhya Bharat Hindi Sahitya Sabha in Gwalior. There he met many poets and was inspired from them. He read extensively and practiced public speaking regularly after hours which helped him to boost his confidence and speaking abilities.
- He has a passion for kitchen gardening as he finds pleasure in growing vegetables and fruits at home. He often posts about his garden progress on his social media and engages his children in it too.
Manoj Sharma's journey from failing in 12th grade to becoming an IPS officer is a shining example of what can be achieved with willpower, love, and steadfast tenacity. His life is now immortalised in the hearts of many by the movie "12th fail" which inspires those going through difficult times by showing us that no obstacle is too huge and no desire is too large to overcome with the correct attitude and hard work.
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