Dev Prabhakar Singh Tomar, grandson of Chambal 'baaghi', gets UPSC success: How after leaving his high-paying Netherlands job, he went on to secure Rank 629

Dev Prabhakar Singh Tomar’s journey to the civil services began far away from the corporate world. Growing up with stories of his family’s difficult past in the Chambal region of Madhya Pradesh, Tomar eventually studied Electrical Engineering at IIT Ropar and moved to the Netherlands for work. He later left his job abroad to prepare for the UPSC Civil Services Examination. After multiple setbacks and attempts, he secured All India Rank 629 in the 2025 examination. He is now serving as an Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) officer under the Ministry of Railways.

Dev Prabhakar Singh Tomar: ‘My story starts with my grandfather’

Speaking about his family and his connection with Chambal in a JoshTalks video, Tomar said, “What comes to your mind when you hear the name Chambal? The sound of guns, police sirens, and screams? My story starts with my grandfather.”

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Tomar said his grandfather had become a ‘baaghi’, or rebel, around 75 years ago following family problems and disputes involving the government at the time. He explained that the word had a particular meaning in the local social context.

“If we look at police records, such a person may also be called a dacoit. But in our region, we call them a rebel (baaghi),” he said. “The meaning of a rebel is that, because of a certain reason or problem, we raised our voice against it.”

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According to Tomar, his grandfather’s decision had a lasting impact on the family. He recalled hearing from his father that there were periods when the family struggled even to arrange enough food. His uncle later also became a rebel.

Tomar’s father left the village to pursue education

Amid the difficulties, Tomar’s father decided to take a different route. He wanted to continue his studies, find salaried employment and build a life in the city.

Tomar said his father eventually left the village and moved to Gwalior without informing his father. He continued his education there and later became a teacher.

That decision, Tomar suggested, became an important turning point in the family’s story, with education and employment offering a path away from the circumstances his family had experienced in the village.

From rural school to IIT Ropar

Tomar’s own education began under the MP Board before he shifted to a CBSE school in Class 6. The change was not easy. He came from a rural background and found the language, classroom environment and social setting unfamiliar.

By Class 11, he began considering engineering as a career after seeing students around him prepare for entrance examinations. That was when he learnt about the IITs.

With limited finances, Tomar could not join a coaching institute in Kota. Instead, he prepared from home using books and appeared for the engineering entrance examination alongside his Class 12 exams.

He eventually secured admission to IIT Ropar and studied Electrical Engineering.

IIT Ropar to Philips job in the Netherlands

Tomar’s early years at IIT Ropar went well academically. However, by his third year, he noticed that several classmates had already secured internships and job offers, with some campus packages reportedly reaching Rs 23 lakh to Rs 25 lakh.

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After being unable to secure a campus opportunity, he started applying independently. His efforts eventually led to an opportunity with Philips in the Netherlands.

He moved to the country and worked near Amsterdam, later receiving a pre-placement offer. After completing his graduation, he returned to the Netherlands and continued his career there.

Despite having a good professional environment, Tomar began questioning whether the life he had built abroad was the one he wanted.

“I realised that the life I was living abroad, although the work was very good, did not really match my personality,” he said.

Why Tomar quit his Netherlands job for UPSC preparation

The UPSC Civil Services Examination gradually became a serious career option for Tomar. After studying the syllabus and understanding the amount of preparation required, he concluded that balancing a demanding job with serious UPSC preparation would be difficult.

He eventually resigned from his job and returned to India.

“I took a very serious decision, because of which I received a lot of criticism from my family,” he said.

The decision did not immediately produce results. His first UPSC attempt ended when he missed the preliminary examination cutoff by 12.5 marks. His second attempt was closer, but he still missed the cutoff by 2.5 marks.

“When you fail twice in a row, your family's confidence in you also starts to decline. Your own confidence also starts to decline,” he said.

UPSC preparation strategy changed after repeated failures

After his second unsuccessful attempt, Tomar began analysing his preparation instead of simply increasing his study hours. He went back to his previous papers and examined where he had gone wrong.

“I realised that I did not just have to think about studying, studying and studying. I had to think about clearing the examination,” he said.

He subsequently cleared the preliminary examination, followed by the mains and interview. However, the final result brought another setback.

Tomar recalled waiting for the result with relatives, friends and people from his village at his home. When the PDF was released, he searched for his name but could not find it.

Another UPSC attempt while working as a teacher

Tomar later appeared for another preliminary examination and cleared it despite finding the paper challenging. He went on to clear the mains and reach the interview stage again, but was unsuccessful in the final selection.

By then, he had started working as a teacher in Delhi. His family encouraged him to continue his UPSC preparation, and Tomar decided to make another attempt while working.

He cleared the preliminary examination again, progressed through the mains and reached the interview stage. This time, he focused more closely on his interview preparation.

UPSC Rank 629: 'There was my name'

The result of his successful attempt finally arrived on April 22. Tomar was at home with his wife when the result PDF appeared.

He searched for his name, expecting the possibility of another disappointment. This time, however, he found it.

“There was my name. I checked the full name carefully. Yes, it was Dev Prabhakar Singh Tomar,” he recalled.

After checking his roll number, Tomar confirmed that he had secured All India Rank 629 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2025.

He then shared the news with his family, saying, “Look, finally, your son has cleared the UPSC and secured Rank 629. He is now fully prepared to serve the country as a civil servant.”

Tomar was subsequently selected for the Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) and is currently serving in the Ministry of Railways, bringing a long journey from a village in the Chambal region to the civil services full circle.


Inputs from TOI