She studied after grazing buffaloes & doing household chores: How a Tamil Nadu taxi driver's daughter defied all odds to become IAS officer with AIR 152

For many girls in rural India, dreams of higher education are often overshadowed by financial struggles and societal expectations. But Vanmathi, the daughter of a taxi driver from Tamil Nadu, refused to let her circumstances define her future. From grazing buffaloes after school and helping with household chores to clearing one of India's toughest examinations, her journey is a powerful story of determination and perseverance.

According to a Times of India (TOI) report, Vanmathi is now an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer serving as the District Collector of Wardha in Maharashtra.

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Who is IAS officer Vanmathi?

Vanmathi was born and raised in Sathyamangalam in Tamil Nadu's Erode district. Her father earned a living as a taxi driver, and the family faced constant financial challenges.

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As a child, she balanced her studies with household responsibilities. After school, she grazed the family's buffaloes, completed domestic chores and even took on small jobs to support her family.

Like many girls in rural communities, she also faced pressure to get married after finishing school. However, Vanmathi was determined to continue her education, and her parents stood firmly by her side despite their financial difficulties.

She went on to complete a postgraduate degree in Computer Applications, laying the foundation for her future civil services journey.

The moment that inspired her to become an IAS officer

According to the TOI report, Vanmathi's dream of joining the Indian Administrative Service began after seeing a woman District Collector visit her hometown.

Watching a woman lead the district administration made her realise that she could one day hold the same position.

That moment became the turning point that inspired her to prepare for the UPSC Civil Services Examination.

UPSC journey: Four attempts before success

Like many successful civil servants, Vanmathi's path to the IAS was filled with setbacks. To support herself financially, she worked while preparing for the UPSC examination. She later secured a job as an Assistant Manager at Indian Overseas Bank after clearing a banking recruitment examination.

Although the job provided financial security, she never gave up on her dream of becoming an IAS officer.

Her first UPSC attempt ended at the interview stage, but she narrowly missed the final selection.

In the following attempts, she was unsuccessful at different stages of the examination. Each setback meant starting her preparation almost from scratch.

Instead of giving up, she continued working towards her goal.

Her persistence finally paid off in 2015 when she secured All India Rank (AIR) 152 in the Civil Services Examination and was allotted the Maharashtra cadre of the Indian Administrative Service.

Vanmathi's work as an IAS officer

Since joining the IAS, Vanmathi has served in several important administrative roles across Maharashtra, including postings in Nandurbar, Dhule, Mumbai and Wardha.

Throughout her career, she has focused on improving governance and public welfare through initiatives in:

• Tribal welfare
• Rural development
• Education
• Healthcare
• Water conservation
• Digital governance

During her tenure in Nandurbar, she introduced measures to improve nutrition in ashram schools and strengthened transparency by implementing direct benefit transfers for students.

Later, as Chief Executive Officer of the Dhule Zilla Parishad, she played a key role in implementing rural development programmes and coordinating administrative efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Wardha Collector leading governance reforms

Now serving as the District Collector of Wardha, Vanmathi has continued to focus on development and transparency.

Her initiatives include improving water conservation, promoting employment through support for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and introducing digital systems to monitor government projects more efficiently.

According to the TOI report, her digital project monitoring system was appreciated by the Maharashtra government for improving transparency and preventing duplication of development work.


Inputs from TOI