Bhagwat’s Selfless Teaching Creates New Success Stories

Mahesh Muralidhar Bhagwat, a Maharashtra-born 1995 batch officer currently posted as Additional Director General (Law and Order), is one of the mentors who offered training for IAS, IPS, and IFS aspirants during the Personality Test stage.

"Considering the family challenges that followed my father’s retirement, I had started working at Tata Motors when I received a letter," said Bhagwat.

Sharing the cherished memory with Deccan Chronicle, he added, "That letter changed my world and reignited a passion I had once buried. My mentor in history played a key role. His name is K.K. Shah, a teacher I will never forget. His mother tongue was Hindi, while mine is Marathi. He began learning Marathi just to teach me history — and he succeeded. He not only taught me, but he also made me successful."

"I received that letter while I was working at Tata Motors. His words nudged me again. He narrated how good I was at grasping subjects and training others. He called me a 'first ranker,' and from that moment, I never looked back."

Along with other mentors from Maharashtra, Punjab, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh, Bhagwat conducts classes for aspirants over Zoom. "It’s all word of mouth," he said. "Someone we’ve trained spreads the word, and new aspirants reach out to us. That’s how the cycle continues, fuelled by goodwill. I also send WhatsApp audio messages to aspirants separately."

Despite having only one holiday a week, Bhagwat devotes his Sundays to his mentees. "I use my holiday time to assist trainees by sending them notes and audio messages," he said. "For the past 10 years, as soon as the UPSC announces its schedule, my schedule is set too. From December to April, alongside my official duties, mentoring is what occupies my mind. I’m a bit free now and will be taking some time off."

When asked how he manages time for himself, Bhagwat replied, "My wife, Sunitha Bhagwat, an IFS officer, and her father helped a lot — but he passed away in January. Still, their support and the success of my mentees keep me going; it brings me joy."

Sharing details about his trainees, Bhagwat said that among the top rankers is Harshita Goyal from Baroda, who secured an impressive All India Rank 2. Also in the top ten are Aakash Garg from Delhi (Rank 5) and Aayushi Bansal from Madhya Pradesh (Rank 7). Other notable achievers include Madhav Agarwal (Rank 16), Soumya Mishra (Rank 18), Trilok Singh (Rank 20), and Divyank Gupta (Rank 21).

One inspiring story is that of Shivansh Jagade, who secured Rank 26 in his very first attempt at just 22 years of age. "He is a native of Pune," said Bhagwat. Additional selections include Dr. Iram Chaudhary from Jammu and Kashmir (Rank 40), Mudita Bansal (Rank 44), Ravula Jaisimha Reddy from Telangana (Rank 46), and Nandana G. P. from Kerala (Rank 47). "Nine other aspirants also made it into the top 100," he proudly stated.