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Wife: Shraddha Joshi Sharma Hometown: Morena, Madhya Pradesh Age: 48 Years
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Names earned | Simba, Singham |
| Profession | IPS Officer |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters– 175 cm in meters– 1.75 m in feet & inches– 5’ 9” |
| Weight (approx.) | in kilograms– 65 kg in pounds– 143 lbs |
| Eye Colour | Dark Brown |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Civil Service | |
| Service | Indian Police Service (IPS) |
| Batch | 2005 |
| Cadre | Maharashtra |
| Service Year | 22 August 2005 – present |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 3 July 1975 (Thursday) |
| Age (as of 2023) | 48 Years |
| Birthplace | Bilgaon Chaudhari village, Morena, Madhya Pradesh, India |
| Zodiac sign | Cancer |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Morena, Madhya Pradesh |
| School | He did his schooling in Morena. |
| College/University | Maharani Laxmi Bai Government College of Excellence, Gwalior |
| Educational Qualification(s) | • Graduation at Maharani Laxmi Bai Government College of Excellence • MA in History • PhD in Journalism in New Delhi Note: He did his PhD while preparing for UPSC CSE. |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Affairs/Girlfriends | Shraddha Joshi Sharma (IRS officer)
Note: He proposed Shraddha when he was in 12th grade. According to sources, Manoj was initially reluctant to ask her to date him as he failed in 12th; however, after mustering courage, he proposed her. He reportedly told Shraddha that if she accepted his proposal, he would work very hard to turn their worlds around. She stood by his side despite her family’s pbjections. |
| Marriage Date | 5 December 2005 |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | Shraddha Joshi Sharma (IRS officer) |
| Children | Son– 1 Manas Sharma Daughter– 1 |
| Parents | Father– Ramveer Sharma (retired MP government Agriculture Department employee) Mother– Name not known |
| Siblings | He has a brother and a sister. |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Manoj Kumar Sharma
- Manoj Kumar Sharma is an IPS officer of the 2005 batch of the Maharashtra cadre. He came to the limelight once again after the release of the film based on his real-life struggles, 12th Fail, in October 2023.
- He was born into a lower-middle-class Hindu family in Madhya Pradesh.
- According to him, his family was so poor that they could not afford to put a roof on the top of their house. As a result, Manoj spent many nights on the street with the homeless.
- Manoj was not academically sound when he was in school. He managed to get a third division in grades 9 and 10. He once claimed that he managed to secure a third division in grade 11 after cheating in the exams.
- Manoj did not pass class 12. In an interview, he said that he managed to pass only in Hindi out of all the subjects because a new Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) got posted in Morena, Madhya Pradesh, who instructed the schools and law enforcement agencies to maintain a strict vigil on students to not allow them to cheat.
- After he watched the authorities adhere to the instructions of the SDM, Manoj decided to become one himself by appearing for the civil services examinations conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC). Before getting motivated to become a civil servant, Manoj had planned to undertake a course in typewriting to apply for a low-ranking and low-paying job in the MP government to help his family out of poverty.
- He shifted to Gwalior, the capital of MP, after completing his school studies. He came to the city with just Rs. 500 and a bag full of clothes. There, he enrolled at the Maharani Laxmi Bai Government College of Excellence to pursue graduation. Since his family could not support him financially, he decided to drive a tempo to ferry passengers to earn money to sustain himself. Side-by-side, he started preparing to appear for the PCS exams. It was during his time in Gwalior that he came to know that there are posts greater than the ones offered by the PCS as a result of which he began preparing for the Union Public Service Commission – Civil Services Examination (UPSC-CSE).
- He once talked about an incident in which he revealed that his tempo was captured by the cops in Gwalior for which he visited the office of the Gwalior Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) to urge him to tell the cops to let go of his confiscated tempo.
- To prepare for the exams, he relocated to New Delhi, where he stayed at Mukherjee Nagar. In Delhi, to earn a living, he used to take the pets owned by wealthy families in Mukherjee Nagar out for a walk for Rs. 400.
- Thereafter, he began working as a peon in a library on a monthly salary of Rs. 300. According to him, working in the library helped him a lot as it gave him access to books which he was not able to buy and read before.
- After living in Delhi for some time, he approached the founder of Drishti IAS, Vikas Divyakirti. Vikas offered to give him tuition for CSE without taking money.
- Manoj passed his prelims on the first attempt; however, he did not succeed in clearing the mains.
- His performance deteriorated in the second and third attempts as he was unable to clear the prelims of the CSE.
- Manoj Kumar Sharma admitted in an interview that he had limited proficiency in English and struggled to understand the language. He recalled a specific incident during the Civil Services Examination (CSE) where he mistakenly wrote an essay on “Terrorism in India” instead of the required topic, “Tourism in India.” Sharma mentioned that he had memorized an essay on terrorism prior to the exams.
- Manoj cleared the CSE on his fourth attempt and secured an All India Ranking of 121. While giving an interview, he said that an interviewer initially doubted his suitability for civil services, citing his past academic struggles and limited English proficiency. However, other interviewers agreed with his perspective after he shared his opinion.
- Thereafter, he joined the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA) in Hyderabad, Telangana. There, he trained to become a police officer.
- On 22 August 2005, Manoj Kumar Sharma was commissioned as an IPS officer after completing his training.
Manoj Kumar Sharma’s photo taken after he completed his police training at SVPNPA
- He went on to hold many important positions as a cop in Maharashtra.
Manoj Kumar Sharma’s photo in his police uniform
- He gained recognition for helping the authorities 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 sugarcane price increases.
Manoj (in the centre) with his fellow police officers in Maharashtra
- He has assisted the Maharashtra police in undertaking many operations against the Naxals in areas like Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, Gondiya, Yavatmal, Bhandara, and Nanded.
- He was instrumental in controlling the riot-like situation in Kolhapur after a Communist Party of India (CPI) member named Govind Pansare was killed by unidentified gunmen in 2015.
A photo of Manoj taken while he was addressing a crown during a protest
- He has served in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) as a Deputy Inspector General (DIG).
A photo of Manoj Kumar Sharma taken when he was serving in the CISF as DIG
- After completing his tenure as DIG CISF, he was appointed as the Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) of the Mumbai Police.
A photo of Manoj Kumar Sharma with his colleagues
- In 2021, Anurag Pathak authored a biography, “Twelfth Fail: Hara Vahi Jo Lada Nahi.” In the book, Pathak talked about the life struggles of Manoj Kumar Sharma before becoming an IPS officer.
Cover page of Twelfth Fail: Hara Vahi Jo Lada Nahi
- Manoj found inspiration to face life’s challenges from reading biographies of figures like Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (Maxim Gorky) and Abraham Lincoln. During his UPSC preparation, he read multiple books penned by Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh.
- In October 2023, the film “12th Fail” directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra was released, with Vikrant Massey playing the role of IPS Manoj Kumar Sharma.