Years of struggle, sacrifice and determination have finally turned into a moment of celebration for a family from Jeypore in Koraput district, where a peon working at the block office has seen all her three children clear the Odisha Civil Services examination and become OAS officers.

Uma Maheshwari Hikoka, who works as a peon at the Jeypore block office, is today being praised across the district after her elder son Swadhin Hikoka cleared the latest Odisha Civil Services examination by securing 146th rank.

Earlier, her daughter had cleared the examination in 2021, while younger son Sangram achieved success last year. With Swadhin now making it to the list, all three children of the family have become OAS officers.

Mother’s struggle turns into moment of pride

Speaking emotionally about her children’s success, Uma Maheshwari said she could not express her happiness in words and credited everything to Lord Jagannath.

“I am so happy that I cannot express it in words. Everything is Lord Jagannath’s wish. I struggled a lot for my children and they always listened to me. That is why they achieved this success,” said Uma Maheshwari.

She said life became extremely difficult after her husband passed away in 2012. Since then, she continued working in Jeypore while raising the children alone.

“I never thought I would see this happiness in my life. My daughter first started preparing during the lockdown and after she cleared the exam, both my sons also became interested in civil services,” she said.

Uma Maheshwari said she became emotional and broke down in tears after hearing the latest result.

Sister’s success inspired both brothers

Swadhin Hikoka said his mother remained the biggest inspiration for the family after the death of their father.

“Our father is no more. So it became our responsibility to do something for our mother and family. After our sister cleared the OAS examination in 2021, both of us decided to follow the same path,” said Swadhin.

He said though his younger brother succeeded first last year, he himself could not clear the examination then. However, he continued preparing and finally secured 146th rank this year.

“Last year my younger brother cleared the examination while I could not. But I continued preparing and this year I finally succeeded. I want to dedicate this success to my mother, my aunt, my sister and my entire family,” he added.

Cleared OAS without coaching

After completing graduation from BJB College, Swadhin prepared for the examination largely through self-study without taking professional coaching.

Family members said all three siblings remained focused on studies despite financial struggles and limited resources.

Today, the elder daughter is serving as an additional labour officer while younger son Sangram is working as a district tourism officer.

The family’s achievement has now become a major talking point across Koraput district, with many people calling it an inspiring example of determination and hard work.

Jeypore office celebrates achievement

Jeypore BDO Shakti Mohapatra described the achievement as a matter of immense pride for the entire office and district.

“It is a matter of great pride that three children from one family have cleared the OAS examination. This success reflects the hard work of both the parents and the children. Since they belong to one of our staff members, all of us feel extremely proud,” he said.

The remarkable journey of the Hikoka family from Koraput is now being widely appreciated across the state as a story of perseverance, sacrifice and the power of education.