Twelfth Fail by Anurag Pathak Hindi Paperback

Description

The book chronicles the extraordinary journey of Manoj Kumar Sharma, who grew up in extreme poverty in a small village in Madhya Pradesh, where cheating during board exams was culturally normalized. After failing his 12th-grade board exams entirely when strict anti-cheating measures were suddenly enforced, his life took a massive turn. Refusing to accept defeat, he chose to rewrite his destiny through relentless hard work, odd jobs, and fierce determination.

The narrative details his grueling transition from extreme financial hardship and sleeping on the streets of Delhi to clearing one of India’s toughest competitive examinations—the UPSC Civil Services Exam—to become an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer.

Beyond being a story about cracking the civil services, the book serves as a powerful motivational memoir about resilience, the refusal to surrender to unfavorable circumstances, and the power of honesty, grit, and self-belief. It also inspired the critically acclaimed Bollywood biographical drama film of the same name directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra.