Dr. Vikas Divyakirti is an IAS Coach, author and lecturer. He is the founder and director of Drishti IAS Coaching Classes, a UPSC coaching institute in Delhi.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Dr. Vikas Divyakriti was born on Wednesday, 26 December 1973 (age 49 years; as in 2022) in Haryana. His zodiac sign is Capricorn. He did his schooling from Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Bhiwani, Haryana.
Dr. Vikas Divyakeerthi during his school days
After completing his schooling, he joined Zakir Hussain Delhi College, University of Delhi, where he pursued Bachelor of Commerce (Hons); However, he later changed his stream from commerce to arts as most of his friends had started preparing for UPSC exam, and he suggested them to follow the same after which he did BA in History from University of Delhi. According to Dr. Vikas, when he was in the third year of his graduation, his family shifted to Faridabad from Bhiwani in Haryana. He then did his MA in Hindi Literature through evening classes at Zakir Hussain College as he could not enroll in the course at Delhi University campus. He completed his MA final from Hindu College. When he was pursuing his MA final year, he cleared the UGC NET JRF exam and received a scholarship of Rs 2,500 per month. Vikas also holds MA (Sociology), M.Phil, LLB and Ph.D. degree. Vikas was interested in language translation, so he also obtained a master’s degree in English to Hindi translation from Delhi University.
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 6″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
His ancestors belong to Punjab.
parents and siblings
His father was a lecturer in Hindi literature at a college affiliated to Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana. According to Dr. Vikas, his parents believe in Arya Samaj.
Dr. Vikas Divyakeerthi with his parents, wife and son
she has two brothers. His eldest brother lives in the United States, where he works as a software engineer. His elder brother is a civil servant, who is posted as DIG in CBI.
wife and kids
He married Dr. Taruna Verma (MD in Drishti-The Vision) on 26 May 1997. The couple has a son named Satwik Divyakeerthi.
Dr. Vikas Divyakeerthi with his wife
Dr. Vikas Divyakeerthi with his son
In an interview, he revealed that it was a love marriage. According to Dr. Vikas, his wife follows Sanatan Dharma.
Religion/Religious Thought
Dr. Vikas believes in evolution agnosticism. In an interview, he revealed that he was deeply influenced by Osho after reading his books when he was studying at Delhi University. He also revealed that he was highly influenced by Karl Marx and Max Weber and lived as an atheist for some years.
student politics
He was interested in politics since his school days and won almost every parliamentary election held in his school. After completing his schooling in Bhiwani, Haryana, he moved to Delhi, where he attended Zakir Hussain Delhi College, University of Delhi. According to Dr. Vikas, he went to Delhi University to pursue a career in politics because his father wanted him to become a politician and he became a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). He became very popular in Zakir Hussain’s first year in office and actively participated in the nationwide agitation against the Mandal Commission set up by the Janata Party government in 1979 under the leadership of Prime Minister Morarji Desai. According to Dr. Vikas, he wanted to contest the student elections and become the president of the student union; However, he was suggested not to contest the elections as it could have put his life at risk, and he dropped the idea of contesting. In an interview, he revealed that he was very good at debates and won several cash prizes in various debates held at Delhi University.
Union Public Service Commission
After completing his Master of Arts degree, he decided to appear for the UPSC exam. In 1996, he appeared for the UPSC exam and cleared it in his first attempt with sociology as optional; He secured 384th rank. Vikas was assigned the post of Assistant Commandant, CISF; However, he was found medically unfit for the position as he had flat feet. Later, he joined the Central Secretariat under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The following year, he gave his second attempt; However, he could not clear the mains exam. While doing his PhD, he gave his third attempt with Philosophy optional; However, he could not clear the interview round. In 1999, he got his joining letter for the Central Secretariat; however, he did not attend. Later, he joined the service because at that time he was in debt and the sole purpose of his joining was to get rid of his debt. He was assigned a post in the Ministry of Home Affairs, and on his request, was allotted the Department of Official Language, where he was posted as Desk/Section Officer; However, after six months of service, he resigned. In 2003, he gave his fourth and last attempt but could not qualify for the re-examination; He gave this effort when he was teaching in his coaching institute Drishti IAS.
Drishti IAS Coaching Classes
In 1999, he established Drishti IAS Coaching Classes in Delhi with the objective of providing simplified coaching for UPSC aspirants. Vikas adopts a unique teaching style to help students prepare for UPSC exams.
Dr. Vikas Divyakeerthi at his institute
Vikas is also the editor of the monthly current affairs magazine called ‘Drishti Current Affairs Today’.
drishti current affairs today
In 2017, he started his YouTube channel named ‘Drishti IAS’, on which he uploads study material, lectures and exam preparation strategy videos. The channel has over 6 million subscribers (as of 2021). He has also written the book ‘Essay Drishti’.
Dr. Vikas Divyakirti’s book ‘Essay Drishti’
According to Dr. Vikas, he started Drishti IAS after being rejected for the post of Hindi lecturer in Shivaji College, University of Delhi. He started Drishti IAS after borrowing around Rs 15,000 from his friends and rented chairs and classrooms to start coaching classes. He started by giving his lectures in Hindi which made it easy for the students to understand the subjects and there were around 12-15 candidates in the first batch. Later, he started teaching philosophy and taught the subject for almost 11 years till 2011.
Controversy
Controversial comment on Sita
When Dr. Vikas lectured to UPSC aspirants in November 2022, he compared Sita to a ‘dog licking ghee’ in a viral video. During his lecture, he quoted the Ramayana to explain that Rama did not fight Ravana for Sita because she was not ‘worthy’ of him, and to Rama she was ‘like a dog’s licked ghee’. After his comment, social media users trolled him fiercely and #BanDrishtiIAS became a trending hashtag.
Favorite
- Travel Destination: Kashmir
- Films: The Lunchbox (2013), Eklavya: The Royal Guard (2007), Gulaal (2009), Masaan (2015)
- Philosophers: Socrates, Plato, Immanuel Kant, Osho
- Sociologists: Karl Marx, Max Weber
facts/common sense
- In an interview, he revealed that he was not good at studies during his school days, and he used to fail English in almost every class; However, he somehow managed to get passing marks in the annual examinations.
- Vikas likes to read books and write a diary in his spare time.
- In an interview, he revealed that he starts his day by listening to the song “Chadta Suraj Dheere Dheere” from the Bollywood film Indu Sarkar (2017).
- He is an ardent animal lover and has a pet dog.
Dr. Vikas Divyakeerthi with his pet dog
- Divya Keerthy is often seen drinking alcohol at various events.
Dr. Vikas Divyakeerthi during a party
- Vikas has a keen interest in psychology, philosophy, social issues, cinema studies and political science.
- According to Dr. Vikas, he taught UPSC aspirants for the first time at the age of 24. Interestingly, by that time he had cleared the UPSC exam in his first attempt; However, his posting was awaited, and he decided to teach to earn money so that he could become debt free as he was heavily in debt at that time.
- In an interview, he revealed that although he belonged to an affluent family, the family went through a severe financial crisis when he was studying in his first year at Zakir Hussain College, following which he had to do odd jobs like selling calculators. Later, he assisted his elder brother in his printing business; He also worked in a printing firm for some time before starting his own printing business.
- While preparing for his third attempt at the UPSC exam, he taught at DAV College in Delhi for four months.
- He is a passionate traveler and loves to go on long drives. According to him, he has driven his bike non-stop from Delhi to Mumbai, Delhi to Patna and Delhi to Goa.
- In an interview, he revealed that he wanted to become a filmmaker, and also tried to pursue a PhD in Arts and Aesthetics at JNU. Later, he did a course in filmmaking at FTII, Pune and studied film studies at an institute in Mumbai for three days.
- In 2012, he visited New York, where his brother lived, and watched the US Open women’s final and men’s semifinal matches. In an interview, he revealed that he had a deal with his brother that once he settled in the United States, his brother would invite him to watch the US Open final. During his stay in the United States, he tried skydiving after being inspired by the 2011 Bollywood film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. According to Dr. Vikas, he has tried paragliding 5-6 times.
- In 2015, he contested and won the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) elections in his locality in Delhi.
- In an interview, he revealed that he likes Nitin Gadkari’s style in politics.
See more: Anjali Tendulkar Wiki
Anjali Arora Wiki
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn