Dr Vikas Divyakirti is an IAS trainer, author and lecturer. He is the founder and director of Drishti IAS Coaching Classes, a UPSC coaching institute in Delhi.
Wiki/Biography
Dr Vikas Divyakriti was born on Wednesday, 26 December 1973 (age 49 years; in 2022) in Haryana. His zodiac sign is Capricorn. He attended school at Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Bhiwani, Haryana.
Dr. Vikas Divyakirti during his school days
After completing his schooling, he attended Zakir Husain Delhi College, University of Delhi, where he pursued a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons); however, he later changed his stream from commerce to arts as most of his friends started preparing for UPSC exams, and they suggested him to follow the same for which he pursued BA in History at Delhi University. According to Dr. Vikas, when he was in his third year of graduation, his family moved to Faridabad from Bhiwani in Haryana. He later pursued his MA in Hindi Literature at Zakir Husain College through evening classes as he could not enroll in the Delhi University campus in the course. He completed his MA final studies at Hindu College. While he was pursuing his final year of MA, 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 has an interest in language translation, so he also received a postgraduate degree in English to Hindi translation from Delhi University.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 6″
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Black
Family
His ancestors were from Punjab.
Parents & Siblings
His father was a lecturer in Hindi literature in a college affiliated to Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana. According to Dr Vikas, his parents followed the Arya Samaj.
Dr Vikas Divyakirti with his parents, wife and son
He has two brothers. His eldest brother lives in the United States, where he works as a software engineer. His brother is a civil servant, who is posted as DIG in CBI.
Wife & Children
He was married to Dr Taruna Verma (MD at Drishti- The Vision) on 26 May 1997. The couple has a son named Satwik Divyakirti.
Dr Vikas Divyakirti with his wife
Dr. Vikas Divyakirti with his son
In an interview, she revealed that it was a love marriage. According to Dr. Vikas, his wife follows Sanātana Dharma.
Religion/Religious Views
Dr Vikas believes in agnosticism. In an interview, he revealed that while he was studying at Delhi University, he was deeply influenced by Osho after reading his books. He also revealed that he was heavily influenced by Karl Marx and Max Weber and lived as an atheist for several years.
Student Politics
Since his school days, he was interested in politics and won almost every parliamentary election held in his school. After completing his schooling in Bhiwani, Haryana, he moved to Delhi, where he studied at Zakir Husain College Delhi, 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). In his first year at Zakir Husain, he became very popular, and he actively participated in the nationwide agitation against the Mandal Commission, which was established by the Janata Party government under Prime Minister Morarji Desai in 1979. According to Dr. Vikas, he wants to contest student elections and become president of the Student Union; however, he was suggested not to run in the election because it would endanger his life, and he gave up on the idea of running in the election. In an interview, he revealed that he was very good at debating and won many cash prizes in various debates held at Delhi University.
UPSC
After obtaining his Master of Arts degree, he decided to appear for the UPSC examination. In 1996, he appeared for the UPSC examination and passed in his first attempt with sociology as an option; he got the rank of 384. Vikas was given the post of Assistant Commandant CISF; however, he was found medically unfit for the position because he had flat feet. Later, he joined the central secretariat under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The following year, he gave it a second try; however, he could not clear the main exam. While pursuing his PhD, he gave his third try with philosophy as an elective; however, he could not clear the interview round. In 1999, he received his participation letter for the central secretariat; however, he did not join. Later, he joined the service because he was in debt at the time, and his only motive for joining the service was to clear his debt. He was given a post in the home ministry, and at his request, he was allotted the Rajbhasha department, where he was appointed desk/section officer; however, after six months of service, he resigned. In 2003, he gave his 4th and final attempt but did not qualify for the exam again; he gave this a try while he was teaching at his coaching institute, Drishti IAS.
Drishti IAS Coaching Class
In 1999, he founded Drishti’s IAS Coaching Class in Delhi with the aim of providing facilitated coaching for UPSC aspirants. Vikas uses a unique teaching style to help students prepare for UPSC exams.
Dr Vikas Divyakirti at his institute
Vikas is also the editor of a monthly current affairs magazine called ‘Drishti Current Affairs Today.’
Drishti Current Affairs Today
In 2017, he started his YouTube channel named ‘Drishti IAS’ where he uploads study material, lectures and exam preparation strategy videos. The channel has more than 6 million subscribers (as of 2021). He has also authored the book ‘Nibandh Drishti.’
Dr Vikas Divyakirti’s book ‘Nibandh Drishti’
According to Dr Vikas, he started Drishti IAS after he was rejected for the post of Hindi lecturer at Shivaji College, Delhi University. He started Drishti IAS after borrowing around Rs 15 thousand from his friends, and he 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 topic, and the first batch had about 12-15 candidates. Later, he started teaching philosophy and taught the subject for about 11 years until 2011.
Controversy
Controversial Statements about Sita
When Dr. Vikas lectured UPSC candidates in November 2022, he compared Sita to ‘Ghee Licked By Dog’ 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 that Rama found her like ‘ghee licked by dogs.’ Social media users mocked him after his statement, and #BanDrishtiIAS became a trending hashtag.
Favourite
- Travel Destination: Kashmir
- Movies: The Lunchbox (2013), Eklavya: The Royal Guard (2007), Gulaal (2009), Masaan (2015)
- Philosophers: Socrates, Plato, Immanuel Kant, Osho
- Sociologists: Karl Marx, Max Weber
Facts/Trivia
- In an interview, he revealed that he was not good at studies during his school days, and that he failed English in almost every class; however, he somehow managed to score a pass in the annual exam.
- 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 “Chadhta Sooraj Dheere Dheere” from the Bollywood film Indu Sarkar (2017).
- She is an avid animal lover and owns a pet dog.
Dr Vikas Divyakirti with his pet dog
- Divyakirti is often seen drinking alcohol at various events.
Dr. Vikas Divyakirti during the party
- Vikas has a deep interest in psychology, philosophy, social issues, cinema studies, and political science.
- According to Dr. Vikas, he taught UPSC candidates for the first time at the age of 24. Interestingly, at that time he had passed the UPSC exam in his first attempt; however, his position was awaited, and he decided to teach to earn money so that he could become debt free as he was saddled with a lot of debt at the time.
- In an interview, he revealed that although he belonged to a wealthy family, the family faced a major financial crisis when he was in his first year at Zakir Husain College and later he had to do some side jobs such as selling calculators. Later, he helped his brother in his printing business; He also worked at a printing firm for some time before starting his own printing business.
- While preparing for the third attempt of the UPSC exam, he taught at DAV College in Delhi for four months.
- He is an avid traveler, and he loves long drives. According to him, he had driven his bike non-stop from Delhi to Mumbai, Delhi to Patna, and Delhi to Goa.
- In an interview, he revealed that he wants to be a filmmaker, and is even trying to pursue a PhD in art and aesthetics at JNU. Later, he took a course in filmmaking at FTII, Pune, and studied film studies at an institute in Mumbai for three days.
- In 2012, she traveled to New York, where her brother lives, and watched the US Open Women’s final and Men’s semifinals. In an interview, he revealed that it was an agreement with his brother that he would invite him to watch the US Open final after settling in the United States. While 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 the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) elections in his constituency in Delhi and won.
- In an interview, he revealed that he likes Nitin Gadkari’s style of politics.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
