UPSC tutorial founder commits suicide

The 45-year-old education entrepreneur hanged himself at his home in Chennai. The cause remains unknown.

Shankaran Devarajan, the man who gave wings to the civil services’ dream of thousands of youngsters from across Tamil Nadu through his now renowned Shankar IAS Academy, hanged himself at his home in Chennai on Thursday night, said police.

Shankaran (45), whose coaching institute produced over 900 civil servants to the country in the past 14 years, was rushed to St Isabel’s Hospital in Mylapore, where he was declared dead.

Though Shankaran has not left any suicide note behind him, family issues are said to be the reason behind him taking the extreme step.

Shankaran was a source of inspiration for an entire generation of youngsters who wanted to make it big in their life— the soft-spoken man, who taught geography at the institute, had a big heart, his students say, that he would admit civil services’ aspirants from economically-backward sections by offering huge discounts or sometimes giving them free education.

The 45-year-old launched the institute in 2004 after his dream of entering civil services did not fructify due to the age-limit rule.

“If I had emerged victorious, then only I would have been a civil servant. But since I launched the institute, today I send so many civil servants from here,” Shankaran had said in an interview to a Tamil publication.

Shankar, who hailed from a farming family in Krishnagiri, lost his father at a very young age.

Sudha Ramen, who is now an Indian Forest Service officer, recollected her fond memories about Shankaran at the academy.

The IFS officer, who joined the academy in 2011 after leaving her toddler with her husband to land in a government job, said Shankaran was a mentor for almost everyone who enrolled in the academy.

“He was more than a teacher. He would always call us friends and he would join students for a cup of tea often. Since he knew my situation, he would always ask me about my child and my preparation for the exams. And even after I passed out and landed in a job, he kept in touch and invited me for all programmes in the academy,” she wrote in a Facebook post.

Shankar IAS Academy issued a statement saying Shankaran was the institution himself. “He was an inspiration to so many who had the IAS dream. He led every one of us and to think of the forthcoming days without Sir is indeed very difficult. You will continue to live in all of us,” the academy said in a condolence message.