UPSC Success Story: Meet Aayushi Dabas, The Visually-Impaired IAS Officer Who Won Rs 25 Lakh in KBC

Recently, visually impaired IAS officer Aayushi Dabas from Delhi took the hot seat at Amitabh Bachchan’s quiz game show Kaun Banega Crorepati 17. She won Rs 25 lakh. The show was aired on September 16, 2025. Who is Aayushi Dabas?

Born visually impaired, Dabas never considered herself any less than anyone else. She dreamt of becoming an IAS officer, a goal she finally achieved after a long struggle. Her story is truly inspiring.

A resident of Ranikhet, Delhi, after completing her schooling, Dabas graduated from Shyama Prasad Mukherjee College, DU. She then earned a postgraduate degree in history from IGNOU. Initially, she began her career as a teacher but faced challenges due to her visual impairment. Consequently, Dabas decided to prepare for

the UPSC.

In 2019, Ayushi Dabas became a history teacher after passing the DSSSB exam. She then started preparing for the UPSC, a journey filled with multiple failures. However, she finally succeeded on her fifth attempt. In 2021, Ayushi cleared the UPSC Civil Services exam, achieving an all-India rank of 48th.

Her father works at a private company, while her mother, who retired in 2020, was a senior nursing officer. According to Dabas, she always felt supported by both her parents. Her mother consistently expressed confidence in her, and she ultimately made her proud.

What Happened On KBC?

She answered nine questions correctly, winning Rs 90,000 and reviving the Audience Poll lifeline. Dabas became confused on the 11th question worth Rs 7.50 lakh and resorted to the Audience Poll. She played the game relying on the audience’s answers and gave the correct answer. She won Rs 12.50 lakh by answering the 12th question. For the 13th question, Aayushi took the 50-50 lifeline, and then two incorrect answers were removed. She then took the hint lifeline and gave the correct answer. She won Rs 25 lakh.

For the 14th question, worth Rs 50 lakhs, Dabas didn’t have any lifelines left. Unwilling to take any risks, she decided to quit. The question asked to her was, “Which rock band wrote the song “Last Contact” in memory of the Columbia astronauts, whose album Kalpana Chawla took with her on her mission?’ The correct answer was Deep Purple.

“I am fortunate to have received guidance. I hope that if anyone, even a differently-abled person, has lost courage while struggling, can be inspired by seeing me here, then I will consider my journey a success,” she told on the show.