UPSC EXAM: WITH HARD WORK, DEDICATION, THEY HAVE MADE THE REGION PROUD
Besides Anmol Sher Singh Bedi of Amritsar, who bagged 2nd rank in the civil services examinations, and Bilal Mohiuddin Bhat of Kashmir (10th) and Kurukshetra’s Tejasvi Rana (12th), there are other candidates from the region who have cracked the prestigious exam as well. HT profiles 10 such future bureaucrats.
ZAFFAR IQBAL
Hails from: Poonch, J&K Education: Civil engineering, NIT-Hamirpur By the way: Working as assistant engineer in PWD Zaffar, who cleared the exam in his fourth attempt, attributes the achievement to the almighty. “Civil services have a wide scope for working for the welfare of society. “A bureaucrat can play an important role in policy-making in core sectors of health, education and infrastructure,” he says. He has a word of advice for other aspirants: Never lose focus even when the going gets tough. “Besides working hard, you need to have a lot of perseverance to succeed in the UPSC exams. Time management is the key.”
RAHUL SHARMA, 26
Hails from: Amritsar, Punjab Education: Electronics engineering, Thapar University By the way: Has worked in IBM Hailing from a family of educationists, Rahul Sharma credits his success to his father, PK Sharma, who is the principal of the historic Hindu College, and mother, Aruna Sharma, who is a political science lecturer in the same college. “My parents unconditionally supported my decision of leaving the job and respected my dream to become a bureaucrat,” he says. “Cracking the UPSC exam calls for patience, dedication and hard work. Self study is important, but coaching also helps.”
RAHUL SINDHU, 24
Hails from: Hisar, Haryana Education: Civil engineering, IIT-Delhi By the way: Loves to cook Securing 509th rank in his first attempt, Rahul was earlier selected for the Indian Railway Traffic Service. He had opted for anthropology as his subject for the civil services examination. “He has done considerably better this time, realising his dream through self-study” says his father, Ramphal Sindhu, who retired as a divisional account officer from the irrigation department. “Along with my job in Delhi, I studied for seven to eight hours. At weekends, I visited the IIT library and spent time with friends and books.”
GAURAV SAINI, 24
Hails from: Hisar, Haryana Education: MBBS, Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi By the way: Plays guitar Son of a district welfare officer and lecturer, Gaurav cleared the civil services exams in his second attempt. “After MBBS, Gaurav completed his fellowship from the Indian Council of Medical Research. In his first attempt, he did not even clear the prelims. But in the second attempt, he has done us proud,” says his father, DS Saini. “All doctors are good at medical science, and hence, I selected the same subject and started self study. The real challenge is to select the right subject.”
AYUSHI SUDAN
Hails from: Rajouri, J&K Education: MSc in physics, St Stephen’s College, Delhi By the way: Earlier, wanted to pursue research Ayushi has cleared the exam in her second attempt. Presently residing in Delhi, she says: “I have a great aptitude for physics and wanted to make a career in research. But later, I found that my calling is in civil services.” Attributing her success to her family and teachers, she says they always stood by her. “My first choice of cadre will be J&K as I want to serve my people,” she says. “I want to be a part of the socio-economic development of the country. Education and women’s empowerment will be my key focus areas.”
MANAV SINGLA, 26
Hails from: Bareta, Moga, Punjab Education: BTech, National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar By the way: Quit an MNC job to crack the UPSC exam An engineering graduate, Manav joined a power plant of India Bulls Pvt Ltd in 2012. He was posted at Amravati in Maharashtra, when he decided to quit the job after two years to pursue his dream. His father, Diwan Chand, is an accountant with the Sangrur market committee, and his elder sister is a doctor in Mansa. “I moved to Delhi to prepare for the civil services exam in 2014. Fortunately, I have managed to crack it this time.”
SAGAR SETIA, 25
Hails from: Ludhiana, Punjab Education: Masters in town planning, Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology University, Ahmedabad By the way: Kept away from social media The son of vastu consultant Avinash Chander Setia, Sagar has topped in his district. Clearing the exam in his third attempt, he attributes his success to his family, and teachers. Aspiring to become an IAS officer, Sagar aims to utilise his knowledge for serving people. His mother, Usha Devi, retired as a teacher from a private school. “My success mantra has been persistence. I have been preparing for the exam since 2014, putting in 10 hours a day.”
SHIKHA RANDHAWA
Hails from: Chamba, HP Education: BDS and LLB, Panjab University, Chandigarh By the way: Wife of Karnal SP Expecting to get selected to the Indian Revenue Service, Shikha, who gave her third attempt, is prepared to try again. Married to Karnal superintendent of police Jashandeep Randhawa, she says her husband is a source of motivation for her as he had already cleared the exam and helped her a lot. “I am very happy that her dream has come true,” says Jashandeep. “I wanted to join civil services since my schooldays in Dalhousie, and today my dream has come true. I want to work with honesty and dedication.”
TARANJOT SINGH, 26
Hails from: Ludhiana, Punjab Education: Mechanical engineering, IIT-Roorkee By the way: Working with ONGC Aiming high from a young age, Taranjot Singh had secured 93% marks in the CBSE Class-12 exams. His school principal JK Sidhu says: “His untiring effort made him qualify both the AIPMT as well as IIT entrance exam.” “This is a proud moment for the whole family,” says his father, Santokh Singh, a doctor. Aiming to become an IAS Officer, Taranjot wants to improve the system. “Consistency, hard work and patience have helped me succeed. I used Facebook and WhatsApp for only 15 minutes a day.”
AMAN LOHAN, 26
Hails from: Hisar, Haryana Education: BA, DAV College, Chandigarh By the way: Pursuing LLB from Delhi University The son of Hisar-based politician Umed Singh Lohan, Aman has secured 568th rank in his third attempt. He was recently selected as a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) in Madhya Pradesh. His proud father says: “Aman has three more attempts left, and he will surely improve his rank.” “The key is to work hard,” says Aman. “I spent most of my time in the Delhi University library. My friends and I were only focussed on clearing the exam.”