UPSC topper is an IIT-K graduate and dino enthusiast
LUCKNOW : Aditya Srivastava, 26, of Lucknow, who topped the UPSC 2023 examination is fond of reading about dinosaurs. He said that somehow, he was drawn towards reading about this extinct animal and was always fascinated about it throughout his growing years.
“It was my third attempt. I could not clear the UPSC prelims on my first attempt as I was not ready. In my second attempt, I was ranked 236th last year and got selected for IPS. Currently, I am undergoing training at National Police Academy in Hyderabad,” said an elated Aditya, while talking over phone.
“I was surprised to see the result and it took some time to sink in. Rank 1 was definitely not there in my mind. I was only praying to make it to Indian Administrative Services. Glad that I have topped the exam. There was a little celebration at the hostel in Hyderabad. I am looking forward to come to Lucknow on April 22,” he said
When asked to give advice to those preparing for the exam, he said, “One must try to strike a balance between smart work and hard work. Writing practise is a must.”
His father, Ajay Kumar Srivastava, who works in the CAG office, said, “Aditya called us over phone from Hyderabad to share the news. We were all very confident that he would do well in UPSC this year. But we never expected him to top the UPSC. This is like icing on the cake. It’s a proud moment for the family.”
A graduate from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, Aditya pursued Dual Degree BTech/MTech Program after which he took a job with a private
company in Bengaluru at Rs 40 lakh package per annum. “After having worked for a year and a half, he made up his mind to appear in civil services,” said his proud father.
However, in his first attempt, he prepared for the UPSC while working in Bengaluru, and could not clear the prelims.
Later, Aditya decided to quit his lucrative job and seriously prepared for UPSC 2022. He cracked the exam and was selected for Indian Police Service.
“He always wanted to become an IAS officer. Aditya took a call to appear in the UPSC 2023 exam. He told us that he is writing UPSC 2023 for the last time. We are proud that his dream has come true. Both my wife and I supported him taking the tough call of quitting the job,” said his father.
Aditya went to school at City Montessori School, Aliganj branch and passed Class 12 in 2014. It was in that year he cracked JEE and got enrolled in IIT Kanpur.
Jyoti Kashyap, proud principal of the school, said it is heartening that a past pupil of the school has topped the civil services exam which is considered to be the toughest exam in the country.