UPSC exam: Father failed 4 times, son cracks in 2nd attempt, gets 14th rank

However, Shaurya’s father told the local media: “I could not crack it (the UPSC exam). Isko josh aa gaya ki main karta hun (He got excited that I will clear the exam). He has realised papa’s dream.” Shaurya’s mother Aarti Arora, 49, also said that “the son has fulfilled his father’s dream”.

Shaurya’s father Bhushan had done BTech in instrumentation engineering from IIT-Kharagpur from 1989 to 1993. After completing his course, he started preparing for the UPSC exam and tried all four attempts during the next four years. When he failed to crack the prelims, he moved to private companies in the IT sector. Bhushan says he had not thought his son would go for the UPSC exam. “He preferred the civil services instead of going for the corporate sector.”

Shaurya did his class 12 from Chennai’s Bala Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School when his father was posted in a private company in Tamil Nadu. In 2022, he did his graduation in mechanical engineering from IIT-Bombay. Family members say that Shaurya had started preparing for the UPSC exam when he was in second year of the engineering course. “To test his capabilities, he had taken prelims when he was in fourth year of the course,” Aarti said.

Shaurya said: “My father motivated me to opt for physics as an optional subject and that decision really paid off. I secured 311 out of 500 marks in physics which was a very high score in this subject this year. This helped me secure a good rank.”

“I had taken coaching for physics but not for general studies. If the UPSC exam aspirants have the right guidance, correct strategy, study smartly and they are in touch with the right people, they can clear the examination without coaching too.”

Shaurya advises the UPSC exam aspirants to stay away from social media as much as they can while preparing for the exam. “I had no social media accounts like Instagram during the preparations,” he said.

He also advises the aspirants to be focused and keep their aim in life clear. “Hard work with discipline and consistency is most important for the youth.”

During his college days, Shaurya was a member of the basketball team. Watching movies and sports on TV channels are among his hobbies.