Ankur Garg, who has stood first in the IAS examination — results of which were declared this evening — was surprised.This being his first attempt, a beaming Ankur confided that he did expect to get a good rank in the IAS but he did not think that he would stand first even though his guide and teacher, Vinod Sharma of the Vidya Sagar Academy for IAS and other competitive examinations, had predicted this long ago.Born on June 14, 1980, at Patiala, Ankur did his schooling from Our Lady of Fatima Convent School here and later did his degree in engineering from the IIT, Delhi. After his engineering, in which he was a topper, he opted for Physics and Chemistry in the IAS.Ankur is the elder of the two children of Dr Kuldip Garg and Dr Parveen Garg, both surgeons at the Rajindra Hospital here. His sister Neha is pursuing her MBBS degree from Lady Hardinge College in New Delhi. She plans to sit for the IAS.As for Ankur, did he burn the midnight oil? Not really, confided Ankur. He said for the preliminary examinations, he studied for about three to four hours a day whereas for the mains, he studied for about eight to nine hours daily. He gives the credit for his success to his parents and his guide Vinod Sharma who pitched in with all the help during his preparations.
