From model to COVID warrior, meet successful UPSC Civil Services candidates

Pradeep Singh says, it was his father who motivated him to stay the course. On Tuesday, in his fourth attempt, the 29-year-old son of a Sonipat farmer ranked first in the UPSC exam. As an IAS officer, Singh said, “I will try to do something for the poor and contribute to the development of the country.”

READ Haryana farmer’s son tops UPSC Civil Services exam, credits father for keeping him motivated

Twenty-three-year-old Aishwarya Sheoran has cracked the prestigious Civil Services examination 2019 in her first attempt. While she got rank 93, what sets her apart from the rest of the UPSC candidates is her brief stint in the modelling world.

Meet the successful candidates from Karnataka -- Keerthana H S, who secured All India Rank (AIR) 167 is a former child actor, while 26-year-old Jeydev C S (AIR 5) aspires to become a state-cadre IAS officer to help him serve his homeland.

READ Success stories from Karnataka: Child actor-turned-Covid Warrior cracks UPSC CSE

Dudem Vinaykanth spent the last seven years in Delhi inching closer to his childhood dream. Twice he had come close, but it was only in his third attempt did he crack the UPSC Civil Services. An aeronautical engineer by qualification, he secured an all India rank of 516.

READ Telangana constable’s son cracks UPSC civil services exam on seventh attempt

Already an IRS officer, Pratibha Verma had got rank 489 in UPSC CSE 2018, however, she re-appeared for the exam in 2019 to emerge as the topper among women and obtain an All India Rank 3.

READ IRS officer Pratibha Verma cracks UPSC Civil Services exam, ranks third in country

Delhi Police constable Firoz Alam had secured the 645th All India Rank (AIR) in the civil services exam, the 29-year-old was mostly incommunicado. Alam, deployed with the PCR unit, was home in UP’s Azampur Dehpa with his parents, trying to wrap his head around the fact that he will be the first “officer” in his family and village.

READ Five from ‘Delhi Police family’ to join civil services

ACP Natisha Mathur, undergoing police training and scored AIR 351 last year, secured rank 37 this time: “This was my fourth attempt, I relied heavily on self-study… I am at the training school and can’t go home and celebrate with my parents due to Covid."

READ Five from ‘Delhi Police family’ to join civil services

ACP Garima (26), too cracked the exam and got rank 459. Her father is an assistant sub-inspector. Garima, who hails from Sisana village in Haryana’s Sonepat, had been preparing for the exam since she completed her undergraduate in Physics from DU.

READ Five from ‘Delhi Police family’ to join civil services

Navneet Mann (25), who ranked 33rd, said her father Sukhdev Mann, an inspector, played a big role: “I’m seeking personal growth through public service in which my father has been a key motivator. I have seen him work in the field for so many years and handle difficult situations very calmly with a lot of patience."

READ Five from ‘Delhi Police family’ to join civil services

Twenty-three-year-old Nadia Beig, who became one of the youngest to crack the civil services exam (CSE) 2019, says women should be allowed to follow their dreams and decide their future. Nadia secured 350th rank in the UPSC civil services exam.

READ Meet former Miss India finalist who cracked UPSC Civil Services, CAT 2017

It was her sixth and last attempt at the Civil Services Examination (CSE) when Nupur Goel managed to not only crack the exam but also get the 11th rank. For those preparing for the Civil Services Exam, Nupur said, “Whoever opts for CSE knows that it is not an easy task. One needs to be persistent with their efforts and patient with the result.”

READ Meet former Miss India finalist who cracked UPSC Civil Services, CAT 2017