Success Story

Srinagar doctor first Kashmiri to top IAS

A doctor from Srinagar,Shah Faisal,topped the Civil Services Examination 2009 as Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Thursday declared its final result selecting 131 IAS,30 IFS and 150 IPS officers.Faisal made to the list in his first attempt.A total of 875 candidates 680 men and 195 women have been selected for the elite jobs,which also include Group A and Group B services,besides IAS,IFS and IPS. The second ranker, Prakash Rajpurohit,is an engineer;the third topper,Iva Sahay,has done her masters in geography from JNU.Sahay,topper among the women candidates,also made it in her first attempt.Besides IAS,IFS and IPS,there are 582 posts belonging to Central Services Group A Indian Revenue Service,Indian Railway Service and others while the remaining 96 seats are meant for Group B services. The number of candidates selected for IPS is more this year as the government,in view of increasing demand for senior police officers to meet numerous security challenges,including naxalism and terrorism,had last year decided to increase the total intake from 130 to 150.The intake of IPS officers will

continue to be high in coming years,considering the huge vacancies of senior cops in different states. Six of the top 25 candidates made it to the merit list in their first attempt and four in their second attempt.

UPSC Civil Services : Rank - 1 (Name: Dr.Shah Faesal, 26 years, Kashmir)

New Delhi/Srinagar: He comes from a remote village in Kupwara district of strifetorn Kashmir and studied in a village school.Eight years ago,his father was gunned down by militants. But Dr Shah Faisal,a 26-year old MBBS,has fought the odds and won. On Thursday,Faisal became

the first Kashmiri ever to top the civil services exam. I dont have words to express how I feel,I am not able to speak.I just wish I was with my family. I am just waiting to hug my mother, Faisal,who came to the capital before the results to get away from the stress of waiting,told TOI. Even through the elation,Faisal gets emotional at the mention of Kashmir.Describing himself as a victim of conflict,he says,I have watched the bloodshed in Kashmir very closely.I was devastated when my father Ghulam Rasool Shah was gunned down.It is him that I miss the most today.He used to dote on me and taught me English and maths when I studied in school, he says. In Srinagar,his mother Mubeena Begum,thrilled beyond words,says,Faisal has made every Kashmiri proud with his hard work and dedication.Her husband,she says,was killed because he refused shelter to militants.Ironically,it was the tragedy that opened a window to the wider world for the family.After the killing,I shifted from village Sheikh Nar in Lolab Sogam area of Kupwara to Srinagar with my children two sons and a daughter.My elder son Shah Faisal had done his matric from Sogam high school while my two other children were in middle school

there.I was a broken woman but never gave up and fought against all odds to bring up my children, says Mubeena,a teacher,like her husband.

UPSC Civil Services :Rank - 2 (Name: Prakash Raj Purohit, 24 years, DelhiElectrica Engineering IIT-Delhi)

He survived ragging at IIT to claim the second spotTIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Both Shah Faizal,who topped this years UPSC exam,and 24-year-old Prakash Rajpurohit,who came second,have quite a bit in common. Neither of them took coaching classes to crack what is thought to be the toughest exam in the country,and they did so after having taken up other professions.While Faizal is a doctor from Kashmir,Prakash is an electrical

engineer from IIT-Delhi.The only difference between them on Thursday was their level of excitement the latter did candidly admit that he was disappointed at coming second. Originally from Rajashthans Barmer district,Prakash did his schooling from DAV School in Delhi before joining IIT.His stay there however was something he does not like to remember. I joined IIT in 2003 to study electrical engineering but I was horrified right from day one.My seniors ragged me so severely that I had no option but to complain to the authorities.They were expelled for six months.Some of the things I was asked to do by my seniors cant be mentioned.I was psychologically affected but did not want to give up so easily.I disregarded all thoughts of leaving IIT and carried on.The credit for making me so strong goes to my parents, says Prakash who is an only child.His parents live in Ghaziabad,while he lives with his friends in Vasant Kunj.Prakash was working with a start-up IT firm in Noida before he began to explore the idea of becoming an IAS officer. Initially,I decided to become an engineer and joined IIT because I was very good at math,it was my favourite subject.I left my job in 2008 to prepare for the UPSC exam since I felt

the civil services were very diverse and more challenging.I reached the interview stage in my first attempt in 2008 but could not get any further.But I never gave up,that failure propelling me to forge ahead even stronger and achieve my goal.I never took coaching classes but studied on my own, he says. Success for him is not completely new.He came fourth in the All India IIT exam in 2003. I will be joining the services by August end, hopefully the Rajasthan cadre but before that I want to go back to Ghaziabad and be with my parents, he says,surrounded by his friends.

UPSC Civil Services : Rank - 3 (Name: Iva Sahay, UP , PG - Geography, JNU)

The Sangam citys Iva Sahay has done Allahabad proud by securing third position in the 2009 UPSC Civil Services exams,the results of which were declared on Thursday. Iva Sahay,meanwhile,is the only woman in the top three, and has topped among the women candidates. She attributes her success to her father,Vijoy S Sahay,who heads Allahabad Universitys anthropology departments,and her allout pursuance of the goal. I fancied IAS at an early age of four or five.It turned into an obsession by the time I reached high school, said Iva. My class teacher,Mrs Banerjee,apart from my family believed in my dream of becoming an IAS. Born at Darbhanga in Bihar,Iva has opted for the IAS,despite her familys insistence on

taking up the Indian Foreign Service. She says she wants to reform the bureaucracy and help people caught in a web of files,running haplessly running from one office to another. I will try to improve the bureaucracys functioning.People without any connections are never welcomed into our offices.That attitude should change, she said,speaking over the phone from Allahabad,her hometown. A postgraduate in geography from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Sahay topped the university exams in all four semesters.At the moment, she is studying for a doctorate from Allahabad University.

Kerala: 4th rank for Kerala girl in civil services examination (TV Anupama)

T’PURAM: T V Anupama of Malappuram came fourth rank in the Cvil Services Examination. Three other Keralites also came under the first 100 ranks. And 13 Malayali rank holders are there up to 727 ranks. P I Sreevidya of Kottarakara got 14th rank while Devi Gopinath of Pappanamcode (TVPM) got 81st rank. Eldose Mathew Punnus of Chengannur got 96th rank. 126th rank went to S Lakshmanan of Manacaud,Thiruvananthapuram. Divya V. Gopinath of Medical College and G Vishakh of Thodupuzha won 131st and146th ranks respectively. N M Veena of Vanchiyoor got 207th rank and K Nishanth of Thalassery got rank 261. Rahul of Thrippoonithura, Eranakulam won rank 303 while Jyothis Mohan of Kottayam got rank 358.

Patel tops Civil Services in Gujarat (Anand Patel, 24 years , All India 32)

Ahmedabad: Anand Patel, 24,comes from a typical family of Leuva Patel landowners of north

Gujarat.Thursday changed the course of his life for good,when he topped the civil services exam in the state at rank 32,and is sure to make it to the IAS in his home state cadre. This year 14 Gujaratis have cleared the UPSC exams,which is the highest so far from the state. A vidya sahayak teacher employed in the government school at Panthal village in Khedbrahma taluka of Sabarkantha since 2004,Patel earns only Rs 2,500 a month.Im quitting my job tomorrow! says the excited Patel who cleared the UPSC in the first attempt. Sardar Patel is my role model and I want to serve the country and free it from corruption, says Patel,who trained for the UPSC at the Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration (SPIPA) here.This native of Hansalpur village,five km from Himmatnagar,scored 91% in class X and 80% in class XII board exams.He then did the primary teachers training course and simultaneously a BA with history major from the Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University.Although they own 10 bighas of land,the Patels are mainly a family of teachers,his parents were teachers and so is his wife,Nirmala,who,like him,is a vidya sahayak in a Chhota Udepur school. His brother and sister-in-law are doctors. Patel cleared the UPSC with history and Gujarati subjects.Says Patel,Gujaratis have lots of talent but lack of knowledge of English inhibits them. Asked how he felt about jumping to a salary scale he could never have dreamed of as a vidya sahayak,he says,money is not important,Gujaratis

can earn money anyhow!

West Bengal: Kolkata Girls Crack Civil Service Exams, Gear Up For Life As Public Servants

Kolkata: As a youngster, Joyoshi Dasgupta dreamt of working in war-ravaged Afghanistan.Pictures of destruction and civil war in Taliban land didnt rattle her. It would be a challenge,she felt,to work in a hostile environment like that and an immense achievement if she could do something for the battle-torn Afghan people. The Kolkata girl could be very close to realising that dream. Joyoshi,a teacher at Manindra Chandra College, has ranked 42nd in the civil service exams, the results of which were announced on Thursday.If I get into foreign service, I wont mind working anywhere in the world, she said. Though delighted,the levelheaded youngster looked composed and firmly focused on her priorities.An administrator,she said,has to be realistic and not just a dreamer.I am,of course,very happy and see this as an opportunity to do something for the country.An administrators job gives you the chance to work directly with the people and for them.Its an excellent opportunity to try and make a difference to the lives

of so many people.It wont be easy but I am not going to shirk or run away from trouble, said Joyoshi. A graduate in physics from Presidency College,she went on to do her MSc from Rajabazar Science College.She stood first in the MSc exam. While she cleared NET and qualified as a college teacher,Joyoshi had been bent upon a career in the civil services since her school days.I never seriously considered any other option,which is why I am pretty satisfied.It feels nice to have reached my first goal in life.As an administrator,there will be several more in the years to come, she said. Daughter of Jaya Dasgupta, an IAS officer who is now the planning and development secretary in Bengal,she didnt have to look far for inspiration.From an early age,she has been familiar with the job of an IAS and its pitfalls.I saw my mother do the job from close quarters. So,I knew it wont be a cakewalk.But the brighter side was there as well.For me,that outweighed the negatives by a long margin. So,I never hesitated, said Joyoshi. Joyoshi is not the lone qualifier from Kolkata this year.Jayita Bose,a former student of Jadavpur University,figured on the list as well.She ranked 171.Its an honour to join the civil services.It has been my dream and I am eagerly looking forward to the job, said Jayita. So is Joyoshi.Impartiality,patience and correct assessment of situations are needed to be a successful administrator in these troubled times,she said.I do appreciate that an IAS officers job has probably got much tougher than the times when my mother joined the service.But there is no substitute for honesty and commitment.It helps find solutions to any problem,no matter how difficult or impossible it may seem.If you ask me,I would prefer a posting in the Maoist belt, said a confident Joyoshi. I would try to stop her.But I know she wouldnt listen to me, said

Joyoshis mother. It has not been an easy journey,though.Joyoshi toiled hard for five years to qualify and this was her third attempt.You need to prepare intelligently.Just studying hard wont get you anywhere.said Joyoshi,who writes stories in her spare time and even plays the piano. For IAS aspirants,she had a word of advice. If you want prosperity,go for the private sector.Choose IAS only if you are bent on public service, she said.Her first priority as a civil servant would be to try and uproot corruption.Not just from the services,but from all segments of our social life.It may sound idealistic but its possible if we all join hands, she signed off.

Andhra Pradesh: Bharat Gupta, MBBS

Hyderabad: A doctor,a business analyst and a mechanical engineer were among the state toppers of the prestigious UPSC examination,the results of which were declared on Thursday.Around 40 students cleared the examination from the state this year. The state topper was Bharath Gupta,an MBBS graduate from Kurnool medical college, who secured 17th rank in this years civil service examination. Bharath,who hails from Anantapur district,completed his medicine course in February this year and cleared the UPSC examination in his first attempt. Another rank holder from the state,Karthikeya Goel,son of a retired IAS

officer,A K Goel,too left a vocation to appear for the exam.Karthikeya left his job as a business analyst with Wipro to sit for the UPSC exam where he secured 40th rank.He had cleared UPSC last year too but chose to sit for it again as he made it only into custom services in his last attempt.He is currently undergoing customs training in Delhi. Ranking 59th in the UPSC list was Bharathi Hollikeri who hails from Karnataka but is settled in Hyderabad.She is currently undergoing IPS training in the National Police Academy. Among others who qualified the exam were Laya Madduri,a mechanical engineer from Bits Pilani.Hailing from Guntur,she is currently undergoing training as deputy collector in the state government.She was earlier working in the software industry.I wanted to do something more peoplecentric and thus appeared for UPSC, Madduri said. So how did the topper prepare for the UPSC exam.I appeared for my preliminary examination while doing my MBBS course.Before my UPSC finals I took a

two months break and stayed in Hyderabad for preparation.After my mains,I completed my course, said Gupta,whose father works with the South Central Railway. This years result has been qualitatively different.There have been many candidates who left their lucrative jobs in the private sector to appear for the examination, said V Gopalakrishna of Brain Tree,that offers coaching to IAS aspirants.However,according to Raji Reddy,a civil service expert from R C Reddy coaching centre,the number of candidates who made it to IAS from the state has gone down from 25 last year to 17 this year.

Tamil Nadu: R Lalitha (Engineer)

State IAS toppers heart is in rural service

Chennai: My mission is to make a difference to the villages in the country.And congratulate me when I truly achieve my goal, says 26-year-old R Lalitha,who has been ranked 12th in the prestigious Civil Services exam this year.It is a moment of exhilarating triumph,but Lalitha chooses to be impressively modest. Daughter of a retired engineer of the Border Roads Organisation of the Army,Lalitha says she wants to root out irregularities and pilferage in the implementation of welfare schemes for the poor. As a fresh engineering graduate a few years ago,Lalitha saw how a steadfast bureaucrat had transformed her tiny Tiruvalarchipatti village in Tiruchi. The then district collector Ashish Vachani is my inspiration.He ensured the leather tanneries set up an effluent treatment system.He improved infrastructure,sanitation and roped in youth for village programmes.He showed how an IAS officer could make a difference. And

that was the spark for this civil engineering graduate to quit her job with the Airports Authority of India and prepare for the civil services.She had missed the civil services by a whisker in 2007 as she secured the 543rd rank and was put on waitlist.However,she refused to despair and went into a super-preparation mode.And in her fourth attempt,she notched up the 12th rank. When I saw my ranking on the internet today,I just couldnt believe my eyes, she says. Tamil Nadu continued to perform impressively in the civil services exams,the results of which were published on Thursday,with 127 of its candidates making it to the elite national list of 875,who cleared the final exam and the interviews. In 2008-09,620 candidates from the state appeared in the main examination and 190 candidates,who wrote the examination in Chennai,were selected for the interview. Around 43 candidates from the Manitha Naeyam IAS training

centre had been selected,said Saidai Sa Duraisamy,who runs the institute that offers free

coaching.Ninety-two students had selected Tamil language and literature as a subject for the main examination. According to Shankar of Shankar IAS Academy,the success of candidates last year had encouraged more candidates to enrol this year.The interest to study for civil services has increased.But the number of people attempting the examinations in Tamil medium has not improved, he said. Thirtyfive students who trained at the Ganesh IAS Academy have also been selected while 22 others,many of them from poor economic background,made it after being trained at the PL Raj Memorial Study Centre. In 2004,16,323 aspirants had appeared for the civil services preliminary exam but the number fell sharply to 9,514 in 2007,declining gradually every year.In fact,the number of aspirants from the state has dropped by a significant 40% in the last five years.

Maharashtra: Two rankers in top 25 slots

Mumbai: May 23 was probably more important for 25-year-old Anay Dwivedi than Tuesday the 6th when the UPSC results were declared. For, towards the end of this month, the Nepean Sea Road resident was ready to take the civil service exam yet again — this would be his fourth shot at the gruelling test. But as John Lennon would have said, life is what happens while we are busy making other plans. “I filled the form for the fourth attempt and was all set to take the prelims. As twice before, I qualified in the written exam but was not selected after the interview. After my engineering, I took my Common Admission Test too and was shortlisted for the interview round. But ever since I was a child, I knew I wanted to be a civil servant like my dad. Everything else was a back-up plan,” said this elated all-India rank five, which also makes him the Maharashtra topper. Friends nudged him to take up a job “and stop wasting time” after

his engineering at Sardar Patel Engineering College. “But this is what I wanted; so I studied, studied and studied all day long.” To get additional help in excelling in his subjects — psychology and public administration — Anay went to Delhi and signed himself under two private tutors. This time during his interview, Anay tackled questions with deft — from views on China and Afghanistan to farmers’ suicide and Bt cotton. According to statistics from the State Institute for Administrative Careers, Maharashtra saw 75 students selected from 875 candidates who took the Union Public Service Commission exam. “We are again witnessing more selections from our state,” said SIAC director S G Gupta. Purna Dharmadhikari,head, Chanakya Mandal, an institute that coaches students for the UPSC, said that in 1986, he was the only one from Maharashtra to clear the exam. “But now, there are many more candidates taking the UPSC. Also, the study material is now available in marathi, allowing a larger section of candidates to appear for the test.” Maharashtra has two rankers in the top-25 slot. At all-India rank 23, stands Rajiv

Raushan (30); he took history and Sanskrit as his optional subjects. Nashik’s Nitin Yeola, at rank 106 is third in the state. Following him is Prerna Deshbhratar, rank 113, who also always wanted to be an IAS officer. She had taken the UPSC earlier, but had been selected for IRS. Despite being posted in Faridabad,Prerna did not give up her desire to pursue an IAS, so she sat for it again “This is a highly competitive exam and you can’t predict your performance, but it feels real good to have finally made it,” said the 27-year-old daughter of an IPS officer. IPS was Prerna’s second option, but the work profile for administrative services interests her the most. Thirty-two-year-old Chhaya Burudekar, an OBC candidate,from Jogeshwari, stood 265th in the all-India list, but she is not happy with her performance, and will be taking the UPSC exam again this year. “I’ll probably end up getting into the Indian Police Service, but I want to take up IAS. So I’ll be taking the exam again,” she said. Burudekar who has a seven-year-old daughter now has been taking the UPSC exam since the last three years and next time, will be her last

attempt. Her parents, who have not had the opportunity to even complete their schooling, said they were extremely proud of their daughter.