COURTESY HT  AUG 5

Five from the region figure in ‘Top 100’ list

Abhishek Augustya

Riddhima Shrivastava

Darpan Ahluwalia

Madhumita

Muskan Jindal
HT Correspondent

letterschd@hindustantimes.com

chandigarh : Not only the all-India UPSC civil services exam topper is from the region, five others also figured in the ‘Top 100’ list of the country’s most prestigious exam, the result of which was declared on Tuesday. They are:

Abhishek Augustya, 27

(RS Pura, J&K) Rank: 38

He’s home in 5th attempt

Abhishek Augustya, who belongs to the border belt of RS Pura in Jammu district, secured the highest rank in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Abhishek is currently undergoing probation at the National Academy of Audit and Accounts in Shimla.

“This was my fifth attempt. I had been trying since 2015 and in 2018, I was ranked 268th,” said Abhishek.

Abhishek’s father is a zoology lecturer at Government Higher Secondary School, Sai, and his mother is a teacher in a private school. His sister is pursuing her postgraduation in surgery from GMC, Jammu. “I always wanted to do something for the people and dreamt of cracking the civil service examination in school. In college days, I met some friends, who were keen on civil services. They further strengthened my resolve,” he said.

He said in his first attempt in 2015, he opted for coaching and thereafter prepared on his own.

“It took me five years to get here. Don’t give up on your dreams. Keep working hard and keep putting your best efforts. Success will be yours,” he said when asked what was his message to the youth.

Riddhima Shrivastava, 24,

(Chandigarh) Rank: 74

Like mother like daughter

Chandigarh : Riddhima Shrivastava, who lives in Sector 24, Chandigarh, secured the 74th rank to clinch the top spot in the tricity (Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali).

Only child of her parents, the 24-year-old cleared the exam in her second attempt.

Her mother Raji Shrivastava is also an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and is currently working as principal secretary, social security women and child development, Punjab.

Her father, Pramod Shrivastava, is a retired Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer.

Irrespective of her parents being civil officers, Riddhima said her parents always gave her the freedom to choose her own path and follow her dreams. “They are happy with the result, and have been immensely supportive throughout my journey,” she said.

An alumna of Punjab Engineering College (PEC), Riddhima completed her engineering in electronics and communication in October 2017, before starting preparations for UPSC.

“It was always on my mind, but I made up my mind to prepare for UPSC only after passing out from PEC.” On her success mantra, she said, “More than motivation, it was discipline that paved the way for me. I stuck to rigorous preparations, while following a strict schedule.”

Darpan Ahluwalia, 26

(Chandigarh) Rank: 80

doctor nails it

Chandigarh : Second in the tricity at the 80th rank, Darpan Ahluwalia, a 26-year-old MBBS graduate from Government Medical College, Patiala, and a resident of Phase 10, Mohali, aims to be an IAS officer.

“This was my second attempt. In 2018 also I had cleared the UPSC preliminary and main exams and had reached the interview stage,” Darpan said, adding that this year’s result had taken her by surprise as she did not expect to get through.

“I was already preparing for my third attempt when the results were declared on Tuesday,” she added.

After her previous attempt, she chose medical science as her optional subject, which she feels worked in her favour. “Usually candidates opt for a high-scoring and easy optional subject. But, I didn’t want to lose touch with what I had studied, so I opted for the harder subject. I scored well in it, which made a huge difference.”

While IAS remains Darpan’s first choice, she would not mind either of the Indian Police Service (IPS) or the IFS.

Darpan’s father Gurinder Singh Walia is a joint director with the Punjab department of animal husbandry. Her mother, Navneet Walia, who holds an MPhil degree in economics, teaches underprivileged children pro-bono.

Her younger brother, Aaftab Singh, is pursuing a BTech in information and technology engineering from Vellore Institute of Technology, Tamil Nadu.

Madhumita, 25

(Panipat) Rank: 86

Fulfils her father’s dream

Karnal : Madhumita of Panipat’s Samalkha town secured 86th rank in the civil services exam the result of which was declared by the Union Public Service Commission on Tuesday. It was her third attempt.

Her father Mahavir is an ex-serviceman and currently works as an auction recorder in the market committee office of Samalkha.

“It was my father’s dream…he always wanted to see me a top-level officer,” said Madhumita.

As per her family members, Madhumita was very good in academics and they knew she could score a good rank in the UPSC exam. Madhumita’s mother Darshan Devi is a homemaker and her elder brother works in a private company.

She had also topped the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) exam conducted by the Kurukshetra University and was a gold medallist. She did her Master’s of Arts (MA) in public administration.

Madhumita said she remained away from social media and focused on self study with consistency.

Muskan Jindal, 22

(Solan) Rank: 87

Her first try was good enough

SHIMLA : Muskan Jindal, 22, of Solan district in Himachal Pradesh cracked the civil services examination in her first attempt. She was ranked 87 in the country.

Muskan, a resident of Baddi town, appeared for her final interview in Delhi on July 28. Her father Pawan Jindal runs a hardware shop in Baddi while her mother Jyoti Jindal is a homemaker. Muskan said she was thankful to her parents and teachers who supported her throughout. She said she will dedicate her life to the service of the nation.

Her parents said they were proud of their daughter’s success. Muskan completed her Class 10 and 12 from VR Senior Secondary Public School, Baddi, after which she completed her graduation in commerce from Goswami Ganesh Datta Sanatan Dharma College, Chandigarh.

(Inputs from Ravi Krishnan Khajuria (Jammu), Rajanbir Singh Virk (Chandigarh), Dar Ovais (Chandigarh), Neeraj Mohan (Karnal) and Navneet Rathore (Shimla))