City youth realise civil services dream

Gurvinder Singh, Gurminder Grewal

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana/Khamano, July 4

Aditya Uppal (25) of the city has notched All-India Rank 19 in the UPSC Civil Services Exam in the second attempt. He already serves in Indian Revenue Service having secured All-India Rank 202 last year.

Aditya completed schooling from Kundan Vidya Mandir and BTech in Mechanical Engineering from Thapar University. His father Vipandeep Uppal is a businessman and mother Sweetie Uppal a housewife. His mother said Aditya decided to become a civil servant after he went to study at Thapar University. Even though he got a job as Quality Engineer with a package of Rs 6 lakh per annum, he worked only for a month there before heading to Delhi to prepare for the civil services exam.

Successful in third attempt

Purva Garg has secured All-India rank 79. It was her third attempt. “It was my childhood dream to join civil services,” she says. Her father Parveen Kumar Garg is a businessman and mother a housewife. She did her schooling from Welham Girls Dehra and computer engineering degree from Patiala.

She said she took a bit of guidance from a coaching institute but primarily it was self-study. She chose sociology as her optional subject. “I chose sociology as her optional subject because it was easier to relate to the subject,” she said. The key to success in this exam was self-belief, she said. “One should not lose heart and put in his best,” she says. A regular study of 12 hours and keeping your eyes on the goal is the key to succeess in the exam, she said.

A long-cherished goal

Amitpal Sharma (23) from the city has secured the 139th rank. This was his second attempt. He was already working in IAS allied services having secured the 600th rank last year. His brother Ajaypal Sharma is an IPS officer.

Amitpal did his schooling from RS Model School, Shastri Nagar. He passed out from Government Medical College in 2013. He says the inspiration to join the civil services came when he was a school student. “It was the guidance of my father, Amarjit Pal Sharma, and inspiration from school principal Mohal Lal Kalra, because of which I was rightly inclined towards joining civil services right from my schooldays,” he says. As his father is a retired Punjabi teacher, he took Punjabi literature as his optional subject for joining the services.

“Another reason for choosing this subject was that literature always acquaints you with the true and humane face of people and gives you an insight into the minds of people. Literature has helped me gain a better understanding of society and also clear my exam apart from clearing the exam with the subject I am passionate about,” he says. Regarding exam preparations, he says one has to be totally self-disciplined in clearing the exam. Self-motivation is the key apart from a regular study of 12 or 16 hours a day and perseverance in cracking the exam. He did not take coaching and relied totally on self-study, he says.

A doctor, now set to become an IAS officer

Sahil Kumar, son of Prem Chand, who served as SDM in the city, has secured the 447th rank. It was his second attempt. An MBBS doctor, he works in Delhi. He did his schooling from Sacred Heart Convent School, Sarabha Nagar.

Father his inspiration

Sumeet Sharma, who has done a couple of years of schooling from the city from Sacred Heart Convent School, Sarabha Nagar, about 14 year ago, has secured the 224th rank. It was the third attempt of the 28-year-old student. He has served as District Excise Officer, Patiala, after clearing Punjab Civil Services Examination in 2012. He cracked the IAS exam in 2013 as well, securing the 575th rank. But not satisfied with the previous result, he took the exam again this year. He would be joining Indian Police Service.

Inspiration to join civil services came from home as his father father VK Sharma is an IAS officer.

Sumeet did BTech in Computer Engineering in 2009. After passing out, he took several entrance tests, including RBI Grade B, Bank Probationary Officer and served in different capacities before clearing the PCS exam. He chose psychology as optional subject. “I had seen my father work and I also wanted to serve the nation,” he says.

A go-getter

Harmandeep Singh Hans from Bhari village in the Khamano area has secured the 101st rank. He would join IPS. His father, Varinderjit Singh DSP (Crime) at Chandigarh, said Harmandeep was determined to become an IPS officer. He succeeded in third attempt. He said he was already selected for the PCS allied services but he did not join.

Topper’s talk

The key to success in this exam was self-belief, said Purva Garg, who has secured All-India rank 79. “One should not lose heart and put in his best,” she says. A regular study of 12 hours and keeping your eyes on the goal is the key to succeess in the exam, she said.