UPSC toppers rely on quality for better results

Twenty six-year-old Ravi Shankar Shukla was surrounded by friends with a cake in the centre. It was not his birthday, but certainly not less than a birthday like feast also. Ravi had cleared his civil services examinationsin the first attempt securing an all India rank of 39. Unable to express his happiness, Ravi who was in New Delhi on Friday, said, "It's a moment which is worth living. I had always dreamt of serving my nation and being in civil services is a respectful job."

Having completed his LLM (Human Rights Law) from National Law School of India University, Bangalore, Ravi did his research on water governance at Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. Being a topper, he believes that it is the extensive reading that helps in cracking civil services. "Questions in civil services are beyond thought and book. So, what really helped me is vast knowledge of various areas."

City's youngest topper Mayank Awasthi (23) was of the view that a goal can well be accomplished if one puts 100% in it. Cracking the coveted civil services exam in his first attempt, Mayank secured an all India rank of 133. On his success, he said, "One can only succeed, if one enjoys what he/she studies. Quality study is more important rather than quantitative study." Mayank, an engineering graduate is presently working in National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Ghaziabad. While he was in his third year BTech, he started preparing for civil services. "Early start helped me finish early," said Mayank for whom civil services was a dream.

Securing 85th all India rank, Rajat Bansal (24) was up with joy. Talking from Hyderabad, from where he is pursuing his IPS training at National Police Academy, Rajat secured 168th rank last year. Aiming to perform better, he again sat for the exam in 2011 and emerged as a topper.

For Rajat success in civil services is not about reading everything. "Smart work always counts. One has to collect the thoughts and keep head straight to be successful. Vast knowledge is necessary, but relevant knowledge is the key." Rajat completed his BTech in 2009 and then worked with Infosys for a year in Bangalore. He resigned after sometime and prepared for civil services. Among other city toppers include Gaurav Upadhyay, who secured all India rank of 258 and Anurag Tripathi, who got 508th rank.