UPSC: At least 5 among top 20 are DU graduates, credit varsity for their success

At least five of the top 20 candidates to clear the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) civil services examination (CSE), 2020, graduated from Delhi University and credited the varsity for their success in clearing the competitive exam. Four of them cleared the exam in their first attempt and the fifth candidate cleared the exam in her second attempt.

The toppers are from among 4.82 lakh aspirants who took the prelims this year and are among the 761 candidates who have been recommended by the commission for appointment to various administrative services.

Satyam Gandhi, 22, who secured rank 10, graduated from Dyal Singh College last year. Hailing from Dighra village in Bihar’s Samastipur district, the political science student said his experience in DU enabled him to achieve this success.

“After spending 18 years of my life in Bihar, I came to Delhi and DU helped shape my personality. The university teaches you things beyond scholarly activities and I learned from my teachers and peers. Though it was my grandfather’s dream to have a collector (district magistrate) in the family, I was motivated to get into civil services after an internship with the Ranchi administration. I realised that I wanted to contribute towards the development of rural areas,” Gandhi said. His father works as a clerk in Bihar and his mother is a home maker.

Another DU graduate Ria Dabi, whose sister Tina Dabi topped the UPSC exams in 2015, secured the 15th rank this year and said her experiences at Lady Shri Ram College for Women as an undergraduate student of political science helped her gain a wider perspective.

“This is a prestigious job where one gets to work for the welfare of the country and everyday problem of the masses. Ever since my sister got selected, I had a stronger motivation to crack the examination. Tina constantly guided me on how to prepare and which books to read, and also gave me moral support when I got too stressed. DU proved a good experience as we met a lot of students from different colleges during inter-college activities. It provided a wide perspective on how people think and how administration works,” said Dabi, who graduated in 2019, and wants to work on field of education.

Like Gandhi and Dabi, another DU graduate Sarthak Agrawal, 25, also cleared the exam with rank 17 in his first attempt. Agrawal, who graduated from Shri Ram College of Commerce in 2017, went on to do his MPhil in Economics from Oxford University, England. He worked in London for a few months before returning to India when the pandemic struck. An alumnus of DPS Vasant Kunj, the 25-year-old was also the all-India CBSE topper in 2014.

“Even though my training was in economics and it was quite academic, I realised that one can do much more as an IAS officer to improve development outcomes. I have worked in the education sector and would love to contribute in that direction,” he said.

Yash Jaluka, who secured the fourth rank and hails from Jharkhand, did his undergraduate studies at the Kirori Mal College and postgraduation from the Delhi School of Economics (DSE). “I want to work in Jharkhand and focus on better implementation of government schemes. We do have a lot of schemes and improving governance systems will be my priority. DU was hugely influential; I saw what a good public university can do as we had students from all financial backgrounds studying there and excelling in their field of study. DSE was particularly helpful in my exam preparations,” he said.

Mamta Yadav, 24, who graduated from Hindu College in 2017 and pursued BSc physics, secured the fifth rank this year in her second attempt. “Many seniors from Hindu College had cleared UPSC and the exposure helped us in understanding in what the role entails. People in DU are from different backgrounds so one can speak to teachers, researchers, and others while deciding on a career path.”

Two toppers are also graduates of IIT-Delhi. Arth Jain, 24, who ranked 16th and studied mechanical engineering at IIT-Delhi, graduated in 2019. He said he was inspired by his father who is an IPS officer.

Shashwat Tripurari, 23, who secured the 19th rank, also graduated from IIT-Delhi and studied civil engineering at the institute in 2018. He is currently working as an IPS officer after clearing the CSE last year.

Of all candidates who cleared the exams this year, 545 are men and 216 women. The top 25 candidates comprise 13 men and 12 women.