UPSC CSE 2022: Garima Lohia, AIR 2, who lost her father says, ‘Kept his photo everywhere’
Garima Lohia's father, Manoj Kumar Lohia, passed away in 2015, leaving behind a wife and three children.
Garima Lohia of Buxar district in Bihar, who bagged the second position in the prestigious civil services examination 2022, said she could crack the coveted exam because of her late father's blessing. Celebrating her success, she remembered her father with wet eyes. “It is his blessing behind my success. I have kept his photo everywhere for inspiration,” she added.
Her father, Manoj Kumar Lohia, passed away in 2015, leaving behind a wife and three children. After her father's demise, Garima said the family worked as a team, supporting each other in their time of need.
“My mother and family members supported me a lot throughout the journey,” she added.
It took Lohia, 24, a Commerce graduate from Kirorimal College of Delhi University, two attempts to clear the civil services exam. Thousands of students migrate to Delhi every year to prepare for the civil services exams, but Lohia moved to her native place Buxar for exam preparation.
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She told HT, “I decided to prepare for the civil services exam in 2020 during the Covid-19 lockdown. After returning home, I started self-study and also took help from online study platforms. In my first attempt, I could not clear the prelims examination. I again worked hard and cleared the exam on the second attempt. I was expecting to clear the exam but I did not imagine I would get second rank.”
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Lohia further shared an important message for the young aspirants: "Motivation, self-study, and analysis will make anyone successful in the examination. Proper guidance is also necessary," she added.
She also said there's no single formula for preparations it varies from person to person. “Preparation strategies vary from person to person. I usually studied for 15 hours in a day. I referred to different books and online study material. My family always supported me. I believe one should prepare for exams wherever they feel comfortable for better productivity. My mother constantly motivated me during my preparation. She used to stay awake with me,” she said
