Here is an inspiring story of Ashish Kumar Verma, who despite failing in the UPSC exams six times, did not give up and continued working on his dreams. In 2020, he qualified for UPSC IFS and secured 38th rank in his seventh attempt. Presently, he is working as an SDM.
What sets one apart is their unmatched willingness to persist and persevere through all the difficult times. Some people change their path after failing a few times, and some continue to walk the same path with determination. Ashish Kumar Verma failed in UPSC exams 6 consecutive times. His drive to become an IFS officer was so strong that he refused to give up. He remained committed to his goal, and finally achieved all of his dreams in his 7th attempt. Today, he is an officer in the Indian Foreign Service.
Ashish Kumar’s inspiration
Ashish shares that our struggles don’t even count one percent of what BR Ambedkar and Lal Bahadur Shastri went through. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was a newspaper boy in his childhood. Had he not dreamt of becoming a scientist, our nation would not have witnessed such powerful force in the field of science.
Inspiration must be sought from such great personalities. Discipline, consistent effort and an undying will makes a person achieve their goal. According to Ashish, these competitive exams must be looked at from a different perspective. If we consider them as a way to gain more knowledge rather than something that will determine our success, we will surely become better individuals.
Background
Ashish Verma completed his schooling from Kendriya Vidyalaya Chopan, Sonbhadra. He earned a bachelors’ degree in Chemical Engineering from IIT Kanpur in the year 2014. He could have easily gotten a job in the private sector, but his dream was to serve his country as a government officer. With this sole purpose in mind, he started preparing for the exams.
Story of failures
Imagine if Ashish had given up after failing in first two attempts, we would not have been reading this story of inspiration at the moment. But he did not waver in the pursuit of his dreams and made the impossible happen.
Ashish’s first two attempts were in the years 2015 and 2016; he could not even clear the first rounds in them. He made it to the interview round in his third attempt in 2017 but faced failure. In 2018, he appeared for the exams again, but could qualify the preliminary rounds. In 2019, he made it to the interview rounds again, but fell short of passing marks.
Finally, the day came when he attained his goal. In the year 2020, cleared the UPSC IFS exams and secured a glorious 38th rank and was appointed as the SDM.
What kept Ashish inspired?
According to Ashish, one must stay true to themselves. A lot of people nurture the dream of appearing for UPSC exams but give up looking at the massive syllabus. Understand your strong points and introspect why you want to become a civil officer. Never make assumptions that you are fully prepared for the exams, as the syllabus is so vast that it is impossible to remember everything but make sure to revise the syllabus as many times as possible. Constant revision of topics makes it easier to remember them for a longer period. Another important thing is to take proper diet and sleep. A healthy body means a healthy mind.
Lifelong journey of learning
Ashish shares that students must think of these exams as a means to achieve their goals and not a life and death situation. Ashish used to live in old Rajendra Nagar, Delhi, for his preparation. During his stay, a 25-year-old girl died by suicide just before the exam. Similar cases are reported every year. Some people never manage to clear the exams but that only means that their inspiration lies somewhere else.
Choosing the right career option is just as important. Don’t follow the flock and seek your own inspiration. Try to analyze what you are good at and use them to your advantage. Humans have incredible potential to achieve anything, one only needs to realize their purpose.
Focusing on learning
Ashish was confident about his abilities from the very beginning. He was clear about his goals and was aware that sooner or later, he will achieve his dreams. It was only a matter of time. One gets to learn so many things about their country and the world during their preparations. It’s astonishing how much information our brains can soak up if we follow the right directions. And in that pursuit, disciple and commitment are the two most important things.
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