“I chose to prepare alone in a small, isolated space, which made it feel as though I was running this race by myself. The upside was that I never felt the pressure of competition. However, the downside was that I often felt lonely, sometimes bored, and had no true sense of how tough the competition really was. But I did it intentionally—because being free from pressure mattered more to me.” These words by Ankan Bohara reflect the unconventional path he took in his preparation.
An AI engineer by profession, Ankan faced significant setbacks when he failed the UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE) twice. Despite these challenges, he went on to achieve remarkable success, securing an All India Rank (AIR) 14 in the Indian Forest Service (IFS). His journey is far from typical, which is why his story has become an inspiration to many aspirants.
What makes his journey even more fascinating is that Ankan was a gold medalist and the president of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) before deciding to leave his job and focus on UPSC preparation. Confident in his abilities, he believed he would crack the exam within a year. However, after facing repeated failures, his confidence waned, and he fell into despair.
However, everything changed during the 16 days between the UPSC CSE results and the IFS interview. In those two weeks, Ankan gave his all – heart and soul – dedicating himself completely to his preparation. It was during this intense period that he finally achieved the dream he had cherished since childhood.
Indian Masterminds had the privilege of speaking with Mr. Bohara, gaining insight into his inspiring journey and the resilience that propelled him to success.
JOURNEY SO FAR
After completing his engineering in 2020, Ankan joined Samsung as an Artificial Intelligence (AI) engineer, earning over 30 lakhs per annum. He worked in the research wing, focusing on camera algorithms and photo optimization. However, since childhood, he had harbored a deep desire to join the civil services. In November 2021, driven by this passion, he made the bold decision to leave his high-paying job and begin preparing for the UPSC.
In his first attempt at the UPSC CSE in 2022, he cleared the prelims but fell short in the mains exam. In the IFS exam, he missed the prelims cutoff by just 5 marks.
Undeterred, Ankan returned for his second attempt in CSE 2023. He gave his all to the preparation, hoping to do well. Despite clearing both the prelims and mains, fate had other plans. He missed the final list by a narrow margin of 25 marks. However, his perseverance finally paid off in the IFS exam, where he achieved an impressive AIR 14 and became an IFS officer.
He said, “I left my job six months before my first attempt, fully confident that I would succeed. But in UPSC, what you expect often doesn’t happen. And that’s exactly what happened to me.”
BACKGROUND
Ankan hails from Nimbahera, a town in the Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan. His father serves as a principal in a college, while his mother is a homemaker. He is the only child of his parents.
Ankan completed his schooling up to the 12th grade in Nimbahera. He then moved to Kota for coaching to prepare for the IIT entrance exams, where he spent seven months. His hard work paid off when he cracked the JEE and secured admission to IIT BHU, where he pursued a B.Tech in Computer Science. He graduated in 2020 with the prestigious President’s Gold Medal.
“I had an emotional breakdown when I didn’t make the cut in CSE and felt like giving up,” he recalls. “But then, after 16 days, my IFS interview was scheduled. Those 16 days changed everything.”
UPSC PREPARATION
Ankan did all his UPSC preparation on his own, never attending coaching. He relied fully on the internet, using it to his advantage. He sought guidance from his seniors, including some who had already cracked the exam. His preparation was primarily during the day. He would wake up at 5:30 AM and go to bed by 10:30 PM. He placed great emphasis on revision, often doing it twice a day. In the morning, he would revise what he had studied recently and then focus on his optional paper. At night, he would again dedicate time to revising.
Ankan made it a point to solve as many Previous Year Questions (PYQs) as he could. He also prepared detailed notes for both the prelims and mains exams. To stay updated on current affairs, he studied the newspaper daily.
He emphasized the importance of maintaining good health during preparation, advising aspirants not to neglect it. Even during his preparation days, he never missed his morning walk and jogging sessions.
His optional subjects were Mathematics in the CSE and Forestry and Mathematics in the IFS. He scored the second-highest marks in Mathematics (248).
He shared, “I never studied with a strict time limit. I studied based on my own ability and strength.”
INTERVIEW
Ankan’s interview went well, and he was interviewed by the board chaired by UPSC Chairman Preeti Sudan. He was thoroughly grilled, with questions covering a wide range of topics – from forests and tribal issues to water conservation, among others.
Ms. Sudan asked him a straightforward question: “Coming from such a prestigious engineering background, why did you leave a promising career in the private sector to pursue civil services?” Ankan’s response was confident and well-articulated: “In my previous job, I was working for South Korea, not for my own country.” This answer was appreciated by the board members.
One board member inquired about what he could do for the tribals in Udaipur as an IFS officer. Another member asked him about the techniques of water conservation in Rajasthan, given that the state faces a significant water deficit. He was also asked some technical questions, such as identifying the world’s tallest tree species.
SUGGESTIONS
Giving advice to UPSC aspirants, Ankan suggests, “Make your own strategy and never be influenced by others. If you’ve chosen your path, stick to it—success will surely follow. The second piece of advice is to never give up. This is key. In my first and second attempts, even after my best efforts, I didn’t make it to the CSE final list. I was almost heartbroken, but there was still hope for IFS, and that’s where I finally found success.”
