https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Leaving Her Son Behind and Cracking UPSC

It is difficult for a mother to leave her piece of heart behind and live in another city, but IAS officer Anupama Singh had to do so in order to accomplish her dream of getting into civil services. And she covered the exam in the very first attempt!
Indian Masterminds Stories

Our society forces us to think that a woman’s professional or personal life ends when she gets married. They make us believe that now this woman belongs to her husband and his family and her sole motive in life is to look after them and be by their side at all times. And likewise, once she becomes a mother, she should dedicate herself entirely to looking after the young ones and raising them properly. Amongst all of this, the women never get time for themselves or to pursue what they desired in the first place.

But such is not the case with IAS officer Dr. Anupama Singh, who left behind her well-paying job, her family, and her three-year-old son- to prepare for UPSC examinations.

EARLY LIFE

Born and brought up in Kankarbhagh, Patna in Bihar, Ms. Singh completed her Class 10 from Mount Carmel High School in 2002. Since she was a little girl, she dreamt of just one thing – to help the people in need, whenever and however she could. As she grew older, she realized she could accomplish her dream by becoming a doctor and by treating patients.

Therefore she cleared the entrance exam and got admission to Patna Medical and College Hospital in 2011, from where she completed her MBBS graduation in gynecology and pursued her Masters in Surgery (MS) from Banaras Hindu University, Banaras in 2014.

IAS officer, Ms. Anupama Singh

DISAPPOINTED WITH THE SYSTEM

Ms. Singh was happily doing her practice as a doctor in a well-known government hospital when she got married to Dr. Ravindra Kumar, who is also a doctor by profession, and soon gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, who she named Anay.

She had been in the service for three years when she realized the poor condition of government hospitals. “After practicing for two years, I realized that there is a need for transformation in the health system. As a doctor, I was treating patients but improving the poor medical system was not in my hands. I wanted to make government medical facilities better and stronger for the public, and this thought triggered me to get in civil services” she stated in an interview.

Ms. Singh with her husband

LEAVING HER FAMILY BEHIND

Ms. Singh knew that if she really wanted to change the system for good and get into the civil services, she would have to prepare for the UPSC exam wholeheartedly and without any distractions. It was not possible to prepare seriously while working a full-time job and looking after her family. Therefore, she decided to take the difficult step of leaving her young son behind and live in another city to prepare for her examination.

“Studies after marriage and kids are a lot tougher than a pre-marriage phase. There is a responsibility on one’s shoulder and an emotional bond with a kid. Unfortunately, my mother and father-in-law are no more, so my husband took care of my son in my absence. My sister-in-law moved to Ranchi especially to look after my son. My son Anay was 3-year-old when I decided to move to Delhi for preparation. Parting away from my son was the most difficult thing for me,” she said.

To prepare with utmost concentration, Ms. Singh resigned from her job, left the city and moved to Delhi.

She left her 3 year old son behind to prepare for the examination

A STEP FURTHER TO HER DESTINATION

Ms. Singh arrived in Delhi for preparing for UPSC in 2018, for which she enrolled herself into a private coaching institute. She started preparing in full swing as she wanted to accomplish her dream as soon as possible. She had no other choice as she had also quit her job and would not have anything to go back to, in case she did not clear the exam. Every passing day made it more difficult for her to stay away from her baby, but she did not back out and continued to prepare diligently.

She recalled: “After classes, I used to read books, newspapers, magazines and prepare notes. I used to interact with my son over video calls. I missed a phase of his childhood and his activities. But instead of thinking to return leaving preparation halfway, I used to think that I should focus to achieve target soon for getting back home.”

She scored AIR 90 in CSE-2019

VICTORY AT LAST

Ms. Singh gave CSE-2019 and eagerly waited for the result. Her efforts did not go in vain and she was on cloud nine when she saw the result and realized that she had cleared the UPSC examination in the first attempt, with an All India Rank of 90!

“My husband and my family members have played a great role in my success. I returned to my home in September 2019 and Anay was 5 by then. My sacrifice paid off. I can proudly share my UPSC-cracking-story with my son when he grows up,” she said in the interview.

While many of us think getting married and having kids could end our professional dreams, Anupama Singh from Patna has proved them otherwise.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
IAS Ashwani Kumar
Assam’s Bold Bet on Local Talent: IAS Ashwani Kumar’s Vision for a Digital Assam
Haryana Jungle Safari
Haryana’s Mega Jungle Safari Project Moves Closer to Reality; Phase-I Design Finalised
SBK Singh IPS CP
Delhi Police Commissioner S B K Singh Bans Aerial Platforms from August 2 to 16 for Security Reasons
IPS-logo-resized_new
10 Senior Cops Get New Roles In Bihar Police; DG Jitendra Kumar Gets Additional Charge of B-SAP
Indian Forest Services IFS officer
Jharkhand IFS Rajneesh Kumar Transferred Amid Ongoing Legal Proceedings - Details Inside
Uttar Pradesh UP Government
17 Review Officers Transferred in Uttar Pradesh Secretariat Administration Reshuffle - Details Inside
IFS-forest-resized
6 IFS Officers Transferred in Odisha to Strengthen Environmental Administration, Jagayandatt Pati Made RCCF, Koraput Circle
IAS Officers Indian Administrative Services IAS logo
4 Young IAS Officers Reshuffled in Uttarakhand, Rahul Anand Made Joint Magistrate, Dehradun
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
How IAS Karn Satyarthi Transformed Gumla Through Empathy and Innovation
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi’s Take on Corruption, Reform, and Duty
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
What Most Indians Don't Know About Jim Corbett
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
BPSC Bihar police
From Lantern Light to Police Uniform: How Praveen Kumar from a Small Bihar Village Cracked BPSC to Become SDPO
From a lantern-lit village in Bihar to becoming an SDPO, Praveen Kumar's journey is a testament to resilience,...
IAS Priyansha Garg
Why Mindset Matters: IAS Priyansha Garg’s Mental Health Mantra for UPSC
After two failed prelims, Priyansha Garg cracked UPSC with AIR 31 in her fourth attempt, proving how...
Ashish Akshat
From Setback to State Topper: How Ashish Akshat Topped JPSC While Working Full-Time
Ashish Akshat from Dhanbad topped JPSC 2023, proving that resilience, discipline, and family support...
Social Media
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve: From India’s First Sanctuary to a Tiger Conservation Success Story | International Tiger Day Special
IAS Supriya Sahu Hails Mudumalai's Role in Tiger Conservation on Tiger Day. Declared in 1940, Now Among...
Mangroves
Mangroves: Nature’s Shield Against Disasters, Says Officer Parveen Kaswan on Mangroves Day - Watch His Post Here
Mangroves, with their dense, interlaced root systems, form a mesh-like structure that serves as a buffer...
Retired IPS Inderjit Singh Sidhu
Purpose Doesn’t Retire: How 88-Year-Old Retired DIG Becomes Chandigarh’s ‘Quiet Warrior’ of Cleanliness
Inderjit Singh Sidhu’s Dawn Patrol Earns Applause, Mahindra’s Praise for a Man Who Chose Action Over...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
IAS Ashwani Kumar
Assam’s Bold Bet on Local Talent: IAS Ashwani Kumar’s Vision for a Digital Assam
Haryana Jungle Safari
Haryana’s Mega Jungle Safari Project Moves Closer to Reality; Phase-I Design Finalised
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT