A girl in her childhood, residing in a village in a remote area of Doda district in Jammu and Kashmir, often asked her parents why their home did not have a telephone and why the roads in their locality were in such poor conditions. She pondered over these problems that persisted in their community. Her parents would often respond, “Don’t just be a problem, be a solution. Aim to become a DC and address these issues.” And so it happened that from that young age, this girl was already striving to be part of the solution rather than contributing to the problem.
She is Ms. Anmol Rathore, and today, she is on her way to formally becoming a part of the solution. By achieving AIR-7 in the UPSC CSE-2023, she is about to become an IAS officer, and poised to bring real difference in addressing the very issues she once questioned.
This has been possible because she consistently aligned her goals with her primary objective of becoming a civil servant. And, finally, she fulfilled her long cherished dream of becoming a civil servant.
Indian Masterminds interacted with Ms. Anmol Rathore to know more about her UPSC journey.
FROM LAW TO IAS: JOURNEY SO FAR
She started her UPSC preparation after her graduation in 2021. She gave her first attempt in in 2021, but could not crack the CSE prelims. In her second attempt, she cracked the prelims but could not crack the mains by two marks.
Now, in her third attempt, in UPSC CSE-2023, she passed the prestigious exam with All India rank 7 and realized her dream of joining IAS.
Meanwhile, she had also attempted the state civil service exam and topped the Jammu Kashmir Administrative Services (JKAS)-2022 exam with Rank 1 last year. She scored 1084.50 marks in this exam. She is presently undergoing training for the JKAS.
She humbly said, “The journey is quite challenging for every aspirant. Perhaps my path to success wasn’t as difficult as it was for others, but it always required a lot of hard work and dedication. I was heartbroken after my first two attempts, thinking that maybe I would never clear the exam. But as they say – Fall down seven times, stand up eight. So, after each failure, you must pick yourself up and refocus on your goal with renewed determination. That’s exactly what I did.”
REACTION ON RESULT
Ms Rathore accepts that the result was unexpected for her and her family as well. She never thought that she would attain such a good rank. And, now, she is very happy to be finally out of this exam cycle after 3 years.
She said, “When the results were announced, I didn’t have the courage to search for my name in the result PDF. I skipped the first page entirely and started scrolling down, hoping to find my name further below. Just then, a notification popped up on my phone – a congratulatory message. That was when I realized my name was on the list.”
She hurriedly then searched and upon seeing her name on the first page, she was in a state of shock for a few seconds. She couldn’t believe it. She double-checked the roll number. Then reality slowly sank in. “It felt very surreal, like a dream of many years had finally come true,” she said.
LOVE FOR POETRY
Apart from civil service, another great passion for her is poetry. Since childhood, poetry has served as a source of motivation for her. In fact, she writes poems and has published two books of poetry till now.
Even while preparing for such a demanding exam like the UPSC CSE, she never ceased writing poems, skillfully balancing her poetic endeavors with her studies.
She explained, “Being an only child, poetry was a way for me to express my emotions.” Writing poetry also aided her preparation, providing a creative outlet that helped her manage the pressures of studying.
BACKGROUND
She originally hails from Udrana village in Bhaderwah tehsil in the Doda district of Jammu & Kashmir. Her father Rajive Rathore, now retired, served as a manager at the Jammu and Kashmir Bank. Her mother Jyoti Parihar Rathore currently works at a Government B.Ed College as principal in Jammu. She is the only child of her parents.
Her primary education took place in Kishtwar district. She then completed her schooling from GD Goenka School in Jammu.
She obtained her BA LLB (Hons.) degree from the National Law University, Gandhinagar in 2021.
UPSC PREPARATION
She never joined any coaching institute, except for a few online crash courses. She relied solely on self-study and adhered to the established standards of UPSC preparation. She began studying NCERT books from her graduation days and later progressed to standard books recommended by top performers.
For prelims, she focussed on solving test series and mock tests. She studied the syllabus well and solved PYQs for a better understanding of questions.
She said, “Syllabus and PYQs give you direction for preparation, like what you need to study, and how much.”
For mains, she focussed on answer writing a lot. As she failed in the CSE-22 mains by two marks, for this exam, she wrote many test series for mains and practised a lot to write attractive answers.
She studied almost 8 hours daily and balanced preparation of GS with her optional subject – Law.
Her preparation was mains-oriented this year. She used the Internet, especially YouTube, for her preparation liberally.
INTERVIEW
Her interview went quite well. She was asked questions about her Detailed Application Form (DAF) and her background.
The panel also asked many questions related to current affairs, specifically concerning Jammu and Kashmir, as well as her optional subject, Law.
She prepared for UPSC Interview during her training for Jammu & Kashmir Administrative Services.
MESSAGE
Giving a message to UPSC aspirants, Ms Rathore said, “The entire process of this exam is so challenging that every dedicated aspirant is already a winner in their own right. My advice is to approach this process with honesty and integrity. Dedicate as many hours to studying as you can manage effectively. Do not fear failure; instead prepare to try again.”
She concluded with this final advice: “Follow the fundamental rule of preparation: revise, test, and repeat.”
