It is truly said that ‘every success story is also a story of a great failure’, and these words stand true when it comes to IAS officer Pujya Priyadarshini, who had almost quit preparing for and giving UPSC Civil Services Examination due to disappointment from continuous failures.
In today’s feature, Indian Masterminds follows the UPSC journey of IAS officer Pujya Priyadarshini and the support of her parents that paved the way to her success.
EARLY DAYS
Born and brought up in a middle-class family from Delhi, Ms. Priyadarshini had just the usual dreams that every girl dreams of. She wanted to complete her graduation, acquire a job, and give a good life to her family.
She completed her schooling from a public school and went on to do her B.Com. Once, she completed her graduation, she decided to go for post-graduation. This time, she also wanted to explore international waters and witness the life and education that a foreign college can provide.
Therefore, she went on to do her post-graduation in Public Administration from the University of Columbia in New York. As soon as she completed her studies, Ms. Priyadarshini was bombarded with several job offers from companies,much to her delight. She accepted a job offer from a prestigious company and worked in the same for two years.
PREPARING FOR UPSC
Even though Ms. Priyadarshini was happy with her job, she always felt as if a part of her wants to go for something else. She wasn’t content with her job and wanted to do something that not only benefits her or her family but also her city and the people of her nation.
And what better job to work for the betterment of people than civil services? That is when she decided to become an Indian Administrative Service officer and help in building the nation.
She started preparing for the Union Public Service Commission’s Civil Service Examination while still working full time in her job. It was tough, but she tried to balance between studies and service as much as she could.
THREE FAILURES
Ms. Priyadarshini made her first attempt at UPSC CSE examination in the year 2013. After preparing for almost a year, she was quite confident that she would be able to crack it. Unfortunately, fate had other plans. She failed in her first attempt and was left disappointed.
To give her second attempt at the examination, she took a gap of three whole years to prepare herself thoroughly. She did not want to leave out anything in her subjects in her preparation and studied for three years before attempting the second time in 2016. This time, she reached the interview round but unfortunately, could not clear it.
Instead of getting disappointed, Ms. Priyadarshini made up her mind to try again. Once again, she started preparing from scratch and gave her third attempt in 2017. But this time, she was left heartbroken when she failed the Prelims.
PARENT’S SUPPORT
After failing three times in 2013, 2016, and 2017, it felt like Ms. Priyadarshini had reached rock bottom. She was extremely disappointed and made up her mind to quit trying altogether and go back to her previous job.
She had no motivation left in life but when her parents came to her rescue. They gave her strength and reminded her of the strong girl that she is. They encouraged her in her journey and taught her to not take her defeat to heart and instead work on herself till she achieves her dreams.
Their words encouraged her, and she decided to give one last shot at the examination. She spent days in her room preparing and only came out when it was absolutely necessary. She did every possible preparation that she could, watched tons of videos to prepare for interview, and gave thousands of mock tests before appearing for the exam.
Her efforts bore fruits and she not only cleared the examination but also bagged AIR 11 in UPSC CSE 2018!
ADVISE FOR ASPIRANTS
Ms. Priyadarshini advises candidates who are preparing for the UPSC exam to work hard and be patient. She says “Even if you fail, there is no need to panic. Rectify your mistakes and try again. If you prepare for UPSC by putting in the required hard work and dedication, you will definitely succeed.”
