In his first year of college only, Naman Kumar Singla started thinking of getting into the External Affairs Ministry of the Government of India by any means, only to find out that UPSC is the only way to get into it. However, Naman wasn’t ready to start his preparation for Civil Services Examination at that time and procrastinated till he reached his final year of college.
His UPSC success story is an inspiration as he cleared the exam in his first attempt and also managed to come in the top 50.
We present the story of this 23-year-old boy today, who is on his way to handling the foreign affairs of our country.
EARLY EDUCATION
Naman comes from the Patiala district of Punjab, where he completed his schooling from one of the most renowned schools in the state, Yadavindra Public School (YPS). After completing schooling, Naman moved to New Delhi to pursue graduation. He got enrolled into the most prestigious college in Delhi University, St Stephen’s College, and starting pursuing a course in BA (Political Science and Economics).
In a media interview, Naman said, “When I entered in St. Stephen’s, I had in mind that I will enter the External Affairs Ministry and found out that the only way was to become an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer through UPSC exam. I knew I had to appear for the UPSC exam sometime in life but not at that particular time. I procrastinated for a couple of years till I reached the final year. Every one around me were enrolling in MBA colleges or sitting for placements, and at that time, I realized that this is the perfect time to start the UPSC preparation.”
UPSC JOURNEY
Following in the footsteps of the UPSC aspirants in Delhi, Naman also enrolled in a coaching centre in Mukherjee Nagar, considered as a hub of coaching for competitive exams like UPSC, SSC, etc. However, the coaching fever did not last long for him as Covid-9 lockdown was announced and he himself also realized that self-study is the key to crack this exam. Without wasting any more time, he quickly went back to his home in Patiala and planned on preparing for the exam by himself.
He mentioned in the same interview, “The biggest inspiration of appearing for the UPSC exam came from my parents. My father, who works at the Secretariat in Chandigarh, and mother, who is a senior manager at Punjab National Bank, often mentioned about success stories of various IAS officers and the role they play towards the society.”
Naman chose Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) as his optional subject as he always had a deep interest in diplomacy and used to follow journals on international news. Also, during his college days, he participated in conclaves and listened to expert talks of senior diplomats, which helped in shaping his global perspective.
He started his journey of preparing for the UPSC exam in the summer of 2020 and appeared for the prelims for the first time in 2021 and managed to clear it. He appeared for the mains and then the interview and was successful in both the stages.
Naman’s score on the result day was a surprise as he got an All India Rank 47, and that too in his first attempt! His success story proves that UPSC CSE can be cracked in the first try itself if the candidate is clear in his vision of what he really wants to achieve and focuses on his goal accordingly.
