What’s better than having three members of a family- all sisters- as civil servants? Civil service is considered as a prestigious career among the youngsters, but clearing it is quite a formidable task.More than 10 lakh aspirants appear for the exams every year, out of which less then1000 get selected. Therefore, even a single person from the family qualifying the civil services exam is considered no less than a miracle.
This here is a very rare example: a family in the town of Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, which has produced three civil servants! Mr Chandrasen Sagar, who has served as a Block Pramukh in his area for 10 years, has been a proud father after his three daughters cracked UPSC. But the thing to note is that by clearing UPSC, his daughters fulfilled the unrealized dream of their father!
Early Life
Mr. Sagar is a qualified MA LLB. He always wished to become a civil servant, but could not succeed despite the efforts he put in. He then joined politics, eventually rose in ranks to become a Block Pramuk, but kept the dream of civil services alive- not for himself but for his children.
Mr. Sagar’s elder brother, Dr. Siyaram Sagar has served as a five-time MLA from .Faridpur, district Bareilly. However, he lost his life in the month of July in 2019. His wife Mrs. Meena Kumari Sagar has also been a member of Zila Panchayat, Bareilly.
While speaking with Indian Masterminds, Mr Chandrasen Sagar said “Coming from a political background, I did not want any of my children to follow it. Politics was never discussed in my house, and I would deal with all the issues related to it outside my house.”
In the course of time, Mrs Sagar gave birth to five daughters, and then a son. In a society where a boy if more sought after than a girl, the parents did not find the going easy for many years.
Mr. and Mrs. Sagar were gifted with their first child, whom they named as Arjit Sagar. Mr. Sagar said, “We were blessed as the first child in the family brings a lot of happiness.” After having the second child who was also a daughter, society started interfering and began making weird criticisms. Fortunately, Mr. Sagar loved all his children equally. “Every child of mine is dear to me. I do not differentiate between a girl and a boy,’’ he stressed.
Raising 5 Daughters And 1 Son
Mr. Sagar’s children Arjit, Arpit, Anshika, Ankita, Akriti, and Amish completed their school education till class 12 in their hometown Bareilly. However, as there were not any colleges of their interest in the city, they opted for higher studies from various other colleges.
The eldest daughter, Arjit Sagar, completed her B. Tech from G.B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in Pantnagar, Uttarakhand. Second daughter Arpit Sagar, completed her B. Tech from Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad and Masters from IIM Calcutta.
The youngest daughter, Ankita Sagar completed her graduation from Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University in Economics Honors. The other two daughters did their graduation from National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi. Whereas, Amish Sagar did his graduation in BA History from Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi.
Mr. Sagar said, “As our children shifted in Delhi for their graduation, my wife accompanied them. Besides taking care of them, she would also motivate them to appear for the civil services exams. She was a major source of support to them during their preparations. During this time, I used to live alone in Bareilly.”
Also Read: When Four Siblings Clear UPSC
Dreams Came True
In 2009, Mr. Sagar’s wish got fulfilled when his eldest daughter, Arjit Sagar cleared the civil services exam and got the Indian Revenue Services (IRS) in the second attempt. She is currently working in the customs department as Joint Commissioner of Customs, GST and Central Excise in Mumbai zone.
The good news did not stop here. His second daughter, Arpit Sagar cleared the civil services exam of 2014 and secured an All India Rank (AIR) 378 after facing failure in two attempts. She was posted in Gujarat cadre and is currently holding the position of District Development Officer, Valsad, Gujarat.
The lucky streak continued as in CSE 2015 exam, Akriti Sagar, who is the youngest daughter cleared the exam with an AIR 239 in her second attempt. She was transferred to AGMUT cadre after she got hitched with her husband, who is and IPS officer . Sudhanshu. She is currently posted in Delhi and is working in the health department looking after Coronavirus management.
Inspired By Uncle And Elder Sisters
Mr. Sagar, “My wife’s brother was an IPS officer of 1995 batch from West Bengal cadre. Having a civil servant in a family adds more motivation among the children, and acts as an inspiration. His presence was a major factor in the success of my children.”
Akriti Sagar, the youngest daughter of Mr. Chandrasen Sagar, told the Indian Masterminds, “As my father was inclined towards civil services, all of us wanted to appear for the civil services exam. In 2003 when my elder sister, Arjit Sagar, started preparing for the exam while studying engineering, I made up my mind to follow the same path. However, I was very young at that time. After completing graduation from SRCC, Delhi University, I also started preparing for the exam.”
She added, “Support of my parents, elder sisters, and my uncle has been the major reason behind my success in becoming an IAS officer. My sisters, who are already in service, used to help in my studies and my father also sacrificed a long period of time staying away from the whole family.” Akriti Sagar was a brilliant student since her childhood as she secured the second position in her state in class 10th and received an Ambedkar scholarship worth Rs 50,000. Not only this, but she also topped her school in class 12th and further took admission in one of the best colleges in India, Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University.
After becoming an IAS officer, she was transferred to AGMUT cadre after she married Mr Sudhanshu, an IPS officer of 2016 batch. She has also been a part of many social and women centric initiatives.
As she said, “I rescued a lot of children from child labour during my stint as SDM in New Delhi, and subsequently they received helpunder various Government schemes. Once, I ralso rescued a child from child marriage.”
Coming from a family of five sisters, she has also been a part of various women centric initiatives. She said, “I have also been given the opportunity to take various women centric initiatives. Under the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padao’ scheme we conducted programs which facilitated the mothers who give birth to girl child.”
It’s for these reasons that the Sagar family of Bareilly has become a source of inspiration for many.
