Coming from a privileged background, as both parents are top bureaucrats, Akshay Pillay from Chhattisgarh bagged a top rank in the UPSC 2021 Civil Services Exam. He secured an All-India Rank 51 to emerge as one of the toppers in the exam. It is generally thought of that children of bureaucrats have an upper hand in clearing this tough examination. But, it was hard work that ultimately proved to be the most reliable way, as Akshay took four years to clear all the stages to enter his name in the final list.
Akshay completed his schooling from Rajkumar College, Raipur and then went on to study Mechanical Engineering from NIT, Raipur. Since his parents were bureaucrats, he planned on appearing for the UPSC exam very early in his life.
IMPROVED WITH EVERY STAGE
Akshay completed his Mechanical Engineering in the year 2017 and wasted no time in gearing up for the UPSC preparation. He had this in mind from the very beginning, and motivation also came from the whole family, including his mother, father and sister.
His mother Renu Pillay is currently serving as Additional Chief Secretary, Technical Education, Govt of Chhattisgarh, whereas his father Sanjay Pillay is an IPS officer and is serving as ADGP in Chhattisgarh Police.
In an interview to media, Akshay said that initially he lacked proper guidance and understanding of some subjects which were mostly related to General Studies. “I initially thought that self-study would be enough. But after three attempts, I understood that I needed support in a few subjects and then started looking for resources that could help me.”
In the first two attempts, he managed to clear the preliminary stage. However, he failed to clear the mains stage. It would have been very disappointing for anybody but Akshay didn’t lose hope.
He said, “The improvement I was making in my preparation every year was the biggest part of motivation and results were being paid for by my hard work. Apart from this, my parents and sister supported a lot in this journey, which was a tough one but worth it.”
MADE IT FINALLY
Akshay appeared for the exam again in 2020 and this time it was more disappointing for him as he missed it by 2 marks. As his dream was to follow in his parents’ footsteps, he appeared for the exam again in 2021 and trusted his preparation to help him clear it this time.
The result day was a dream come true for Akshay, as he finally got rewarded for his hard work by making it to the final list with a top rank of 51.
Giving tips to clear the exam in front of the media, Akshay said, “My top three tips for cracking UPSC are: be familiar with the syllabus and question paper pattern, be aware of your strengths and weaknesses and choose the optional carefully, and revise.”
He further touched a very important point, which is, the stress of working 14-15 hours a day. He calls it unsustainable and not the right way to do it.
