When the results of India’s most prestigious exam UPSC Civil Services Examination 2020 came out, many interesting success stories also came to the fore. These include the stories of brothers and sisters who succeeded together in the exam. Be it the Jain sisters Ankita and Vaishali from Delhi or the real brothers Rallapally Jagat Sai and Vasanth Kumar from Andhra Pradesh, the inspirational stories of these bright siblings caught the attention of the entire nation. Everyone was curious to know how two members of the same family cracked the CSE exam at the same time.
Today, we bring to you the story of Simran and Srishti, two real sisters from Delhi, who cracked the exam this year. Speaking to Indian Masterminds, both said that they want to serve the country by joining Indian Foreign Service (IFS).
BOTH SUPPORTED EACH OTHER
Both Simran and Shristi prefer to write their first names only. Their father Neeraj Kumar, who is a property dealer, was the guiding force behind their success. When Simran was in 10th standard, he had made up his mind that she will study Humanities and become an IAS officer. However, Simran took up science because she loved it. Nevertheless, she still fulfilled her father’s UPSC dream. And not just Simran, even Srishti followed suit.
During the worst days of Covid, both the sisters took to online videos for studies. At the same time, both used to ask each other a lot of questions. They also used to interview each other. If one of them felt low, the other helped to cheer her up. Both stayed away from social media, only using Twitter for news, Telegram for UPSC content, and Gmail to exchange notes.
SIMRAN’S JOURNEY
24-year-old Simran says, “This journey has been transformational for me. We could not see the challenges and ups and downs in the beginning. As soon as it began and our involvement in it grew, then only we understood what it was. It has completely changed me as a person.”
Education: Simran studied in VSPK International School in Rohini, Delhi. She did B.Tech in ‘Mechanical and Automation Engineering’ from Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women. She decided in the second year of college, in 2017, that she will prepare for UPSC. So, she did not go for the ‘on campus’ placement.
Prelims and Mains: Simran took coaching in Delhi and her optional subject was Public Administration. She made notes to prepare for the prelims and studied from standard books. She paid special attention to mock tests and solved more than 100 mock test papers. She had made notes for the additional subjects in Mains, read them thoroughly, practiced answer writing with her sister and checked each other’s answers.
Interview: She had prepared every possible question that could be asked in the Personality Test. She stood in front of the mirror and practiced. While saying that her interview went very well, Simran revealed an interesting anecdote: “The board members asked about a case study which was related to my background, Mechanical and Automation Engineering. I was asked, ‘If you are traveling in a fully automatic car and you are going to have an accident, will you save the pedestrians on the road or yourself, and why?’”
Tips: Simran feels anyone from any background can clear this exam. “There are just a few things that have to be taken care of, like hard and smart work, being fully dedicated and focused on your goal, and most importantly, being patient,” she said.
Wish: Ever since she saw Vidisha Maitra, a 2009 batch IFS officer, replying to Imran Khan in the UN, she was greatly inspired by her. Since then, “IFS has become my dream. That’s why I have given first preference to IFS, second to IAS,” she revealed.
SRISHTI’S JOURNEY
23-year-old Srishti believes, just like her sister, that the UPSC journey has been life-changing. “In 2019, when I was in the last year of college, I decided to prepare for UPSC. After college, I took one year break and started preparing. This was my first attempt, and I was successful! Now I hope that I can do something for the country,”she said.
Education: Like her sister, she studied in the VSPK International School. But, Srishti did her B.A. in Economic Honors from Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi.
Prelims and Mains: Srishti also took coaching for a few months.She took sociology for her optional as there was always a curiosity in her to know the social issues of the country,and, also, because it is considered a scoring subject.
Srishti said that she made notes all the time, but these notes were such that they would work for both prelims and mains.For mains, Srishti strategy was same as her sister’s. Plenty of answer writing practice and solving old question papers and mock papers.
Interview: Srishti had a completely different strategy for the interview. Since communication is given special attention here, she indulged in a lot of preparation for that with her sister, interviewing each other and doing mirror practice. Finally, on the real interview day, she faced a barrage of questions on her Major subject Economics, like “if the Sensex is rising continuously, what difference will it make? How will you control inflation?” And many more…
Tips: Srishti has only one advice for aspirants. “The harder you work, the more you will benefit and the better your result will be. I think hard work is the only way to crack UPSC.”
Wish: Like her sister, she too aspires “to represent India at the UN. Whatever work will be given to me, the focus will be on completing it 100 percent!”
