https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

An Inspiring Journey of an “Average’’ Student turned IAS Officer

Don’t be disheartened at average or poor school results. Just look at how a 2018 batch-IAS officer Himanshu Kaushik didn’t think much about his not-so-great school results, and consequently, cleared the UPSC exam in his very first attempt.
Indian Masterminds Stories

Among the top candidates who manage to qualify for the UPSC exam every year, we have got you an inspirational story of a 2018 batch IAS officer who managed to clear the exam in the first attempt despite being an average student throughout his life. Mr. Himanshu Kaushik’s story is the epitome of dedication and hard work- a perfect antidote for people who discourage themselves due to their grades in studies.

In an exclusive interview with Indian Masterminds, Mr. Kaushik shared his success story and what is he looking forward to in his administrative career.

AN AVERAGE STUDENT

Mr. Kaushik is a resident of Delhi and had spent most of his lifetime in the capital. He comes from a middle-class family where his father is an engineer and his mother a Sanskrit teacher. He also has a younger brother who is an architect. Following the footsteps of his father, Himanshu also opted for a science background to become an engineer one day.

While speaking with Indian Masterminds, he said “After completing my schooling, I started preparing for the entrance exams in engineering to get into a good college like IIT. But I was unsuccessful in clearing any entrance exam. Finally, I got admission to Krishna Engineering College which comes under the Uttar Pradesh Technical University, located near my home in Ghaziabad.”

Mr. Himanshu Kaushik

Mr. Kaushik got through with his four years of engineering in 2013, in which he scored 65 percentage with two backlogs at the end semester. The result was not that good, yet he landed up with a job in the private sector as a software developer. The company was based out of Noida and Mr. Kaushik continued with it for two and a half years. Therefore, he got an opportunity in another company that was ready to pay Mr. Kaushik with a good salary package.

THE INSPIRATION FOR CIVIL SERVICES

Mr. Kaushik during his job in Noida

Initially, while working in Noida, Mr. Kaushik thought of appearing for civil services as he had a good command over general knowledge and was a keen observer as well. However, with his average performance in academics, people always demotivated him to appear for something like civil services. Ignoring all these negative comments, Mr. Kaushik also visited an astrologer but he found the same advice from there as well.

He said, “Even after I switched my job and was getting an increment, I wasn’t satisfied and happy while working in the private sector. I always had a thing for public service and governance. I used to observe the things which were out of place, such as broken roads, inadequate water supply and the culture of paying paying bribes to get your work done. My friends used to criticize the governmen,t but I always used to say that apart from criticizing, it should be a constructive criticism with a search for the solution.”

And then, after some deliberation, Mr. Kaushik took the plunge. He resigned from the private job, determined to appear for the UPSC exam. He said, “The time was uncertain as I took a big step, but I was committed to giving my best shot.”

CLEARING CIVIL SERVICES IN FIRST ATTEMPT

After quitting his job, Mr Kaushik started preparing for the UPSC exam. He joined a coaching centre in Delhi for which he used to travel two hours every day and attend classes for six hours. With utter dedication, he cleared the prelims exam on the first attempt.

Mr. Kaushik at LBSNAA

The prelims was a game-changer as it gave him confidence to prepare for the mains and the interview. His mains exam went pretty well and he was sure he will get selected for the interview stage. The interview also went equally well and after the results were declared in April 2018, he saw that he has cleared the exam with AIR 77. That was a proud moment for him, as he was considered an average student all his life, but he proved all the nay-sayers wrong.

Mr. Kaushik with his parents

Mr kaushik  became an IAS officer of the 2018 batch, and was allotted the Andhra Pradesh cadre. He got his first posting as Assistant Collector under training in the West Godavari district. After the training, he is now holding his first individual posting as Sub-Collector and Sub-Magistrate in Amlapuram in East Godavari district.

In the second part of the story, we will discuss about the opportunities and challenges he is looking forward to in his career, and his achievements so far.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Indigenous Underwater Robots
Indian Navy Signs ₹66 Crore Deal with Odisha-Based Startup for Indigenous Underwater Robots
Sumedha-Kataria
Haryana Govt Appoints IAS Sumedha Kataria as Woman Member of State Police Complaints Authority Amid Legal Controversy
Punjab-Haryana-High-Court-resized
HC Rejects Sports Quota DSPs’ Plea for Backdated Seniority in Haryana Police
sfgdgfg
Who Is IFS Officer Deepak Miglani? Appointed as India’s Next Ambassador to South Sudan - Career, Bio, and More
Bipul-Pathak-IAS-JK
IAS Bipul Pathak Appointed Principal Secretary (Home) of Delhi in Strategic Bureaucratic Reshuffle
bihar-cm-solar
Bihar Moves Towards Energy Self-Sufficiency: Solar Power Emerges as a Game-Changer Under Nitish Kumar
bihar cabinet
69,000 Government Jobs and ₹2 Lakh for Women Entrepreneurs: Bihar’s Mega Employment Push
IAS Ayushi KBC
Who Is IAS Ayushi? The Visually Impaired Officer Whose Inspiring Journey Moved Amitabh Bachchan on KBC 17
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr. S.K
Technology Meets Ecology: IFS Dr S K Srivastava’s Game-Changing Innovations in Forest Management | Eco Warrior Awards 2025 Interview
IFS Uttam Kumar Sharma Interview
From Extinction to Exhilaration: The Untold Story and Future Vision of Project Cheetah | Led by IFS Uttam Kumar Sharma | Eco Warrior Awards 2025
K M Abharna IFS Eco Warrior Awards 2025
Meet K. M. Abharna, the IFS Officer Behind Avni’s Case and Vidya Balan’s Sherni Role
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Ishwarlal Gurjar UPSC
10th Grade Failure to Indian Police Service: Ishwarlal Gurjar’s UPSC Success Path
Read the inspiring journey of Ishwarlal Gurjar from a small village in Rajasthan to becoming an IPS officer....
IAS Minnu P M
“Lazy, Sleepy, Yet Determined”: Minnu P M’s Honest Take on Cracking UPSC
Minnu PM, once a clerk in Kerala Police, cleared UPSC with AIR 150 after five years of struggle. Her...
IPS Ashish Tiwari
From IIT and Investment Banking to Public Service, Meet IPS Ashish Tiwari 
Ashish Tiwari, IIT graduate and former investment banker, chose public service over global finance. As...
Social Media
Parag Madhukar Dhakate
Relentless Rains Wreak Havoc in Dehradun: IFS officer PM Dhakate Warns Citizens Amid Flash Floods
Cloudbursts in Dehradun triggered flash floods. IFS officer Dr. PM Dhakate warned citizens to stay indoors...
Forest Guard Tiger Encounter
Tigers Clash in the Wild as Forest Guards Capture Rare Footage , Retired IFS Mohan Pargaien Posts Viral Video
Retired IFS officer Mohan Pargaien shares viral video of three tigers brawling in Ramnagar, as forest...
Tamil Nadu Gaur Rescue
Tiruchirappalli Forest Officials Risk Lives to Rescue Juvenile Gaur; Video Shared by IAS Officer Goes Viral
Trichy forest and fire teams risk lives to rescue a juvenile Indian gaur; IAS officer Supriya Sahu shares...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Indigenous Underwater Robots
Indian Navy Signs ₹66 Crore Deal with Odisha-Based Startup for Indigenous Underwater Robots
Sumedha-Kataria
Haryana Govt Appoints IAS Sumedha Kataria as Woman Member of State Police Complaints Authority Amid Legal Controversy
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr. S.K
IFS Uttam Kumar Sharma Interview
K M Abharna IFS Eco Warrior Awards 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT