UPSC gives six chances to clear the Civil Services Examination. Some clear it in their first attempt itself, while some need multiple attempts. It is not easy to keep oneself motivated after successive failed attempts. Nikhil Mahajan from Punjab faced this situation when he failed to clear even the prelims in his fifth attempt.
However, in his last attempt, the sixth, he made it through all the stages, and quite convincingly at that, securing AIR 80. This was UPSC CSE 2021 and it was his last attempt. And he didn’t let it go in vain. His years of preparation and hard work, not to mention his tenacity, all bore him fruit and he tasted success finally.
LOST MOTHER AT THE AGE OF EIGHT
Nikhil was just eight years old when he lost his mother in a car accident. Suddenly, the world turned upside down for him and his father. All the responsibility of the household and of raising a child without mother fell on his father’s shoulder. While talking to a media channel, Nikhil said, “There was a lot of pressure on my father. He had to deal with the loss and, then, I was there. Many near and dear ones pressurised him to get married again as it is considered impossible for a man to raise a child alone. He didn’t lose hope and took all upon him. You won’t believe it, he even bought a recipe book to learn cooking. I can surely say that I am here because of him.”
FAILURES HIT HIS SELF-ESTEEM
A graduate in Electrical Engineering from IIT Delhi, Nikhil started his UPSC preparation in 2015. He gave attempt after attempt but success remained elusive. He didn’t have a job, his future was uncertain, and on top of that, he failed even the prelims in his fifth attempt. That really shattered him.
Recalling that time, he said, “The thing about failure is that it reduces your self-esteem, confidence and hope for your future. During that time, I used to miss my mother a lot and think what can I do to bring her back. Of course, nothing could be done to change the past. But, the thing that is yet to happen can be changed. I decided that there might be very minimal chance for me to clear the UPSC CSE, but I will take that and give my best shot at it.”
His tenacity and capacity for extreme hard work paid off and now he is all set to become a civil servant. According to him, the satisfaction of giving your best shot is much better than a lifetime regret of not trying at all.
