From a very young age, IAS Rishita Gupta’s dream was to become a doctor. That is why she took admission in the science stream in 11th because she wanted to pursue MBBS after her 12th. However, fate intervened and her father, who was suffering from cancer ,passed away around this time and the trauma affected Rishita so badly that she couldn’t concentrate on her studies and lost out on a medical seat. This was the turning point that would take her towards UPSC and IAS later in her life.
Hers is a story of shattered dream and the birth of a new dream out of the ashes of the old. Indian Masterminds presents this story today.
LIFE TOOK A DIFFERENT COURSE
IAS Rishita Gupta cracked the most prestigious and difficult examination UPSC CSE with AIR 18 in her very first attempt in 2018. She is currently posted as Sub Collector (Revenue) in Villianur, Puducherry.
She hails from New Delhi and was a very bright student since her childhood. She credits this to “a studying environment at her home”. Her parents always supported Rishita and her sister to focus solely on their studies. This is the reason young Rishita aspired to become a successful doctor.
Accordingly, she studied 12thin the science stream. However, fate had other plans. When she was studying in 12th, her father,who was suffering from cancer,passed away. For Rishita and the family, it was a huge loss.
The trauma impacted her so badly that she couldn’t study properly and was unable to get enough marks to get admission in a medical college. However, she got a grip on herself and completed her bachelor’s degree in English Literature.
And, in 2015, she decided to shift her focus towards civil services and started preparing for the UPSC CSE examination. Eventually in 2018,her hard work and determination paid off and she cleared the exam in her first attempt with AIR 18.
UPSC PREPARATION STRATEGY
Ms. Gupta attended coaching, made notes, gave mock tests, did a lot of revision and made full use of the available resources to get this position. She considered the first attempt as the last and learned from the mistakes that other people had made before her. Overall, Rishita prepared by covering every angle as much as possible. She kept the books limited but repeated them again and again. “Always keep the concepts clear and read NCERT first to strengthen the base,” was her advice to young aspirants, while talking to media.
She believes that it is not necessary to have a lot of money to prepare for this exam. A laptop, a good internet connection, a few books, a printer, and possibly annual coaching notes, are enough for the preparation, as almost all materials are available online these days. “While choosing the option, just listen to your heart.Make a complete preparation strategy. Keep making notes and read as much as you can to revise,” she said.
She also suggests daily reading of newspapers and monthly magazines for general knowledge.
WISE WORDS
Ms. Gupta also said that instead of focusing on the result, “focus only on the preparation. If the preparation is good, then, naturally, you will get good results.”
Her story shows that irrespective of what educational background you come from, what you have studied, or how meritorious you have been as a student, all these things do not really matter. The day you think of achieving something with all your heart and take the right steps in the right direction, success will be yours. Many doors will open for you, and you can choose which place to enter, and that too on your own terms.
