https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Three Failures Couldn’t Take Her Focus Away from Her IAS Goal

Namami Bansal, who secured AIR 17 in CSE 2017, did not have it easy on her UPSC journey. She failed to qualify three times despite preparing hard for the exam. But she remained focused on her IAS goal, kept working hard, and finally achieved it in style by coming in the top 20. By Neha Nimisha
Indian Masterminds Stories

It is said that if you want to achieve success in life, you must stay focused on your goal and not let anything distract or deter you from the path that leads to it. 2017-batch IAS officer Namami Bansal’s success story proves it yet again how important it is to stay focused come what may. She was always good in her studies and passed with good grades in every class because she always stayed focused on her studies. Similarly, when she made up her mind for Civil Services, despite failing thrice, she did not lose heart and kept on moving on that road focusing only on the finishing line, and came in top 20, bagging the 17th rank in her fourth attempt at CSE.

Today, Indian Masterminds presents her story of grit, determination, and persistence that made her achieve her IAS goal.

ALWAYS A GOOD STUDENT

Ms. Bansal hails from Rishikesh where she pursued her early schooling.She did her primary level to intermediate from NDS Gumaniwala, where she brought laurels by securing 92.4% marks in class 10th and 94.8% in intermediate. Then she went to Delhi and graduated in Economics honours from Lady Shri Ram College. She was a bright student and always secured good marks in her school and college.

UNIVERSITY TOPPER

She did her MA in Economics from Open University, Haldwani, where she was the topper and received a gold medal from the Governor in 2017. She did not take any kind of coaching and cleared this exam by preparing for the subjects with the Internet help.

LEARNED FROM EVERY FAILURE

Despite three failures in her UPSC journey, she didn’t lose courage and hope, and ultimately cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) in her fourth attempt securing the 17th rank. She had started preparing for UPSC in the year 2014 itself. In her first three attempts, she could not clear all the phases. But three failures in a row could not dampen her spirits and she continued with her hard work remaining focused on her studies and goal. Finally, all this paid off and she made it to the successful candidates list in the year 2017 in style, coming in the top 20 with AIR 17.

ADVICE FOR ASPIRANTS

Looking at her own UPSC journey, she advices aspirants not to let failures overwhelm them at any point of time. She has proved that with perseverance, determination and hard work, no goal is unachievable.

She says: “Success cannot come to you.You have to work hard in order to achieve it. Never stop doing hard work in any situation. Failure will never overtake you if you are determined to work towards your dream. Always stay positive, believe in yourself, and only then start preparing for your exam every day.”


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
rec
REC Ltd Wins “NBFC of the Year” Award at 2026 Bharat NBFC & FinTech Summit for Infrastructure Financing Excellence
mohan cm
Madhya Pradesh Dairy Sector Grows 11% as CM Mohan Yadav Pushes State Toward India’s “Milk Capital” Status
NTPC Green
NTPC Green Energy Q4 FY26 Results: PAT Rises to ₹94.44 Cr, Board Approves ₹5,000 Cr Fundraising Plan 
cm yadav
Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav Promotes Organic Farming in Tribal Areas, Orders Study of Dantewada Model 
BSE Bombay Stock Exchange
BSE Revamps Major Indices: Ashok Leyland, One97 Communications and CG Power Join BSE 100 Reconstitution 
Killed on Duty, Forgotten in Death?
India’s Silent Green Warriors, Dying on Duty, Fighting for Recognition
cm yadav
Madhya Pradesh Emerges as Global Wildlife Conservation Model with 53 Cheetahs and Major Biodiversity Push
IRCON resized
IRCON Q4 FY26 Results: Profit at ₹192 Crore, Declares ₹1.90 Per Share Dividend Amid Revenue Dip 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Vikas Vaibhav
How IPS Officer Vikas Vaibhav Turned a Dream Into Bihar’s Biggest Youth Movement
ChatGPT Image May 18, 2026, 06_13_11 PM
Building a Premium Island Economy, One Indigenous Product at a Time
Rupinder Brar
Rupinder Brar Beyond the Desk: Music, Mindfulness & the Many Sides of a Civil Servant
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Ajay Gupta UPSC IFS 2025
How Ajay Gupta Cleared Both UPSC Civil Services and Indian Forest Service Exams in 2025
Ajay Gupta from Chhattisgarh secured AIR 91 in UPSC IFoS 2025 and AIR 452 in UPSC CSE 2025. Read about...
Sankalp Dixit IFS 2025
From Bhopal to AIR 8 in UPSC IFS 2025: How NIT Trichy Gold Medalist Sankalp Dixit Cracked India’s Toughest Exam in Just 3 Attempts
Sankalp Dixit secured AIR 8 in UPSC IFS 2025 through disciplined self-study, consistency, and smart preparation,...
WhatsApp Image 2026-05-19 at 1.33
The Engineer Who Left High-Frequency Trading to Crack UPSC in One Shot
From IIT Bombay and high-frequency trading to UPSC CSE 2025 AIR 194, Shreyansh Barodiya’s first-attempt...
CSR NEWS
REC
REC Foundation Signs ₹1.20 Crore MoA with LLRM Medical College to Boost Healthcare Access in Meerut
Mobile Medical Unit to Deliver Doorstep Healthcare Services to Underserved Communities in Uttar Pradesh....
mcl
MCL Partners with CIPET Bhubaneswar to Train 40 Youths in Electrician & Fitter Trades Under ₹1.26 Crore CSR Initiative
Through a 2-year residential ITI programme, Mahanadi Coalfields Limited aims to boost employability by...
cmpdi
CMPDI Boosts Maternal and Child Healthcare in Bilaspur with Advanced Medical Equipment Donation to SIMS
Under CSR initiative, CMPDI Regional Institute-V provides USG machine, fetal monitors, and central monitoring...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
rec
REC Ltd Wins “NBFC of the Year” Award at 2026 Bharat NBFC & FinTech Summit for Infrastructure Financing Excellence
mohan cm
Madhya Pradesh Dairy Sector Grows 11% as CM Mohan Yadav Pushes State Toward India’s “Milk Capital” Status
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Vikas Vaibhav
ChatGPT Image May 18, 2026, 06_13_11 PM
Rupinder Brar
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT