UPSC topper’s bittersweet journey: Language ‘mishap’, a failed attempt and, finally, the win

NEW DELHI: Shruti Sharma couldn’t believe it. But as she shared the biggest news of her life with her mother and grandmother, the feeling of disbelief slowly began to dissipate. Sharma, 25, topped the civil services exam, the results of which were declared on Monday by the Union Public Service Commission. Remarkably, the first three places in the list were of women.
Sharma, an alumna of the city’s Sardar Patel Vidyalaya and St. Stephen’s College, was followed, in ranking order, by Ankita Agarwal, another former Delhi University student, Gamini Singla and Aishwarya Verma.
“My preparation for the exams was a bittersweet journey,” Sharma told TOI, alluding to the two attempts it took her to join the hallowed institution of the Indian Administrative Service. As her mother, Rachna Sharma, revealed, “She sat for the exam this year again after an error last year when the language she submitted in her form went as Hindi. Even so, she missed being called for the interview only by a single mark.”
If she had done so well in a language not of her choosing, Sharma was confident of a high score if she wrote the exams in English. She prepared for the tough test at Residential Coaching Academy in Jamia Millia Islamia. She had chosen her coaching institute well, for on Monday the list of successful aspirants had 23 names from her academy. Jamia vice-chancellor Najma Akhtar spent no time visiting Sharma’s home in south Delhi to congratulate her.
Daughter of an NIT, Kozhikode, alumnus and a former teacher, Sharma firmed up her idea of appearing for the UPSC civil services exams when studying for her BA history honours degree at St. Stephen’s College. She subsequently joined Jawaharlal Nehru University to pursue a master’s degree, but dropped out to prepare for the civil services exam.
“What stood me in good stead was my habit of preparing my own notes. I also practised writing for my mains,” Sharma smiled. She is open to working in any field, but education and health interests her. She hopes to get the Uttar Pradesh cadre, the home state of her parents.