JNU has a fair share of success in Civil Services exams

Parul Sharma

NEW DELHI: Jawaharlal Nehru University here has had a fair share of success in the Civil Services Examination, 2007, that was conducted by the Union Public Service Commission and the results for which were declared this past Friday. Three students currently pursuing their Ph. D. and one doing his M. Phil. in JNU have cracked the most esteemed examinations of the country.
Smita Sarangi who secured an overall 15th rank in her fourth attempt is doing her Ph. D. in Sociology.
“It is like a dream come true for me. Managing Ph.D. and Civil Services together is a bit difficult and either one has to take a back seat. This examination requires a lot of patience. There are times when it becomes extremely frustrating and monotonous but you have to keep your spirits high,” said this 29-year-old who is married to a fellow JNUite.
Smita, whose Ph.D. is in the last phase, is contemplating finishing her IAS training and coming back to her alma mater at a later stage to complete her degree.
At the 17th position, Mahesh Kumar’s joy obviously knows no bounds. The 26-year-old from Rajasthan is doing his Ph.D. at the Centre for European Studies and has his sights firmly set on the Indian Foreign Service.
“This was my fourth attempt. It is easy here in JNU. The ambience is very conducive for Civil Services’ preparation. I took no coaching and prepared through group study,” he said.
Hailing from Bahadurgarh in Haryana, Shweta is also doing her Ph. D. from JNU. Having studied at Delhi University’s Kalindi College before going on to do her M.A. and M. Phil. from JNU, she is presently working as a lecturer at Kurukshetra University.
“I was doing three things at a time: Ph.D., teaching and preparing for Civil Services. But it was not unmanageable. My family and friends have been a tremendous support,” said Shweta who got the 147th rank in her fourth attempt.
Sonal Chandra, also from JNU, secured 161st position.
Apart from JNU, several Delhiites also fared remarkably well. The most notable being Ashima Jain who ranked the highest among women in her very first attempt.
Delhi siblings Mukta and Mukul Arya also made it to the Civil Services this year.
Mukta secured an overall 48th rank in her fifth attempt, while her younger brother Mukul was in the 347th position. He is simultaneously pursuing his M. Phil. from JNU. “It is all about dedicated hard work. It is a combination of studies and intelligent analysis. You just can’t cram things. Civil Services is more application oriented now. Shriram’s IAS helped us with the interviews,” said Mukta.