1. Sandeep Kumar, 28, SC, Rank—780
I have lived in a slum all my life, in Delhi and went to school here. My father was an auto rickshaw driver. I cleared the exam in the second attempt. I was a correspondent student at Delhi University’s School of Open Learning during graduation and couldn’t afford coaching for the IAS exams. My family migrated here in the 1970s from lack of work and poverty in Amravati, Maharashtra.
I lost my father, the sole bread-winner, to a heart attack in 2014. I didn’t know about civil service until around 2010. In a chance encounter, I heard of the IAS as a “big post” worth trying for. That set me off, and I began from scratch -- by googling what IAS and UPSC stand for. After this I began studying 10-12 hours a day in earnest.
In my surroundings, there are hardships for all around, so I don’t fight shy of revealing I am a Dalit. I am one of those who consider BR Ambedkar their icon. I am one who believes in Bhagat Singh as a role model. I have seen my community and locality’s people mired in ignorance through my youth and want to change that. Nobody in my slum knows about IAS. There is no awareness among the Dalits and a great lack of confidence as well.
I alone have cleared class ten in my family. My younger brother studied all day, then worked nights, to support me. I expect to make it to the IPS this year. I will join the service I’m given. Since this is only my second attempt I will try again for IAS. It is premature to consider either excluding the relatively well-off or a reservation on solely economic criteria. I am from a slum so I know how poverty and ignorance are widespread and exist together.
2. Abhishek Kumar, 25, ST, Rank—71
I am assured a place in the IAS. I have tried twice before to enter the prestigious administrative service. This year, I am among the few dozen engineers and doctors who have made it through. My father, a stenographer in a government department, worked his fingers to the bone to get us children educated. I went to IIT, Kharagpur. I always heard people talk about ‘the system’ but now I will see how it really works. We always say, India has good policies but lacks in execution. Now I want to see if this is true, or if we lack intention somewhere. My parents, not I alone, struggled very hard for him to go to IIT, and my sister to Maulana Azad Medical College. My parents sacrificed everything for us. My maternal uncle, a well-known Dalit activist in Maharashtra, told me about the possibility of joining government service. I believe in Ambedkar. My uncle inspired me to take a shot at the civil service exam, while Ambedkar inspired all Dalits to rise above their given circumstances. The IAS is a stable career option, but it also has another, deeper significance, which is to do something meaningful for the public.
I left the option of being in a large company where I was placed through campus interviews at IIT. The toughest part of civil service preparations was to make great sacrifices of time, and giving up on social life. It entailed tremendous isolation, while I studied for 10-12 hours a day. My aim is to try and create a level playing field, and I will see how that can be done through public service. I have made it into the merit list though I am entitled to reservation. So I would be considered a general candidate. My view on reservation is that many may have got opportunities through reservations. They may have been many placed in a position to reap the benefits of reservations, but it is not yet time to discard reservations or to see them in purely economic criteria.