Civil Services Rank Holder From Kerala Fulfills Childhood Dream Of Becoming A Public Servant:

Gahana Navya James- AIR 6
– PC : MRP Graphics

UPSC CSE 2022 Topper: Gahana Navya James, from Kerala, who secured the sixth rank in the All India Civil Services Examination, said on Tuesday that being a public servant was her childhood dream and ambition, but she never expected to achieve such a high rank.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) announced today that a total of 933 candidates, including 613 men and 320 women, have qualified the CivilServices Examination 2022. The top 25 candidates comprise 14 women and 11 men, according to the UPSC.

Expressing her happiness about the unexpected achievement, James, a PhD student, mentioned that she did not take any coaching to clear the competitive exam.

Hailing from Pala in this southern district, James is the daughter of retired college professor C K James Thomas. She is also the niece of IFS officer Sibi George, the Indian Ambassador to Japan.

James mentioned that her uncle was a huge inspiration, and her younger brother, a degree student, served as her motivator.

The rank holder stated that she primarily relied on newspapers and the internet to gather information, and she cleared the Civil Services Examination on her second attempt.

“I have always believed in self-study… So, I didn’t opt for any coaching. I have been reading newspapers since childhood and try to develop my own opinion on various issues and developments. I think it has helped me a lot in the exams,” she told reporters.

Being a public servant or a civil servant has been my childhood dream, she added.

After completing her graduation in history and post-graduation in political science, where she secured first rank in both, she is currently pursuing her PhD at Mahatma Gandhi University.

“I always strive to give my best in the examination and never think about the results. This time also, I did the same. I am so happy that I could make it,” an elated James said.

The Civil Services Examination is conducted annually in three stages: preliminary, main, and interview. The UPSC conducts this examination to select officers for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and other civil services.

The Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2022 was conducted on June 5 last year, with a total of 11,35,697 candidates applying for it. Out of these, 5,73,735 candidates actually appeared in the examination.

A total of 13,090 candidates qualified for the written (main) examination, which was held in September 2022.

Finally, a total of 2,529 candidates qualified for the personality test of this prestigious examination.