CHENNAI/NEW DELHI: Twenty-six-year-old Sharanya A could have easily been an IT professional like many engineering grads who pass out every year. But she chose not to. When she graduated from SRM University with a B Tech in Information Technology five years ago, she set her mind on becoming a civil servant.
On Tuesday, she realised her dream and in style. Having secured the All India seventh rank, she is the highest rank holder from Tamil Nadu.
Her success comes after a determined pursuit of her dream. It was on her fourth attempt that she cleared the exam.
“This time, I was expecting to crack it but to find myself as the All India seventh rank holder is a pleasant surprise,” she told Express. Busy handling congratulatory calls and giving media bytes, Sharanya credits her family’s support as a big factor that enabled her success. “Everytime I was down, they encouraged me. Their words and support were a great source of hope for me.”
With her ranking so high, she will get her desired service which is the Indian Administrative Service. Sharanya, a native of Thanjavur, also has big hopes that she will get her first choice cadre — her home state.
Meanwhile, Puducherry added another feather to its cap, when R Vaithinathan, a candidate from the UT, secured the 37th rank in the civil services examination. The Muthialpet resident, who has an MBBS from Vinayaga Mission Medical College, Karaikal, has worked as a junior resident in hospitals in Delhi and Chennai.
The topper of the civil services examination, Delhi girl Tina Dabi (22), managed to crack it in her first attempt. Always an outstanding academic performer, the humanities student decided to take the Civil Services exam to become an “agent of change”. Railway officer Athar Aamir Ul Shafi Khan from Jammu and Kashmir got the second rank in the exam.