BENGALURU: It was an unmitigated joy and sheer relief for the family and friends of Sanskriti Singh on Tuesday afternoon when news arrived that she had cracked the UPSC Mains. The 29-year-old, who has bagged the 366th rank in her fourth attempt, now becomes the fourth generation in her family to clear this exam, regarded as one of the toughest in the world.
The proudest person is without doubt her father, Rakesh Singh. Juggling multiple roles as the Additional Chief Secretary to Urban Development as well as Water Resources, he is also the BBMP Administrator. He consistently motivated her saying it was achievable though she did not go past the preliminary exam hurdle in her previous three attempts.
“I am ecstatic right now. Becoming an IAS officer is a childhood dream. It is the best gift I could offer my father who is set to retire from service next month,” Sanskriti told TNIE.
Her great-grandfather, S P Singh, belonged to the British ICS cadre while her grandfather, Bharat P Singh, was an IPS officer.
Her husband Avinash Shandilya too is a civil servant and the couple reside in Delhi presently where he is posted. Elaborating on her journey, Sanskriti said, “Of the two papers to be cleared in the prelims, the CSAT one which deals with Math and Logical Reasoning was my Achilles heel. I could not score high in it in my three attempts. This time around, my extra focus was on it. I spent 2-3 hours daily clearing past papers, preparing from NCERT books, and other reference material. My husband’s experience in clearing the exam came in handy as he became my mentor.”
It was 12-13 hours of study daily with sleep between 4 am and 10 am. “It is a year-long study schedule. I had to give up my hobbies of reading fiction and traveling to remain focused completely. I used to take a small break every fortnight and catch up on friends to recharge myself for the grueling daily schedule. My in-laws in Patna were completely supportive of my dream. I had to sacrifice meeting them or my parents in Bengaluru to concentrate on my goal. Both families are crying with happiness after my success,” she adds.
Having studied up to Class 4 in Hassan and Vijayapura where Rakesh Singh was then posted, Sanskriti later studied at Convent of Jesus and Mary in Delhi. She then graduated in History Honours from St Stephens College and pursued her law degree at Delhi University later. Since then, Sanskriti has been single-mindedly studying for the UPSC exam keeping other options at bay.
What if she had not cleared? “Two more attempts are left. I would have used them,” she responds. No wonder her father says of her breakthrough-- “It is a testament to her resilience and desire to succeed.”