THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Thiruvananthapuram on Friday repeated its history of success in the Civil Service Examinations (CSE), with many aspirants from the state capital securing high in the national rank-list.
Leading them was Sreeja J S from Naruvammoodu, who secured the 57th rank in the country. Sidharth M Joy and Anusha A S secured the 271st and 284th ranks. Ajay Raj, a visually impaired candidate from Kozhikode who secured the 109th rank, had studied in a private coaching centre in the capital.
Sreeja, who cleared the exam in the first attempt, said her civil services journey had been gratifying.
“Even the final interview was an enjoyable conversation,” said the 24-year-old, who had been aspiring for a top-tier government posting since Class 7.
She said her father, Jayakumar M, a labourer and mother, Sheejakumari, a homemaker, were the pillars on which Sreeja built her dreams despite financial hurdles. “My parents told me: ‘If you have an ardent desire for something, pursue it. Finances will be managed over time,’” the IFS aspirant said.
For Sidharth, his journey was all about multitasking. He attended the the exam for the first time while doing post-graduation, enrolled for PhD, cleared secretariat assistant and emerged the second rank-holder in the KAS exam, just days before bagging rank 271 in CSE.
“I don’t know how, but I managed to strike a balance between all of it,” said Sidharth. Originally from Kollam, his family settled in Thiruvananthapuram a long time ago.
For Anusha, the toughest part of the preparation was to keep her mind stable and her focus unwavering.
“I completed my masters in zoology. So, whenever I doubted myself, I would think of going back to the usual science route of teaching. However, I would somehow bounce back and work towards my goal,” the Pravachambalam native said.