BHOPAL: Nimishi Tripathi, the 24-year-old science graduate daughter of Avdhesh Tripathi, a forest guard in Madhya Pradesh, has cracked the UPSC Civil Service Exams in her second attempt.
A resident of the obscure Sanawad town of tribal-dominated Khargone district of MP, Nimishi secured 622nd rank in the UPSC Civil Service 2020 Exams Final Results declared on Friday.
Nimishi, who completed BSc (Maths) in flying colours from Delhi's Indraprastha College in 2017 and subsequently prepared for a year in the national capital at professional coachings, says the struggles of her forest guard father Avdhesh Tripathi (presently posted in Khandwa district) and focussed care and guidance by housewife mother Shaivalini Tripathi in taking care of both daughters (Nimishi being elder) was the prime inspiration.
"I've seen my father sweat and toil hard in the jungles as a temporary employee for years before his job became permanent in 2017. While he was posted in different places, he ensured that all three of us -- me, mother and my younger sister Nikita -- remained in Sanawad only to ensure that there was no break in our studies despite limited resources. Right from childhood, my father spoke about how a collector can bring change in any district and that is how cracking the civil services exam one day became my ultimate dream," Nimishi told The New Indian Express.
"In my first attempt at the UPSC Civil Services 2019 exam, I managed to clear the preliminary exam, but couldn't clear the Main Exam. Since then I have increased my focussed studies and finally managed to crack the coveted exam this year. Being from the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category, I expect to get the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) with 622nd rank, but I would take the exam again to better my rank," she maintained.
Nimishi's father Avdhesh Tripathi said: "Both my daughters have drawn inspiration from the pains in my life. After years of service as a daily wage employee of the forest department, I finally became a permanent forest guard in 2017. It's seeing my struggles that she always focussed on studies and was always a meritorious student at Vimla Convent School in Sanawad. She was the CBSE's Khargone district topper with 94% plus marks in Class XII."
While other youngsters, who cracked the Civil Services exams have idolised celebrities in various fields, for Nimishi, while parents are her inspiration, senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Sanjay Shukla is her role model.
"Sanjay uncle is like an angel to me, he has always treated me as his daughter and supported me in all my endeavours, right since I got admission in Indraprastha College in Delhi. I wouldn't have been here today without his support and guidance," Nimishi confessed.
Presently, the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (APCCF) of MP Forest Department, the senior IFS officer Sanjay Shukla still remembers how a few years back while being posted in Khandwa district, he met Nimishi's daily wager forest chowkidar father Avdhesh.
"Avdhesh told me that his daughter was chasing a dream of cracking the Civil Services exam. But in a temporary job, he couldn't do much to support her dreams. Then I met Nimishi and was wonderstruck by her steely resolve to become a competent district collector one day. Since then she has been like my own daughter and I've always stood behind her," the senior IFS officer said.
Importantly, while preparing for the Civil Services, Nimishi has also donned the social responsibility of imparting remedial classes to nine school dropout tribal children and has also given shape to her creativity through the tribal Mandana floor and wall paintings.