THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Civil Services exam state topper Dilip P Kainikkara could have continued with his high-paying corporate job at the headquarters of a global electronics major in South Korea. But the urge to do something worthwhile for the common man prompted the IIT Madras alumnus to set his eyes on Civil Services and crack the exam in his third attempt.
The 28-year-old, who hails from Changanassery, was the topper in the Kerala Engineering Entrance examination in 2011 but decided to join IIT Madras to pursue his BTech. Soon after completing his engineering course, Dilip landed a coveted job in South Korea through campus placement in 2015.
“Afer spending three years in the corporate world, I developed a sort of disconnect with the sector. I wanted to work at the grassroots and do something for our people,” Dilip told TNIE. The support from his family encouraged Dilip to quit his job and begin his attempt at cracking the Civil Services exam. He had chosen Mathematics as his optional subject for the Mains exam.
The first attempt was a failure. He tried again and cleared the exam and was allotted Indian Forest Service. While being an IFS probationer, he decided to give the exam one more shot. In his third attempt, Dilip bagged the 21st rank and is all set to realise his ambition of becoming an IAS officer.Dilip’s father K S Kuriakose is a retired sub-inspector of police and his mother Joliamma George is a school headmistress. His sister Amalu K Kainikkara is an MSW student.
Alfred O V from Kannur who bagged the all-India 57th rank in the Civil Services examination too was lucky in his third attempt. Twenty-five-year-old Alfred did his BCA course from Christ University, Bengaluru. He was working as a software engineer in Delhi before thinking seriously about Civil Services. “In my first attempt, I could not even clear Mains. In my second attempt, my rank was 310 and was allotted Indian Postal Service. It was while undergoing training at National Postal Academy, Ghaziabad, that I appeared for interview,” said Alfred who chose Geography as his optional subject.
“Even a person who has not studied in a top-ranked school or is not an IIT-IIM material can crack the examination, provided he puts in enough hard work,” said Alfred. His father Vincent O J is an agriculturist and his mother Thresiamma a homemaker. His elder brother works in the IT sector in Bengaluru and his sister is a Psychology student.