May 7, 2009

Bengal students bag top honours in Civil Services exams



KOLKATA:May 06, 2009-Some of the top rankers in this year’s All India Civil Services Examinations appeared from Bengal. The Indian Express profiles four of them:

Shilpa Gouri Saria
Rank: 25
Saria, a resident of Phoolbagan in Kolkata, spent 18 hours everyday on her studies. Her elated parents credit the success to Shilpa, who is working as a CA with the PricewaterhouseCoopers. “She worked very hard for this. She did her B.Com (Hons) from Calcutta University and stood 3rd,” says her mother.
Saria’s academic record has been excellent through out. She had topped in her school in both the ICSE & ISC examinations with 93 per cent. She had also secured all-India highest score in Mathematics with 99 per cent. “She was also a rank holder in the Chartered Accounts examinations and was the topper among women candidates in the eastern region,” said her mother.
“One has to forget everything. Even going to a movie was like losing three precious hours of preparations,” says Saria, whose relaxes by listening music. Keen to “serve the nation and the society”, she believes that though politicians frame policies but they have to work in coordination with administrative officers. On celebrating her success, she says: “Certainly there will be one, but my family members will be dealing about it,” Saria replies. Right now she wants to take some much-needed rest as she has a few months before her training starts.

Kaushik Bhattacharya
Rank: 30
Kaushik is currently Block Development Officer of Lalgola in Murshidabad. “After joining the West Bengal Civil Services in 2005, I realised that there is so much we can offer to the society. I was determined to crack the civil services examinations,” said the 26-year-old. He says it is a myth that civil servants cannot do much for the society. “Civil servants are endowed with enough power and can do a lot for the people,” he added.
“Interestingly, I was not asked any question in the examination about my job profile. I was rather asked a question on the image of the state after Nano was pulled out from the state,” he added. Kaushik opted for West Bengal, his home state, and he wants to work for the people of Bengal. An Economics graduate from APC College in New Barrackpore, he had chosen Economics and Political Science as his optional papers for civil services exams.
Although he made it to the top in his fourth attempt, Kaushik did not go to other states like several other candidates to appear for the examination. “There was no reason why I could not prepare from Bengal. So I did not go to other states,” said Kaushik. Kaushik comes from a family of bureaucrats. Kaushik’s father Shyamal Kumar Bhattacharya is an IAS officer and is the Director of Fisheries in West Bengal.
Anuj Jha
Rank: 52
This is the second time that Anuj has succeeded in civil services examinations. Last year, he was selected for the Railway Services, so he appeared again this year and achieved what he desired most. “I want to become a District Magistrate which is the most coveted post in Civil Services,” said a beaming Anuj.
After completing his schooling from Madhubani in Bihar, Anuj did graduation from a college in Durbhanga. His father Badri Jha retired from his job when Anuj was doing his graduation. He says that he cannot build the nation single-handedly. So he wants people’s support to succeed.
Susmita Bhattacharjee
Rank: 498
Susmita owes her success to husband Rabindranath Chaterjee, a management lecturer at the Sikkim Manipal University in Kolkata. “Without my husband’s help and guidance I would not be have been able to make it to the merit list,” says Susmita, who has a 20-month-old son Maitraiyo. A resident of Dum Dum Park in north Kolkata, Susmita says that finally her longstanding desire to serve the people has been fulfilled. Though she had high hopes for a better result but nursing the toddler and pursuing her studies proved a bit tough. She has opted for IAS, IPS and IRS. She says she will settle for IRS since it is related with her subject economics. Susmita says that she never followed a proper routine for her preparations and adds that her hobby was reading. She took coaching from the Institute for Civil Services Aspirants at Salt Lake.

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