Jamshedpur boy Kanishka (30) feels that joining the civil services will give him that extra bit of opportunities to go out of his way and serve the people. Kanishka has secured the 36th position across the country in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in the reserved list, the results of which were declared on January 4.
“I saw my cousin and friends preparing for the UPSC and it pushed me to take the exam as well. When I first saw the syllabus I found it to be extremely interesting as it covers everything about our country in great detail. With civil services one gets an opportunity to do good work and serve the people. I also feel that it provides one with a wider scope to reach out to those in need. Any other job might restrict one, but in civil services public services comes naturally. Upon clearing the exam I feel my job will be a lot more meaningful,” said Kanishka.
The civil service aspirant had also appeared for the coveted exams twice before in 2016 and 2017 but could not clear the interviews. Kanishka is of the opinion that preparing for the UPSC has changed his personality and made him more humble as a person.
“The entire process of studying has made me very socially aware about my country. The exam teaches you everything from the Constitution, law to the environment, ethics, values and education. No other degree can give you this width of knowledge and information,” remarked Kanishka.
An ardent football fan, an animal lover and also a guitarist, Kanishka quit his lucrative job with a multinational company and decided to appear for the civil services exams for the third time in 2019.
“Cracking the civil services can be very luck based with 50 per cent being hard work and the remaining 50 per cent is sheer luck. For those planning to appear for the exam, I would just suggest that they must first assess the syllabus before jumping into it. I decided to quit my job as a senior analyst in a multinational company and dedicate my time to prepare for the UPSC exams in 2019, but I also feel that with proper time management it is possible to work and study simultaneously,” added Kanishka.
Born and brought up in the Steel City, Kanishka completed his schooling from Loyola School in 2007. He completed his BE Honours as well as MSc Honours from BITS Pilani in 2012. He is currently based in Delhi and is working as a freelancer for data analytics projects.
His father Prabhat Kumar Sharma is the head of administration in Tata Steel at Angul, Odisha and his mother Rashmi Sharma is a homemaker.
“When Kanishka decided to appear for the civil services exams it came as a surprise to us. We are extremely proud of his achievements. He is a very kind hearted person and wants to do something good for society. As parents we are proud of him as a person, as a student and as an individual,” said the proud father.