Srushti Jayant Deshmukh – IAS Topper of UPSC CSE 2018
Srushti Jayant Deshmukh has created history in the results of UPSC Exam conducted in 2018 by scoring a whopping 5th rank and stands first among women candidates. It is also very interesting to note that among the 25 toppers of the exam, 15 happen to be male candidates whereas the rest of 10 are female candidates.
Women like Srushti are driven by courage and wit that has helped them achieve their dreams. We should draw huge inspiration from such people who can show us the path to success and teach us how to get there.
Education Background
Srushti, a resident of Bhopal did her schooling from Carmel Convent School, BHEL in Bhopal. She later pursued BE in chemical engineering from Rajiv Gandhi Technology University, Bhopal. She completed her graduation in 2018. Since a very small child Srushti showed keen interest in extracurricular activities conducted by the school.
She actively took part in scouts and guides, debates and a whole lot of cultural activities since her early days. So, being good at academics and extracurricular activities tells us that she was an all rounder right from her school days itself.
Srushti’s parents and immediate family has been her greatest source of strength in helping her realise and achieve this big dream by supporting her at every step of her education. Her father was very happy to take note of her success and made a point that she wasn’t an exceptionally great student at studies, but was reasonably very good. They made sure that she did take part in all other activities apart from studies to give her a handful of experience in diverse opportunities.
Path to success
The path to success, according to Srushti is not an easy one. It is of tremendous value to note that she has cleared the examination in her very first attempt itself. She had dreamt of becoming an IAS officer right from her childhood days and that did not remain just a lame thing in books. She worked actively towards making her dreams turn to reality. She put in a lot of hard work to start preparation for the UPSC exams.
According to her father, she had already started preparing for the UPSC exams by the time she joined the BE course. But she continued to do well in both of them, with the UPSC exams topping her priority list.
According to Srushti, the time investment that one makes to clear an exam as significant as UPSC is quite huge. For almost one to one and a half years, a person should mandatorily put in efforts continuously through day and night and toil hard to get himself to clear the exam. But with the right determination and staying focused through one’s studies and commitments, anybody can sail through the UPSC exam.
Self mentoring – The best idea
It is common for UPSC aspirants to find out about the best coaching centre and attend regular classes to get better preparation outcomes. But Srushti stresses on the fact that she did not attend any coaching class and instead chose to do self studies and prepared with a lot of determination.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Srushti had a lot of self confidence in herself. This self confidence is not to be mistaken with over-confidence though.
Discipline in approach towards studies, planning out well in advance, knowing what to study and maintaining consistency at every level of preparation goes a long way in acquiring higher ranks and making an attempt successful in the UPSC exam.
Srushti exhibited very high dedication, determination and commitment in her approach. She made it a rule for herself that even the first attempt should literally mean the last attempt to her in the sense that the seriousness with which she would prepare be magnified to a great extent.
Concentration and focus throughout the one to one and year half of preparation would be a value addition. Srushti read daily newspapers and magazines regularly to keep herself updated about latest happenings and current events in the world. These areas play a pivotal role in the UPSC exam papers.
When attending coaching, you may also spend a lot of time travelling, so self – study may take a backseat. It’s always better to identify your core strengths and weaknesses and try to work and improve the weaknesses into better places of scoring in the exam.
Internet aspects
Srushti believes that students tend to waste a lot of time getting hooked to social media for long hours. Instead they should be allowed only a certain time in the day to refer to things that are useful to them. Srushti used the internet only for her studies and as far as possible kept away from the attractive glitter that social media generally offers.
It is so addictive that it sweeps you off your feet and distracts you from your main goal. Clearing the UPSC exam is a childhood dream for many and even Srushti sought it in the same way. She managed to do it in the first attempt itself.
She undertook many online tests and referred to valuable resources and study materials from the internet. As is commonly seen, the internet is flooded with resources for UPSC exam preparation.
Every other online portal seems to be giving their own set of guidelines, tips and tricks. Aspirants must be smart enough to choose the right content from them and utilise it in their exam preparation.
The road ahead
Srushti believes largely in women empowerment. Our society is largely male dominated and women are not just considered unequal with their male counterparts, but they are discriminated at every sphere of life. If we see the participation of women in top notch exams like UPSC, women participation is quite less, but conditions are improving. Women like Srushti are creating history with their extraordinary achievements.
Srushti believes in supporting the causes of women and empowering them to lead a strong and independent life. Women need to be educated, they should be supported to come forward in large numbers to attempt exams like UPSC and serve in top notch posts of the country.
Education and health of women are of primary importance in the society. They need to be given more importance than anything else. Participation of women should increase in top roles of government to bring in efficient bureaucracy and governance.
Conclusion
Last but not the least; we should be proud of someone like Srushti who has shown us a path that should be followed by all. If we aim to clear the UPSC exams, then we should make that our big ambition in life and start collecting all relevant data pertaining to it. Discuss with peers and mentors who can motivate you and suggest right pathways to follow to crack very tough exams like these.
Srushti is definitely an inspiration to all women alike. Clearing the exam at such a young age of 23 gives her a feather in the cap. Knowing which path to tread, preparing oneself to face a tough terrain, willingness to dream big and the courage and efforts to turn that dream into reality is the perfect secret recipe to success.
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