The Union Public Service Examination (UPSC) has recently declared the result of the Civil Services Examination, 2018 on its official website; upsc.gov.in. Kanishak Kataria, BTech from IIT Bombay, secured the first rank in the UPSC final exam 2018. Again, Srushti Jayant Deshmukh is the topper among women candidates, who achieved a fifth overall rank. Not just the toppers, it is a celebratory time for all those families, whose kids have aced one of the most stringent recruitment examinations. Everyone who cleared the UPSC civil service final exam, stood as inspirations for upcoming aspirants, and one of them is Uttar Pradesh boy, Satender Singh. A visually-challenged UPSC candidate, raised in a joint family, Singh secured 714th rank in the examination, all set to join the civil services. Rahul Gandhi Congratulates Sreedhanya Suresh, Tribal Woman From Wayanad to Clear 2018 UPSC Exam. 

Singh was born as visually challenged. It was a tragic circumstance that still haunts him. In an interview with Indiatimes, the 714th UPSC rank holder revealed how a wrong medication took away his eyesight. He was quoted as saying, "When I was one-and-half years old, I was in hospital due to pneumonia. I was given a wrong injection there which damaged my optic nerves because of which I lost my eyesight. My world fell apart after that incident and it was difficult for me to come to terms with that." However, it did not stop him from achieving what he always wanted in his career. Singh studied at one of country's prestigious, St Stephen's College, pursuing BA programme and was graduated successfully in 2012.

How did Singh prepare for UPSC?

Singh did his MA in International Relations from another prestigious institute, Jawaharlal Nehru University. He even completed his MPhil and eventually enrolled in PhD. There is no alternative to hard work, and Singh's success story is an excellent example of it. He was always able to read accurately, using a screen reading software. The software allows him to navigate and study efficiently. He could clear the UPSC civil service exams in his third attempt. Yes, and it was only hard work despite all odds, that Singh stood out in 2018 public service examinations.

Singh's success story is one of a kind, and he deserves all the credits for his passion and dedication to achieve this feat. Meanwhile, candidates who have qualified in the UPSC civil services examination 2018 will be appointed in order of merit to the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Police Service and Central Services, Group 'A' and Group 'B'. A total of 759 candidates with 577 men and 182 women have qualified for the appointment to the Indian Administrative Services.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 07, 2019 03:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).