Shikha Lal clears the Civil Services Examinations conducted by the UPSC

It has been a long awaited day. Like most IAS aspirants for whom it becomes a passion, my younger sister Shikha Lal has also been putting in a lot of effort in the preparation for the the Civil Services Eximaniation. Finally 16th May brought the good news of her success and final selection.

She has a unique combination of subjects, looking at her academic background. She has been meritorious throuout.

She used to be class topper in school. In +2 she studied Bio Science. After +2, she joined All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, and did four years' B.Sc. (Honours) in Nursing. She was the topper in her batch who joined AIIMS, and she also received scholarships while studying there. She was also meritorious while studying there.

She then decided to explore the Fashion and apparel industry, when I was already studying in NIFT. She joined National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), and did Post Graduate Diploma in Garment Manufacturing Technology (GMT). Here again, she received Gold Medal for 'Best All Round Performance' for NIFT-Mumbai centre (one person from one centre, including all courses, got this award).

She also worked in a export house for more than a year. But then her childhood aspiration to get into Civil Services came alive again. Parents supported her when she decided to attempt for it. And finally she did make it. Personally I do find it brilliant that she could do it even with her diverse academic background, and the subjects she chose for this exam was Psychology and Public Administration. Only she can tell us the secret :)

She is a very special person and everyone who knows her will agree with me on this. She is a wonderful soul, and I am sure if more people like her come into the Civil Services, they will certainly build a better India, a better world.

All the best to you, Shikha. Go ahead and fulfil your dreams. We are proud of you :)

**More than 300000 candidates appear for this exam and the final selection this year was for 734 candidates. Shikha ranked 456 in the final list.

From UPSC Website: A total number of 734 candidates recommended for appointment include 286 General (including 12 Physically challenged candidates), 266 Other Backward Classes (including 5 Physically challenged candidates), 128 Scheduled Castes (including 5 Physically challenged candidate) and 54 Scheduled Tribes candidates.