Civil services exam topper Ranjan says hard work, commitment pay off

Ranjan Rajgopal Shenoy from Manipal, who secured 112th rank in UPSC civil service examination, held in 2016, urged the aspirants to be committed with targeted preparation and hard work.

Interacting with the students of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College (MGM), he said, “Self-awareness in addition to the societal awareness is very crucial to break the crux of civil service exams in the final phase. A student with Arts background can take up civil service as a better career option. The right attitude with right approach would come as a blessing in disguise.”

He urged students to come out of the social media hangover as the approach towards civil service exams requires obligation.

Shenoy said, “The other essential quality is morality and to be human, which also makes the individual to react to the problem in the society. The empathy with punctuality would be the icing on cake.”

He said that the country requires people who can transform it which in turn would ensure development.
He also called upon the students of the region to join civil service as they are more polished and sophisticated, which would bring noticeable changes in the administrative set up of the country.The examinations can be cracked in any language as there is no compulsion on English language, he added.

Shenoy said the aspirants should read newspapers every day to increase the knowledge on the happenings around the globe.

Recalling his interview, he said that though he was confident, he could not do well in the interview. He said he was working hard to fulfil his aspirations since his college
days.

He tried in 2013, 2014, 2015 and in 2016. But he was successful in his fourth attempt and secured 112th rank.

He had however, secured 391th rank and was selected for IRS (Indian Revenue Service). He is undergoing probationary training for the IRS, at Hyderabad National Academy of Central Customs and Excise and Narcotics. His rank would make him select for Indian Foreign Service (IFS).

 He would be trained for the Civil Service Administration and later, would be trained for IFS for another three years.

Shenoy said that he is immensely happy and it is an occasion to bring in positive change in the society and contribute positively in the field wherein the country lacks the infrastructure. There would be public interaction and diversity.

He nurtured his dream while he was working in an NGO Teach for India in Dharavi slums in Mumbai for two years in 2012.

His optional was Anthropology and he reached the interview level in 2015, wherein he was not ranked.
He said he received constant support and expert guidance as he went to New Delhi for rigorous training after he quit his job in NGO.

He also had online training for the recent attempt. He completed his engineering in IIT, Kanpur.
Shenoy is the son of KMC professor and associate Dean Dr Rajgopal Shenoy and Dr Anitha Shenoy who works in the anaesthesia department of KMC.