UPSC aspirant Rajat Sambyal was unable make it to the final round in his earlier attempts.
While congratulatory messages were being shared on social media for those who qualified for the UPSC exam, an aspirant who missed the chance by a whisker in his final attempt expressed his feelings, saying, “Ten years of hard work ended in ashes”.
But he appeared to take the results in his stride, adding, “And still I rise.”
Rajat Sambyal, who has completed his civil engineering from Punjab engineering college,Chandigarh, said it was his sixth and last attempt at cracking one of the toughest exams in the country. He could never make it to the final round in his earlier attempts. This time, however, he appeared for it and had hoped to emerge with flying colours.
“Ten years of hard work ended in ashes. Six UPSC attempts are over. Three times prelims failed. Two times mains failed. In my last attempt, yesterday, I succumbed due to a low score in an interview. Missed by 11 marks,” tweeted Mr Sambyal, who was born in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir and brought up in Jammu.
Along with the tweet, Mr Sambyal shared two images — his report card and his photograph captured outside the Union Public Service Commission office in Delhi.
The report card showed he had obtained a total of 942 marks.
Several people responded to his tweet with encouraging messages.
One user said Mr Sambyal could do better as a structural engineer. “I understand your sentiments. Destiny is unchallengeable (sic). You can shine as a structural engineer,” wrote the user.
Another user pointed out that he could help other aspirants crack the test with the immense knowledge he has acquired over the past 10 years. “Agree! Let's not ignore the immense knowledge acquired in the process. It's going to stay with you all along. I would suggest you to mentor the future aspirants,” commented the user.
A third user that apart from the success stories, at times “it's important to listen such journeys” as well.
One user said it wasn't a waste of time at all and that “this knowledge and the whole experience will prove most valuable in building your future life”.
A fifth user also commended “the courage and capacity to express themselves” like Mr Sambyal had done.
The UPSC announced the final results on Monday. It said 685 candidates had qualified. The results are available on the UPSC website.
Shruti Sharma secured the top rank. She graduated from St Stephen's College, Delhi, and then went to Jawaharlal Nehru University for her post-graduation. Ankita Agarwal, who has a degree in Economics (Hons) from Delhi University, was the second rank holder. Gamini Singla, who secured the third rank, had graduated from the Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh with a degree in computer science engineering.