Sign in

UPSC CSE 2nd topper Jagrati Awsathi says hard & smart work helped me succeed

To become an IAS officer was my childhood dream but I achieved it with hard work and smart work, said Jagrati Awasthi, 24, who secured the second rank in the UPSC, civil Services Exam 2020, the result of which was announced on Friday.

Published on: Sep 24, 2021, 21:45:50 IST
By , Bhopal
Share
Share via
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
Copy link
  • copy link

To become an IAS officer was my childhood dream but I achieved it with hard work and smart work, said Jagrati Awasthi, 24, who secured the second rank in the UPSC Civil Services Exam 2020, the result of which was announced on Friday.

UPSC CSE 2nd topper Jagrati Awsathi says hard & smart work helped me succeed
UPSC CSE 2nd topper Jagrati Awsathi says hard & smart work helped me succeed

A resident of Bhopal, Jagrati Awasthi is a pass out of Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT), Bhopal. She completed her electrical engineering in 2016. After graduation, she cleared the GATE exam and joined BHEL as a technical officer. But in 2019, she decided to fulfil her childhood dream of becoming an IAS officer.

She started her preparation by joining a coaching institute in Delhi but after the spread of Covid 19, she had to return home to Bhopal.

Awsathi said, “Covid 19 and lockdown created an obstacle for me but didn’t stop me. I came back and joined online classes.”

My father, SC Awasthi, a homeopath, and my brother Suyash Awasthi is an MBBS second-year student, helped me in concentrating more on my studies, she added.

“When I started preparation, I used to study 8-10 hours daily. In 2019, I appeared in the exam for the first time but I didn’t clear even prelims. I realized that with hard work, I need to do smart work too. I practiced many questions and am happy that I cleared the exam in the second attempt,” she added.

Jagrati gave credit for her success to her mother Madhulata Awasthi as she left the job to help her in her studies.

“My parents didn’t watch TV for the past four years as firstly my parents wanted my brother to clear NEET and later for my studies. Even they used to talk over the phone outside the house and hardly used to share any personal news. My mother was a school teacher but she left her job for helping us in studies,” she added.

When I was not selected in my first attempt, I was a little depressed but my mother said don’t curse your luck but do more hard work. She was right, I finally got success said Jagrati. Now, Jagrati wants to do work for rural development as an IAS officer.

  • Shruti Tomar
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Shruti Tomar

    I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

Get latest news on RRB NTPC Admit Card along with Board Exam, Competitive Exam and Exam Result at Hindustan Times. Also get latest Job updates on Employment News, NEET UG Answer Key