File photo of IAS topper, Ira Singhal
She has a habit of not forgetting anything taught in a class, and would study only ten hours before her examinations till completing her graduation in Engineering from Delhi. She is also an expert in cooking and astrology. Here are the highlights of Ira Singhal's interview, the woman who topped the Union Public Services Commission civil services exam this year.
- I never considered my deformity to be a challenge for me. It all depends on how big you consider it to be a problem.
- I donated all my savings to the Uttarkashi earthquake relief fund. I was in class III and about eight years old in 1991.
- I wanted to become a doctor, but my father did not let me take up Biology to study medicine due to physical constraints.
- I qualified in 2010, 2011 and 2013 for the civil services exams, I should have been given a service but the current government criteria didn't allow me to get a service except in Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Foreign Service (IFS).
- I felt that with my background as an MBA, I should go for IFS.
- I can speak Spanish and I have taught it also for some time, a bit of French and I am learning Italian, Portuguese and German.
- I gave up last year when I got through Indian Revenue Service (IRS), as I was getting this service for the past three times. But then a friend of mine really insisted that I should not give up and try for IAS.
- Preparation for civil services examination is all about smart study, more observation and analysis that actually gathering stuff and reading from 5,000 sources.
- People who look at clearing civil services as a matter of life and death need to move beyond it. It will be tough for them to clear it if they think like that. There is life beyond these examinations.
- My favourite author is Victoria Holt. These days I'm trying to read Agatha Christie. It is tougher to read course books, but I love reading other books.
- Students who think that they are not good at Mathematics, it is mostly because of your teacher. It is the only subject where only teachers matter.
- I realized that when I secured 99.6% in Mathematics in my CAT examination. It is the only subject where what you get what you expect.
- We are normally not paying attention to our studies. Our attention span is not more than three minutes. When we sit for more time, we are actually fooling ourselves into believing that we are studying.
- My single aim to help society and I'm not after power, money or success. I don't lie to myself.
- IRS has little option of being in touch with people. You need a lot of work to be able to pick up minute details. It's quite a James Bond type of work.
- We cannot handle everything be being aggressive. We need to be tactful and understand both points of view.
- I'm not scared that I will keep fighting if I am wrong, and I will not stop if I'm correct. I can live with multiple transfers.
- We should explore everything. I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't do anything that will harm you or society and I don't lie. I do it because of my conviction, and not for anyone else's approval.
- I have roamed around the streets late night in Delhi many times at 4am with my friends. It is a wrong perception that Delhi is unsafe.