City girl bags UPSC AIR 5 in her last attempt

Gurgaon: Having worked at NITI Ayog for two years as an Indian Economic Service officer and currently undergoing training for the Indian Police Service, Gurgaon’s Ruhani (28) has now added another feather to her cap.

Daughter of two government teachers based in Old Gurgaon, Ruhani has bagged All India Rank (AIR) 5 in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exams, the results of which were announced on Tuesday afternoon.

Ruhani graduated in BA (Hons) Economics from St Stephen’s College and went on to pursue a Masters' degree in the same subject from IGNOU. She joined NITI Ayog as an IES officer in Aug 2020 and worked there till Oct 2023, when she joined the IPS as a trainee.

“She has finally got what she always wanted — to become an IAS officer. This was her last attempt in the general category. Last year, she bagged AIR 159. She decided to continue with her preparation while training for IPS in Hyderabad,” her father Suresh said.

Before college, she studied at a private school in Gurgaon. Ruhani has a younger sibling, who is a software engineer in a city-based private company.

Her father said, “The pandemic kept us all home. But she utilised the time to work towards her dream.”

Bahadurgarh’s Shaurya Arora (24) bagged AIR 14, fulfilling his father Bhushan’s childhood dream. Bhushan appeared for the UPSC exams four times but couldn’t crack them. His son — an IIT Bombay graduate — managed to achieve the feat.

“I could not clear the prelims in the first attempt. But this time, I worked really hard and was ready to face the challenge. I can never thank my parents enough for their support,” said Shaurya.

Suman Yadav, an aspirant from Gurgaon’s Sarai Alawardi, bagged AIR 170 in her second attempt too. She was preparing for the UPSC exams for the last three years. Having studied in the city till Class XII, she pursued BSc from DU.

Her father Balwant Yadav said, “Educating daughters always brings happiness as they bring home more laurels than boys. This is a message that we have been spreading in our society and now we have our own daughter as a mascot for this,” he said.

Gurgaon’s Manisha Janghu, a BSc (chemistry) graduate from DU’s Maitreyi College, secured AIR 247. She could not even clear prelims in her first attempt, just like Suman, and this year, she managed to clear all three stages. She is currently undergoing training as an SDM after clearing the Haryana Civil Service exams last year. “Cracking the UPSC exams was always my dream. I did not take any coaching for the exam. Instead, I made use of the materials available online for preparation,” she said.

Divya, daughter of a Gurgaon police inspector, secured AIR 665. Her father Balraj Yadav is posted at the DLF 3 police station. Prakhya, daughter of assistant sub-inspector Rambir — who is posted at the Palam Vihar crime branch — secured AIR 584.