D. Ananya Reddy of Telangana, who obtained the all-India third rank in the Civil Services Examination, 2023, believes that it is the result of her own hard work.
Ananya, who tasted success in her first attempt, said elements of luck, the Almighty’s grace, and the support of family and friends all had a role in her achieving the feat.
The girl from Mahbubnagar district was elated after the announcement of results on Tuesday.
"I am completely over the moon," she said.
What makes her success special is that she had prepared for the exam on her own. She took coaching only for the Anthropology optional.
Ananya admitted that she did not expect the third rank and was just hoping to be on the list. Since this was her first attempt, she did not have any idea about the benchmarks but was satisfied with her performance in the exam and the interview.
Ananya, who graduated in Geography from Miranda House, Delhi in 2021, said she studied with her own plan, which she prepared after taking into account both strengths and weaknesses.
For the Prelims, she studied with a different strategy, focusing on reading a lot of material. She revealed that for Mains, she focussed on revision but admitted that the interview was a bit tricky and her confidence was tested.
Ananya, whose father is self-employed and mother a homemaker, is the first in her family to get into civil services. She said she used to watch cricket matches to overcome stress. Talking to family and friends also helped in overcoming stress.
She said her parents gave her full freedom in choosing the course. She recalled that when she was in primary school, her grandfather used to say that she would become a Collector.
Meanwhile, Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy congratulated the rankers from Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in the UPSC -2023 civil services results.
He was delighted with the selection of more than 50 candidates for civil services from the Telugu states. He commended Ananya for securing the third rank at the national level.