Meet Kanishak Kataria, the IIT-Bombay graduate who topped the UPSC exam this year

Millions of students across India prepare for tough entrance exams such as JEE Mains and Advance for engineering, NEET for medical, and UPSC for civil services. . But only a lucky few crack them. Joining the list this year is IIT-Bombay graduate Kanishak Kataria, who has topped in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination.

Kanishak had opted  for mathematics as his optional subject in the national-level examination, which he cleared in his first attempt, Business Today reports. Previously a member of IIT-Bombay’s placement cell, he has been working with Samsung in South Korea for one-and-a-half-years as a data scientist, and later came to Bengaluru. While working, he realised that he was working “for the sake of money”, which didn’t satisfy him.

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In an interview with National Herald, Kanishak said,

Somewhere down the line, I had developed an aspiration to be a part of India's growth story, and decided to return to my country. Even a handsome package of around Rs 1 crore could not stop me from returning to India.

Hailing from Rajasthan, Kanishak is the son of IAS officer Sanwar Mal Verma. His father is currently posted as Director in Rajasthan’s Social Justice and Empowerment Department while his uncle, KC Verma, is a divisional commissioner in Jaipur.

When asked about his motivation, he said,

Since childhood, I have been watching my father and uncle working as senior officials for the country. I too wanted to be the same and [so] resigned from Samsung and came back to Jaipur.

Kanishak thanked his family members and his girlfriend for moral support, a statement that Twitteratti cheered as “progressive”.

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Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister of Rajashtan, congratulated Kanishak in a tweet.

In its statement, the UPSC it had recommended a total of 759 candidates, including 577 men and 182 women, for appointment to various services like IAS, IPS, IFS, etc.

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