“Unbelievable” is how 24-year-old Harshita Goyal, who secured All India Rank 2 in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination, described the result and the feeling. In addition to Goyal, Margi Chirag Shah, who secured AIR 4, is the second woman from Gujarat to bag a spot in the top five of what is widely considered among the toughest of competitive examinations. The UPSC exam results were announced on Tuesday.
Being her third attempt, first both in mains and interview — she could not clear the prelims in last two attempts — Goyal is a commerce graduate from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and Chartered Accountant (CA).
“It is unbelievable. The feeling of securing AIR 2 is difficult to sink in at the moment. I was confident that I would get selected but with the level of uncertainty in the UPSC results getting in the top three feels like a cherry on the top. I have made my family proud, especially my mother… wherever she is, she must be very happy,” Harshita told The Indian Express. She lost her mother to cancer 10 years back.
Harshita’s father Govind Goyal who works in a private company in Kutch had to shift the family from Sadulpur in Rajasthan’s Churu district to Vadodara when she was in school. She was born in Haryana’s Hisar and has a younger brother studying in Class 8.
“We never felt her mother’s absence as she is supporting her from heaven. Whenever our children were in any kind of trouble, I believe her mother was the one who ensured that all the hurdles were gone. Bhagwan ki kripa se Harshita ko uski mehnat ka fal mila hai (By God’s grace, Harshita’s hard work has been rewarded). She never misused the freedom we gave her, never wasted her time and excelled in whatever she chose, be it CA or UPSC,” Govind Goyal told this paper.
Harshita did her schooling from Urmi and New Era Schools in Vadodara. For the last two years she was training at Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration (SPIPA) — Gujarat government’s training institution for both government functionaries and candidates for central and state public service examinations.
This year SPIPA has recorded 26 successful candidates —the highest so far.
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“This is the highest and best result so far… with top 30 ranks including AIR 2 and 4 being from Gujarat,” SPIPA Director General Hareet Shukla told this paper. In 2024, a total of 25 candidates from Gujarat had cleared the UPSC exams with the highest AIR of 31.
Harshita started preparing for UPSC after she cleared her CA in 2021 with Political Science and International Relations as her optional subject.
“I wanted to take something different from my field… I chose this subject out of curiosity and interest. As I wanted to do something for the society, my father motivated me to prepare for UPSC and aim for IAS. If not selected this time I would have continued preparing and taken all the six attempts. This is for my family and my ultimate dream is to serve the nation,” she added.
Not ruling out the moments of self doubt, she shared, “I was suffering from typhoid during my mains exam but with the support and help from my father and friends, I was able to sit for the examination.”
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On her preparation for the UPSC, Harshita said that she did not have a fixed schedule or regime but believed in quality over quantity. “I would take breaks whenever I felt I could not study anymore. I balanced studies and my interests. I like to watch movies, paint and hang out with friends. Whatever time I could give to my preparation I gave my best,” she added.
Meanwhile, Prof Dhanesh Patel, in-charge vice-chancellor of The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in a statement said “It is a moment of immense pride and joy for The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda to witness our alumna, Harshita Goyal’s remarkable accomplishment… (which) reflect not only her personal commitment and academic brilliance but also the nurturing environment and academic excellence of the Faculty of Commerce. Such achievements inspire our entire student community and reinforce the University’s vision of shaping future leaders for the nation. On behalf of the University, I extend my heartiest congratulations to Ms. Goyal and wish her great success in her journey of public service.”
Fifth time’s the charm
Margi Chirag Shah, from Ahmedabad, who secured AIR 4, will be turning 26 in three days. A computer science engineer from LD College of Engineering in Ahmedabad, she sat for her first UPSC attempt in 2020. Being her fifth attempt — second interview and third mains — Margi decided to pursue civil services as her career option when she joined college. “I was expecting to ace the exam but AIR 4 was a sweet surprise. My family is overwhelmed, emotional and grateful and still taking time to register the feeling,”she told this paper. “No other career offers the opportunity to bring such an impact in the society right from the grassroot level…that is why I chose to prepare for UPSC instead of working after I completed my engineering,” she told The Indian Express.
With two focus areas on her mind — quality primary education and empowerment of women not only financially but holistically — Margi said, “I already have a science background, I wanted to have a social perspective to understand the society better in order to work for this cause. I chose sociology as my optional subject over others.” Daughter of a private school teacher, her father Chirag passed away in 2017 due to cardiac failure. Her younger brother is pursuing B Sc from IISC Bangalore. “The real motivation other than what the civil service offers is my family and friends. I owe this success to their support and faith,” she added.
