Lucknow University security guard’s son cracks UPSC

It took Lucknow’s Kuldeep Dwivedi nearly 30 minutes to explain to his father what it meant to score the 242nd rank in the Civil Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

Surya Kant Dwivedi, who is a security guard at University of Lucknow’s works department, could not believe that his son cracked the prestigious UPSC exams and may become an Indian Police Service officer.

“They do not understand what IPS is all about. They just think that a sub-inspector is the most powerful person in the police department. I had to tell them that after completion of training I will be posted as assistant superintendent of police (ASP) in some district. And when they realised that I have now become an officer. There was complete silence. Tears rolled out from their eyes,” Kuldeep, whose mother is a homemaker, told HT.

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Kuldeep, youngest among three brothers and a sister, wanted to become civil servant since he was a child.

“Since my childhood days, I have seen the amount of power a district collector or SSP of a particular district enjoys. It always inspired me. I always wanted to become like that. It was always there in the back of my mind. I had cracked few other examinations in the past but did not join because I wanted to crack the civil service examination,” the 27-year-old said.

Kuldeep, a post graduate from Allahabad, says the most difficult time that he faced was after he failed to crack the exam in his first two attempts. In 2013, he was selected as an assistant commandant in the Border Security Force but he did not join the training.

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“I was determined that somehow I will have to crack the UPSC examination with a good rank. I kept myself engaged in academics. Luckily the family never troubled me in my pursuit. I’m now all ready to don the uniform and work for country’s development,” Kuldeep, a book lover, said.

Surya Kant was on duty when Kuldeep’s brother called him to give him the news.

“I shared the news with other security guards of the university and went straight home. I cannot thank God more. We have seen difficult times. Now it is for him to change family fortunes. I’m proud that my hard earned money did not go waste,” said the proud father.

Tens of thousands of students across the country prepare for years for the UPSC exams to get into the administrative, foreign, police and other central government services. The results are based on scores in a written examination and interview.

Tina Dabi, a 22-year-old woman from Delhi, topped the exam on her first attempt and Athar Aamir ul Shafi Khan, a railway officer from Jammu and Kashmir, secured the second position as the results of one of India’s toughest tests was announced on Tuesday.

A total of 1,078 candidates cleared the exam -- 499 from the general category, 314 from the Other Backward Classes, 176 from the Scheduled Castes and 89 from the Scheduled Tribes.