UPSC 2nd rank in first attempt despite losing mother: Odisha's Animesh Pradhan says, 'You Can'

Animesh Pradhan, who did Odisha proud by cracking the UPSC civil services exam-2023 with an all-India second rank (AIR-2) in his first attempt said, "My preparations for civil services was quite challenging for me, as my mother was going through cancer treatment. She passed away last month.”

Pradhan, who did his schooling at DAV School in the Kalinganagar area of Talcher, completed BTech in Computer Science from NIT, Rourkela in 2021. He then took up a job at the Indian Oil Corporation.
 
Stating that his mother was his source of inspiration, Pradhan said that his mother fully supported him in his civil services exam preparations.

“What I have achieved in the UPSC exam is because of her. After passing out from NIT, Rourkela, with a B.Tech in Computer Science, I got a job in Indian Oil,” he added.

“It was my first attempt at the UPSC civil services examinations with sociology as optional. I did not take coaching classes. But I had joined test series and mentorship programmes of many coaching institutes,” he said.

In a message to aspirants, Animesh asserted that there is no substitute for hard work, though luck is said to be a factor to some extent. 

“If I can achieve success in an adverse situation, anyone can achieve it. If you progress towards your goal, you can achieve it,” the rank holder said with confidence.