UPSC Civil Services (IAS) Success Story: UPSC Civil Services exam is attempted by millions of candidates every year. The exam is open to all graduates of the country whether their medium of study is in English or Hindi. However, it is a general notion among the aspirants that Hindi medium candidates are unable to clear the Civil Services exam. Breaking these myths Vandana Singh Chauhan, the current District Magistrate of Almora, Uttarakhand, not only cleared the Civil Services exam, being from Hindi medium but also secured AIR 8 in the exam of 2012.
Also Check;
| IAS Interview 2022: Clear UPSC CSE Personality Test In 1 Attempt! Follow This Strategy, You Won't Fail |
| UPSC IAS Interview Questions: Tricky Questions Asked Over Years- Check How Many Can You Answer? |
IAS Vandana Singh Chauhan’s Success Story
Early Life:
Vandana Singh Chauhan belongs to a very humble background. Her family resided in a small village of Haryana named Nasrullagarh where Vandana was born and brought up. Vandana had a joint family and they had orthodox views when it came to the education of girls. This is the reason, they did not favour her receiving education as well. However, Vandana's father, Mahipal Singh Chauhan sent her to Kanya Gurukul near Moradabad to complete her education, breaking a dozen norms of the village. This gesture of her father motivated Vandana to work harder and harbour the dream to become an IAS officer one day.
Graduation:
After completing her 12th standard, Vandana Singh Chauhan enrolled for LLB in BR Ambedkar University, Agra. Since her family was not very supportive, she did not go to college but stayed at home during her graduation years. Vandana used to order her Law books online or sent her brother to get them for her in those days. However, she did not quit her studies. She graduated with flying colours.
Village Girl From A Hindi Medium School Breaks All Myths By Cracking CSE In 1st Attempt: Vandana's UPSC CSE Preparation:
After her graduation, Vandana began studying for UPSC Civil Services. She could not go to any other city to join any coaching institute as her family’s financial condition did not support this idea, so she began her preparation at home itself.
She devoted 12-14 hours every day to studying for CSE. Her disciplined lifestyle from Gurukul helped her sit for such long hours. No one from her family, except her brother, helped her in the preparation for this exam. Her hard work paid off within a year. Vandana succeeded in her first attempt at UPSC CSE in 2012 and secured All India Rank 8th that year. Her fame spread all over the country and suddenly she became a motivation to millions of village girls who could not study in English medium schools.
Vandana Singh Chauhan said in an interview once that she made the mistake of ignoring negative marking in CSE Prelims but somehow crossed the cut-off that time. She urged the candidates to not only study for the UPSC Mains all year round but also prepare for Prelims by solving as many sample papers as they can at least 6 months before the exam.
Vandana Chauhan is currently posted as the DM of Almora district in Uttarakhand. Last year on the occasion of her joining as the DM, she was given the guard of honour at the collectorate. She is known for her quick decision-making, no delay policy and is one of the most dynamic officers our country has ever seen.
Also read|
UPSC IAS 2022: Your Hard Work Roars Louder Than Your Failures- IAS Nitin Shakya's UPSC Success Story