: Renu Raj, second rank-holder in the all-India civil services examination, sure was surprised when the results were declared on Saturday.
While she was hopeful of making it to the rank list, this doctor at the ESI Hospital at Kalluvathakkal in Kollam did not expect to do this well, that too in her first attempt.
Being a professional, Renu knew that she had her work cut out if she was to prepare for the civil services examination. But her perseverance and the support of her family helped her a lot.
“Seventy per cent of my success can be credited to my family and only the rest to my efforts,” she says.
Her parents, her sister, who is doing MBBS at the Government Medical College, Ernakulam, and her husband who is pursuing his post graduation in Medicine at Mangaluru, were a pillar of strength, she says.
Hailing from Changanassery, Renu finished MBBS from Kottayam and after house surgency joined the Kerala State Civil Services Academy here for a six-month course. After clearing her preliminaries, she mostly depended on self-study and read newspapers to prepare for the mains.
She also worked at the time. For her UPSC interview, mock interview sessions in the State capital were of immense help.
“I attended many mock interviews. The subjects would vary, but the pattern was the same. This helped remove the unfamiliarity with the interview process.”
Her optional subject was Malayalam. She has been writing poetry since her school days, so her choice of subject was a well thought-out one.
Her mother had studied Malayalam in college, and Renu felt she could depend on her to see her through the exam preparations.
