“It is never too late for anything,” says this rank holder in the IRS-2011 examination. He then spells out the rider — “one must be willing to work hard with dedication.”
Meet the son of the soil P. Samuel Siraj, who scored 314th rank in the examination.
“Reading The Hindu daily since childhood has helped me improve my general knowledge while attempting the Civil Services examination,” Samuel said.
After completing his schooling in NSM Public School and Intermediate education from Chaitanya College, Samuel went on to do medicine in Gandhi Medical College in Hyderabad. It was during the course of study here that he felt a strong pull towards the Civil Services.
“I first attempted the Civil Services soon after completing medicine in May 2010. Later, I underwent special coaching in RC Reddy institution in Hyderabad to give a second try in October 2011. As this was successful, I moved on to the next stage — interview — in April 2012. I received the offer letter in May 2012,” Samuel said, tracing his steps to the ascent.
“Since I came from a science background, learning the technical jargon has been the most difficult thing for me,” Samuel said.
“On an average, I clocked about 10-12 hours of study daily,” he said, and owed a part of his achievement to his senior Gandhi, a doctor, and Adilabad Collector Ashok, who had guided him through his examinations.
“Personally, I feel nothing is impossible in life. Though the rate of success is very low in the Civils, it is not impossible either,” Samuel said when asked what advice he would give to Civils aspirants.
Excited over cracking the IRS, his favourite, Samuel is now looking forward to his training session.
