Kashmir’s Athar Aamir Ul Shafi Khan secured second place in the 2015 IAS examination. The results were announced on Tuesday evening. A total of 1,078 candidates cleared the UPSC exam — 499 from the general category, 314 from the other backward classes, 176 from the scheduled castes and 89 from the scheduled tribes.
Khan was ranked second in the 2015 national civil services exam. Khan had aspired for a top slot after becoming the youngest IAS officer from the state at the age of 22 last year.
Khan secured 520th rank in last year’s IAS examination and joined Indian Railways in Lucknow where he was presently undergoing training, but not satisfied with his rank he gave a shot at it again this year — and achieved an almost improbable feat of cracking the demanding civil services test twice in a row.
Athar Amir-ul-Shafi Khan belongs to a south Kashmir village in Anantnag district where he was born to lower middle class parents. His father is a teacher in a junior college and his mother is a housewife.
“It is the realisation of a long cherished dream. If you have the will and courage to realise your dreams, then the sky is the limit,” said Khan after civil service examination results were declared by the UPSC.
Khan, got his early schooling from Iqbal Memorial Institute Islamabad. For pre-professional 10+2 education, Athar was sent to the Christian missionary Tyndale Biscoe School in Srinagar. Khan is a graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. He cracked the civil services exam at 22, the year he completed his B Tech. Though a few offers from multinational companies came his way, he chose the IAS instead.
In 2009, Athar qualified Common Entrance Test (CET) JK, followed by All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) and the examination at the Birla Institute of Tata Science and Technology (BITSAT).
He even joined Government Medical college Jammu to pursue MBBS but soon qualified prestigious IIT-JEE (Joint Entrance Examination) to pursue his dream. He had always been an extraordinary student and in his 10th standard he was awarded with child scientist award by then President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam.
Athar might have been a Science student but was equally interested in humanities and social sciences and opted for civil Philosophy for civil service examination.
He spoke to Hindustan Times some time ago. Excerpts
What did it take to be an achiever?
The desire to do better in life, the will to work hard and the support of my parents have helped me achieve my aim. My father is a teacher and my mother a homemaker. I am grateful to my teachers and friends for their guidance and support.
Who is your inspiration, and why?
My biggest inspiration is my grandfather. His hard work, passion and enthusiasm have been a great source of motivation for me.
What’s your next goal?
I will keep working hard and serve the country to the best of my ability as a civil servant. In the last year of my B Tech, I was very clear that this is what I wanted to do. I would have been paid better in an MNC but money is the last motivation for me. The IAS comes with roles and responsibilities that can actually change the lives of people.
Why is it the best time to be young in India?
India today is an India of possibilities. Being young today means being a part of the huge transformation that this country is going through.
How can the youth be a change-maker?
The youth are the heart and soul of a nation. With their energy and vigor, they can act as catalysts of change and bring in a long-lasting transformation that has more impact.
