Daijiworld Media Network - News Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 15: Clearing the UPSC exam once is considered a feat — doing it twice, with a string of other competitive successes, makes IAS officer Gaurav Agarwal’s story stand out even more.

Gaurav, a native of Rajasthan, holds the distinction of being the first from his state to secure all-India rank 1 in the civil services examination. Before achieving this, he had already cracked the IIT JEE in 2001 at age 16 with an AIR of 45, earned a degree from IIT Kanpur, topped his batch in finance at IIM Lucknow, and scored 99.94 percentile in the CAT.

After working as an investment banker with Citigroup in Hong Kong for over three years, Gaurav left a Rs 1.25 crore-per-year job to pursue his UPSC dream. His first attempt in 2012 earned him an IPS posting with AIR 244, but his goal was clear — to become an IAS officer. In 2013, he achieved that ambition, topping the exam.

Gaurav credits his success to consistent effort and the support of his family, especially his wife Dr Preeti Airun, whom he married just days after his UPSC interview. His journey remains a source of inspiration for aspirants across the country.