Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Sep 27: The Civil Services Examination (CSE), conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), is one of the toughest tests for aspirants seeking administrative roles in the Indian government. In 1994, Srivatsa Krishna topped the exam with All India Rank (AIR) 1, leaving behind a potential singing career in Bollywood to fulfil his father’s dream of seeing him as an IAS officer.

Born in Delhi, Srivatsa had nurtured two dreams since childhood — to become a Bollywood singer and to join the Indian Administrative Service. A brilliant student, he studied at Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) and later received full scholarships to pursue computer science at prestigious US universities such as Stanford and Yale. However, he declined these opportunities to prepare for the civil services. He also studied at Jawaharlal Nehru University and Oxford University, earned a PhD from IIT Madras, and became the first IAS officer to hold an MBA from Harvard.

Though his academic and administrative achievements were remarkable, Srivatsa’s love for music always stayed with him. He once declined an offer from legendary composer Ravindra Jain to sing in Raj Kapoor’s Prem Rog, choosing instead to complete his studies. Years later, his passion resurfaced when he lent his voice to the Vishnu Sahasranamam Mantra in Dibakar Banerjee’s film Shanghai. Interestingly, Banerjee and Srivatsa had known each other as college rival debaters. He was also auditioned by Oscar-winning composer A R Rahman for a future project.

Srivatsa Krishna’s story is an inspiring reminder that success can be multidimensional — a blend of academic brilliance, administrative excellence, and artistic passion.