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Patiala boy tops IAS exam
Jangveer Singh
Tribune News Service

Ankur Garg gets a hug from his parents after topping the IAS examination.  — Photo Subhash Patialvi

Patiala, May 1
A Patiala boy and former IIT, Delhi, student, Ankur Garg, whose “guru” had prophesised that he would top the IAS six years ago, topped the exam today in his maiden attempt.

Amit Singla, also of Patiala, who last year had got Customs, ranked 13 this year.

Ankur's house in the Khalsa College colony here presented a quiet look with only his parents, his guru Vinod Sharma, who had guided him for the past six years, and Ankur's friends to congratulate him at his feat. Ankur himself was delighted at the result saying he had received a telephone call from the UPSC late in the evening that he had topped the IAS examination.

Vinod Sharma said he had told Ankur's parents six years ago that he would top the exam. "I said this because Ankur's general knowledge awareness is unparalleled in comparison with students of even various IITs”. He said besides this Ankur was a good orator and had a sharp memory which had stood him in good stead in the examination.

Ankur, when questioned about his priorities, said he was still to get used to the idea of topping the examination and would think about other things, including his priorities, later. He said he had been studying between three hours and four hours daily for the preliminary examination after which he put in eight to nine hours for the mains examination.

Ankur’s parents are doctors. While his father is Deputy Medical Superintendent of Government Rajindra hospital here, his mother is a Paediatrician in the same hospital. When asked why he did not join the medical profession, he said his father had encouraged him from the beginning to join the administration. Ankur said he had made IAS his goal in class III and that he never let this goal out of his sight.

Ankur is the second boy from the city to have topped the IAS examination. Earlier, Ashutosh Jindal, also from the city, had topped the IAS examination in 1996. He too like Ankur was the student of Vinod Sharma, who started an IAS training academy in the city after failing to get through the IAS examination himself.

3 Amritsar docs make it to IAS
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 1
Three Government Medical College doctors were selected for the IAS today. Dr Sukhchain Singh and Dr Nitin Deep Blaggan, ranked 42 and 61, respectively, were batchmates and Dr Rohit Sharma, ranked 73, was their senior.

Dr Sukhchain Singh is the son of Mr Major Singh and Ms Piar Kaur, teachers at Algon Kothi. Dr Nitin Deep Blaggan, is the son of Dr Pardeep Blaggan and Ms Rina Blaggan and belongs to the city. The father of Dr Rohit Sharma is an official with the Food Corporation of India.