UPSC results: Amritsar lad hits a six on last ball

Tribune News Service

Neha Saini

Amritsar, June 1

Gar baazi ishq ki baazi hai,
Toh jo bhi laga do darr kaisa,
Jeet gye to baat hi kya,
Haare bhi toh haar nahi… — Faiz Ahmed Faiz

(When you love something, you give your everything to it and the pursuit of that something is awarding in itself.)

That’s how Nikhil Mahajan pursued his dream of cracking the UPSC. And he did so in his sixth and final attempt at the most prestigious competitive exam of the country. An IITian, Nikhil secured an AIR 80 and is celebrating the sweet fruit of perseverance.

“The dream was very dear to me. I had to give my all because the regret would have been greater. So, I did not let my past failure put a stop to my pursuit,” he shared.

Hailing from Amritsar, as his family is based in Vijay Nagar, on Batala Road, Nikhil’s parents moved to Faridkot years ago, when he was still in school. His father Subhash Mahajan has retired from the Education Department as deputy director and his mother was a school lecturer. Currently, staying in Mohali, Nikhil shared that his mother was his biggest motivation.

“I lost my mother when I was eight. Her memory was a big motivation for me. Although, in my fifth attempt, when I could make it, it was a bit discouraging, I determined to take that final chance and am glad I did that,” he said.

Giving some credit to Winston Churchill, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Shiv Kumar Batalvi, he said: “In my interview, I was asked about Shiv Kumar Batalvi. Since I am into poetry and have been reading Faiz, I think I do owe them a bit of my success.” Nikhil wants to work in the field of school education, and says: “Since both my parents worked in the field of education, school education is very close to my heart. I want to do something in that area if given an opportunity.” The biggest take away from his six-year gruelling pursuit of the UPSC has been the mental discipline he attained.

“I am not looking forward for a break now that I have finally achieved my dream. I want to continue and focus on preparing for my training, which will start in three months. Working hard has become a habit for me, I guess,” he signs off.

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