Dentist tops IAS roll in state

THANE: "Determination made the difference," says Dr Ashwini Joshi, the dentist from Thane who topped the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) exams in Maharashtra. A student of Chintamanrao Deshmukh Institute here, she ranked 13th all India.

Incidentally, students of the Thane Municipal Corporation-run institute have fared well in the IAS exams in the last few years.

Past success stories include Prashant Lokhande, Ravindra Shisve, Ajit Joshi, Shravan Hardikar and Shivdip Lande. Ashwini only added another feather in the institute's cap. On Tuesday, she visited the institute to seek the blessings of principal Subhash Soman.

Originally from Chiplun, Ashwini comes from a family of doctors. She took up dentistry and completed her graduation from GT College in Mumbai.

Speaking to TOI she said, "I always wanted to make a career in the administrative services. My family was very supportive, particularly my father.

For me, earning money was not the only criterion. I always yearned to work for the general welfare of society. The IAS will give me the right platform to fulfill my goals."

Considering the exhaustive syllabus involved, Ashwini had to manage her time effectively. "It was indeed very difficult as I had to work in the hospital and pursue my studies simultaneously.

But once you are determined and the goals are clear then I think it does not become that difficult a proposition," she said.

When asked if coming from Chiplun put her at a disadvantage in comparison to students from Mumbai, Ashwini answered in the negative. "I never allowed that thought to come into my mind.

In fact, I grabbed all opportunities that came my way. I was the first girl to become the cultural representative of our college. I have the natural gift of taking all the good things in life and leaving the adverse behind."

For IAS aspirants her advice is simple. "Regularity in studies is a must," she said. For the UPSC exams, Ashwini had to alter her usual style of studying.

"Studying in groups does not help in this kind of examination. It is a different story when you are in college and everyone has one goal—to just get through. But in this kind of examination, there is tough competition that hardens your mindset," she said.

"Command over languages makes quite a difference," added principal Soman. Justifying his claim Soman said all the rank holders were students of literature, including Aswini.

She had done her schooling in a semi-English medium which also allowed her to study Sanskrit and Marathi.

Ashwini said she was indebted to Chintamanrao Deshmukh Institute and Dnyan Prabodhini in Pune. "They gave me the confidence to face the interview. The mock interviews conducted by both the institutes were excellent.

They made my job so easy that even after 50 minutes of gruesome grilling by a learned panel in an unknown city like Delhi, I was very comfortable.

In fact I came out laughing," she said. And she has not stopped smiling since.

Source- TIMES OF INDIA, May 10, 2006

P.S.- Dentists have always aced the IAS exam with very good ranks. For, example Dr. Ajay Pal, a dentist from Ludhiana cracked UPSC Mains 2010 exam with 160th rank (Read here). Dr. RV Varun Kumar, a chennai based dentist secured 3rd rank in the same exam and also emerged as the topper among male candidates (Read here)