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Haritha V. Kumar secured All India Rank (AIR) 1 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2012 through a blend of persistence, strategic preparation, and leveraging her strengths. Here’s a detailed look at how she achieved this remarkable feat:
Education: Haritha, a B.Tech graduate in Electronics and Communication from Government Engineering College, Barton Hill, Thiruvananthapuram, had a strong academic foundation. Her engineering background honed her analytical skills, which she later applied to her UPSC preparation.
Prior Attempts: Before topping in 2012, Haritha had appeared for the exam three times. In her first attempt (2009), she didn’t clear Mains. In her second (2010), she secured AIR 179, qualifying for the Indian Revenue Service (IRS), which she joined. In her third (2011), her rank slipped to 294. Her fourth attempt in 2012 was her final and successful shot at AIR 1.
Persistence and Resilience:
Haritha’s journey was marked by setbacks, but she never gave up. After each attempt, she analyzed her performance, identified weaknesses, and improved. Her mantra, as she later shared, was "Never giving up was the secret behind my success."
While training as an IRS officer in Faridabad, she continued preparing for IAS, showing her determination to achieve her childhood dream.
Optional Subject Selection:
She chose Economics and Malayalam Literature as her optional subjects. Economics aligned with her belief that it underpins many societal issues, giving her a practical edge in understanding governance-related topics. Malayalam Literature, her mother tongue, was a passion-driven choice, allowing her to score well due to her comfort and interest in it.
Her deep connection to Malayalam literature also helped her develop empathy, a quality she deemed essential for a civil servant.
Structured Preparation:
Prelims: Haritha focused on clearing the Preliminary exam with a strong grasp of General Studies and CSAT. She relied on NCERT books and newspapers like The Hindu for current affairs, ensuring a balance between static and dynamic portions.
Mains: She emphasized answer writing, practicing extensively to structure her responses clearly and concisely. She incorporated insights from her IRS training and economics knowledge into General Studies papers, making her answers stand out.
Current Affairs: She maintained concise notes from daily news, linking them to the syllabus, which was crucial for both Mains and the interview.
Leveraging IRS Training:
While undergoing training at the National Academy of Customs, Excise, and Narcotics (NACEN) in Faridabad, Haritha gained practical exposure to administrative processes. The discussions and debates with fellow trainees boosted her confidence and refined her articulation skills, which proved invaluable during the interview.
Interview Performance:
Haritha scored 220 out of 275 in the personality test, reflecting her poise and clarity. She drew on her diverse experiences—engineering, IRS training, and cultural interests (Carnatic music, Bharatanatyam, and Mohiniyattam)—to present a well-rounded personality.
She emphasized accessibility and empathy as qualities she’d bring to her role as an IAS officer, aligning with her vision of being a people-centric administrator.
General Studies: NCERTs, Laxmikanth for Polity, Spectrum for History, and standard books for Geography and Environment.
Economics: She studied core texts and supplemented them with Economic Surveys and Budget documents to stay updated.
Malayalam Literature: Focused on key authors like M.T. Vasudevan Nair and Vyloppilli Sreedharan Menon, blending her love for literature with exam preparation.
Current Affairs: Regular reading of The Hindu and selective use of magazines like Yojana.
Determination: Her father’s encouragement to become a "collector" fueled her ambition from childhood. Despite initial failures, she stayed focused on her goal.
Adaptability: She adjusted her strategy with each attempt, learning from mistakes and refining her approach.
Hard Work Over Brilliance: Haritha believed success stemmed from systematic effort rather than innate genius, a mindset that kept her grounded.
Haritha’s total score was 1193 out of 2250 (53%), a testament to her consistent performance across Prelims, Mains, and Interview. Her success made her the first Keralite in over two decades (since Raju Narayana Swamy in 1991) to top the UPSC CSE, marking a historic achievement.
Haritha’s story highlights the power of perseverance, strategic subject choices, and a disciplined approach tailored to her strengths. Her journey from AIR 179 to AIR 1 inspires aspirants to view setbacks as stepping stones to success.
