Abid Bashir
Srinagar (NVI): Two families in north Kashmir’s Kupwara are busy attending to phone calls and visits from relatives and well-wishers as their wards have successfully qualified the toughest competitive exam in the country.
At the picturesque Vilagam hamlet in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, it seems the Eid jubilations continue as Nadia Beg has cracked the UPSC Civil Services exam, making her family proud.
Not far from Vilagam hamlet, Aftab Rasool’s family is also up in jubilations in Trehgam village of the same district as he too qualified the exam.
This is for the first time that two candidates from north Kashmir’s Kupwara district have qualified the prestigious civil services exam. As per initial reports, a total of 16 candidates have qualified the exam from the Union Territory.
“I owe my success to the Almighty and then to my parents, who always supported me in every decision I took so far in my life. The key to success lies in hard work, a focused approach and dedication,” Nadia Beg, told NVI over the phone from her native village. She has got 350th rank in the IAS cadre.
Born and brought up in a well to do family, Nadia said soon after the results were out, her friends, neighbours and relatives thronged her house and showered flowers and sweets on her—a traditional way of celebrating success in Kashmir.
“I had gone for an interview along with my friend. When the preliminary selection list was out, I saw my name there,” said Nadia. She has become the second young woman in remote Kupwara district to crack civil services exam after Ruvaida Salaam, who brought laurels to her family and the district after getting selected for IAS in May 2013. “My message to Kashmir’s young lot is to work hard, stay focused towards your goals and keep your parents happy. This is all what I have to say at this point,” she said.
At Trehgam, people were making a beeline at the residence of Aftab Rasool, who also cracked the civil services exam at rank 412. “For me it’s all about my parents, who were praying for my success day in and out. Their prayers have yielded results today. I would say that focused studies pay off for one who by dedication dreams about his/her goal. For me, cracking civil services was a dream come true,” Rasool said.
He said that hard work never goes in vain. “Today, it’s a proud moment for my family and friends, who supported me by all means. I am grateful to the Almighty. My message to Kashmiri people especially youth is that our valley is full of real talent. The only need is we must explore our talent ourselves and raise our confidence by remaining focused to our goals,” he said while requesting that he can’t talk much as he has to meet people who are thronging his house to congratulate him.
Initial reports suggest that 16 youth from J&K cracked the civil services exams this year, including three from Jammu. The UPSC declared the final list of selected candidates based on the result of the written part of the exam held in September 2019 and the interviews or personality tests held from February-August 2020.
-ARK
