Shubhra Saxena: The Top name in UPSC 2009

(This entry was originally uploaded on May 2009. Unfortunately, it got deleted because of technical problems. I am again reposting it for the readers.)

Just think of one century ago. That time, most people in India could never dream that a girl like Shubhra Saxena will be the number one name in UPSC (Union Public Services Commission) exam 2009 (held in 2008 actually). Yes, in fact, not only she but also another 2 girls have also become second and third in the exam. It means that Sharandeep Kaur Brar was second and Kiran Kaushal was in third position. I am not sure if a century ago girls could take part in ICS exam or not but I know that very few girls could get university education at that time in India. So, it is a remarkable achievement for Indian women in UPSC 2009.

First of all, let me give you some information about Shubhra Saxena. She is the center of attention to many people at this time. In fact, I decided to write this entry because her name is in top position in Google Trends India at this moment. It gives a lot of pleasure to me to notice that many web users in the country are searching about her and her name is now more searched than even IPL Point Table or Priyanka Chopra. You know that most people in India are crazy for cricket and Bollywood. So, I am really amazed to see that more people are now searching about Shubhra Saxena than cricket or Bollywood.

She is 30 years old. This is the second time that she tried for this exam and UPSC 2009 has perhaps made all the difference in her life. She studied B.Tech in Paper Tech from IIT Roorkee (class of 2002). She was in IAS coaching institute in Delhi as a teacher.

After searching some in Internet, I found something that she wrote in a forum:

I am Shubhra Saxena. I am a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from IIT Roorkee. After passing out, I worked for companies like Oracle, CSC etc. for 4 years after which I decided to prepare for Civil Service entrance. This is my first attempt and I have just given my mains with Pub Ad and Psychology. In search of interview pointers, I came across this website which I am finding very useful. I am looking forward to getting help from members in my interview preparation.

Well, I like to congratulate Shubhra Saxena for her amazing success. However, I like to draw you attention about the fact that 11 UPSC toppers groomed in Delhi out of the top 25. It shows that the distance between Delhi and other big cities is increasing. This is not a good trend. Of course, you may argue that Delhi is the capital city and it is natural that people living in capital city get more facility and more success. Yes, I agree with you but at the same time, India has some other very big cities like Mumbai and Kolkata with strong tradition in education.

Still, it is nice to see that 3 girls have achieved the top 3 positions in UPSC 2009. However, it shows that the distance between urban and rural girls is increasing a lot. We know that for most ordinary girls in India, a serious problem is the matter of dowry. Many parents even kill the female fetus from womb because they consider girls as a burden for the future. So, the success of girls like Shubhra Saxena may help to change the mindset of at least some parents in the middle class background about their daughters. On the other hand, I just hope that girls like Shubhra Saxena try to talk about the problems faced by millions of Indian girls.

Shubhra Saxena herself wrote a comment here: "I want to correct a fact here.

I am not from chemical engg. I was a student of Paper Technology."