A brilliant student right through his schooling days, had to endure many failures, in his journey to crack the IAS exam. He has had a journey, dotted with highs and lows, failure and little success. Meet Durishetty Anudeep. First rank holder in UPSC Civil Service Examnination 2017. An engineer, who had worked with Google, before getting into IRS. An all-rounder since childhood, he has done B.Tech from Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani in Rajasthan. He qualified the examination with Anthropology as his optional subject.For Durishetty Anudeep, topping the Civil Services exam was a dream. The achievement, however, was not an easy one to come by. It took the 28-year old Indian Revenue Service Officer five attempts to make it to the top. It was his fifth attempt. He had failed thrice before, and the journey was not easy for him. Currently serving as an Assistant Tax Commissioner in Hyderabad, Durishetty Anudeep started preparing for Union Public Service Commission examination in 2012. He used to study along with his job.The son of D Manohar, an assistant divisional engineer with Telangana Northern Power Distribution Company Ltd, and D Jyothy, a homemaker, Anudeep comes from Metpalli town in Jagitial district.
Preparing while in Job
Since I had a regular job, I did not get much time to study during the weekdays. So I used to make the most of my weekends and study hard. My family has been my backbone and if I did not have their support, I would not have been able to top the examinations.
Because of my regular job, I was not able to get much time to devote to my studies during the weekdays. Therefore, I used to prepare the most for my weekends and study as much as I could.
On His Hobby
I have interest in tennis and football, and am a fan of English football club Arsenal FC. Movies are good, books are great and music is soothing. But my life wouldn’t be half as joyful or interesting if it were not for the time I spend watching and playing sports.
On His Journey from Google to Dholpur House
While doing my degree, I developed an interest in civil services. On my first attempt, I had cleared the UPSC preliminary and mains exam, but failed to clear the interview, after which I joined 'Google India' as a software engineer in Hyderabad and side-by-side continued to prepare for the UPSC exam. In spite of having deep interest in Artificial Intelligence, I decided to follow my dream of being an IAS officer rather than a researcher at Google.
In my second attempt in 2013, I got the IRS cadre and was appointed as a customs and central excise officer. However, my quest for IAS (Indian Administrative Services) continued. In the subsequent two attempts, too, I could not achieve success. This year, it was my last attempt and I put my heart and soul into it. By grace of god, I topped the Civil Services.
On his Optional Subject
I have qualified the examination with anthropology as my optional. The subject had been close to my heart right because it deals with the evolution of mankind and the society.
On His Preparation Strategy
One of the primary requisite to crack the civil service examination is to update yourself with current facts, in-depth knowledge of recent topics, and constant practice. I relied n mock tests apart from reading newspapers. Apart from the day to day study, I watched the news and read newspapers like The Indian Express, The Hindu, and also read magazines. The online mock tests helped me a lot, as they also contained answers. I never got stressed and studied with patience and concentration.
On Coaching
It is not necessary that one enrolls with a coaching institute. These days everything is available online and all one needs is the zeal and motivation to crack the test. There are many websites, magazines and newspapers that can provide one with all the required information. Even then if someone has a doubt, YouTube is the best tutor.
On His Choice of Cadre
I have naturally opted for the Telangana cadre. It will give me an opportunity to serve my home state, which had become a reality after a prolonged struggle.
