Overwhelmed with the results, Astha’s mother, Mamta Jain, said, “It feels surreal, and we are trying to absorb the feeling that our daughter made it to the top 10. It is her childhood dream that came true now.” Her father, Ajay Jain, runs a confectionery store. Astha opted for political science and international relations as her optional subjects in the UPSC. She had a perfect 10 CGPA in Class X and 99.2% marks in Class XII. “We believed in our daughter and the results paid off. Her dedication, hard work, and perseverance truly paid off,” said Ajay. Bagging AIR 14, Bareilly native Surabhi Yadav, 25, is currently working as district youth officer with the Union ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports under the ‘My Bharat’ initiative. Based in New Delhi, Surabhi completed her BA (History Honours) from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, DU, and later pursued her MA from IGNOU. Elated at her success, Surabhi, said, “I learnt about the result through my friends. Of course, I am very happy to achieve my long-time goal. In my free time, I do Warli art, which I learnt during Covid.” Her father Rakesh Singh is in UP Police and posted in Varanasi, For Indian corporate law officer Subham Singh, 32, UPSC was a dream which he had been chasing for over nine years. In his second attempt in 2018, he secured AIR 402 and since then worked as a corporate law officer. In UPSC 2025, he bagged AIR 21. An electrical engineer, Shubham, a native of Varanasi, said, “I was stubborn to crack UPSC with a good rank. It is a journey of dedication and perseverance.” Son of retired chief veterinary officer VP Singh, Shubham credited his family, particularly his wife, Dr Sanjana Singh, for being a constant pillar of support. “I was married for 2 years, and it was my last attempt. Though she never pushed me, she was always helpful in my UPSC journey,” said Shubham, a recipient of Ashoka University Young India Fellowship, under which he pursued a one-year PG diploma in liberal studies. Gorakhpur’s Ishita Sharma, 24, bagged AIR 26 and drew her inspiration from her brother, Ashutosh. An MCom from DU, Ishita said, “My brother kept telling me that I must aim to become a ‘raja’ in my own field.” Two other toppers from UP — Ifra Shams Ansari, 26, from Bhadohi, and Nikita Verma, 25, from Ghaziabad — bagged AIR 24 and 30, respectively. Ifra is a graduate from DU while Nikita is a BA Hons from DU.
