UPSC exam: Aluva woman in top 50 ranks

KOCHI: Three Keralites were among the top hundred rankers in the civil services final examination the results of which were announced by the UPSC in New Delhi on Friday.
They are Shreelakshmi R, ranked 29th, Renjina Mary Varghese, ranked 49th, and Arjun Mohan ranked 66th.
Sreelakshmi is a native of Kadungalloor in Aluva. A post-graduate from the London School of Economics, Sreelakshmi cleared the exam in her fifth attempt.“I did self-study in all my attempts. But I used the library of a private academy, which gives training in civil service in Thiruvananthapuram, in my last attempt and wrote their test series. It was my dream to become an IAS officer that made me repeatedly attempted the exams, every time with the support of my parents,” she said. Her optional subject in the examination was economics. Sreelakshmi is the younger daughter of Ramachandran V A and Kaladevi B, both retired SBI employees.
Kasaragod native Renjina said that she wants to join Indian Foreign Service (IFS). “It has been my dream since childhood to be an IFS officer. I have been inspired by our former foreign secretary Nirupama Rao,” said Renjina, who decided to study for civil services in 2015 while she was working as a chemical engineer in a multinational company.
“This is my third attempt and I have finally made it. In the last attempt, I got into the Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS) and I am on probation here,” said Renjina.
“There are only 15 seats in the general category for IFS and generally those who come within the 150th rank easily make it. If I don’t get into IFS, then I will opt for IAS,” she added.
The remaining top 17 ranker holders from Kerala are Jishnu J Raju (Thiruvananthapuram, 132nd rank), Nidhin Raj P (Kasaragod, 210th rank), Vishnuraj P (Thrissur, 234th rank), Suraj Shaji (Patanamthitta, 288th rank), A B Silpa (Velloor, Thiruvananthapuram, (298th rank), Veena S Suthan (Alappuzha, 299th rank), Arya R Nair (Kottayam, 301st rank), Sooraj Ben (Muvattupuzha, 321st rank), Nirmal Ouseppachan, (Thumpoly, Alappuzha, 329th rank), Archana P P (Payyannur, Kannur, 34th rank), S Gautham Raj (Chavara, Kollam, 353rd rank), Muhammed Sajad (Malappuram, 390th rank), Divya Chandran (Thiruvananthapuram, 397th rank), and Amith M P (Kozhikode, 405th rank).