At her residence at Mutholi, near Pala, Gahana Navya James would wake up at the crack of dawn every day and pore over a whole volume of newspapers and textbooks for hours end. As the examination approached, she stepped further away from social life and took mock tests and read more and more books.
When the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) announced the results of the Civil Services examination on Tuesday, this 25-year-old discovered that she had secured sixth rank nationally. The rest of the day was taken up by media interviews, congratulatory phone calls, and visits from friends and family.
The inspirational story of Gahana, a Ph.D scholar with Mahatma Gandhi University, is not only about self-belief but also about relentless endurance. University topper in both under and postgraduate degrees in history and political science respectively, she opted to pursue doctoral degree in international relations.
As she made up her mind to prepare for the exam, what Gahana did was to stay back at her house instead of joining coaching institutes. “I kept reading newspapers everyday and myself updated about what is happening around me. Hence, my preparation strategy was also grounded on the media, newspapers in particular,” she says.
“A vital part of my preparation, however, was to form opinion on specific issues. I was quite sure that if I could garner all-round knowledge, it will help me become a well-rounded person,” says Gahana.
A keen observer of global political developments, she had chosen political science and international relations as her optional subjects.
Failure to qualify for the preliminary examination in her first attempt only firmed up her resolve and she prepared for the examination with renews vigor. Gahana lists patience, focus, and family support as the factors that worked in her favour throughout her journey to crack the UPSC exam.
Her parents, C.K. James Thomas and Deepa George are into teaching while her brother Gaurav Amar James is an undergraduate student of history. “The motivation from my family has helped me last the distance while my maternal uncle Ambassador Sibi George too has been an inspiration for me,” she says.
Following the footsteps of her uncle, Gahana hopes to serve the country as a diplomat and has given the Indian Foreign Service as her first preference.
