Aurangabad
A jubilant Shaikh Salman Patel, son of a farmer, after cracking the UPSC Civil Services exams on Friday said his entire village is in celebration mode and he himself couldn’t help but feel as if his entire village has passed the coveted exams.
“My village is where people can’t even dream of graduating their children. But, today someone from their own soil has cracked UPSC Civil Services Exams – one of the most difficult and coveted exams in India. It’s a very big thing for them”, Salman said while talking to ummid.com.
“Everyone in the village therefore is celebrating ever since the news came that I have cracked the UPSC Civil Services exams”, he added.
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Friday declared the result of the 2017 Civil Services exams, recommending a total of 990 candidates for various top posts of the country. Salman Shaikh Patel is one of them.
Salman is the son of a farmer hailing from Mali village near Phulambari – some 30 kms from Aurangabad in Marathwada region of Maharashtra. Before Civil Services Exams, Salman had completed M.Sc. Chemistry from Maulana Azad College Aurangabad.
He had however acquired his early education from Jamia Umar bin Khattab in Kunjkheda. The Jamia is a branch of the chain of Madaris established by renowned cleric Maulana Ghulam Mohammad Vastanvi. After studying till SSC at the Jamia, Salman shifted to Aurangabad, did graduation and then post-graduation from Maulana Azad College.
“My father could not study much because of poverty. But he wanted all of us to study higher and higher. My elder sister studied till 12th, elder brother is a Computer Science graduate and my younger brother is in 8th. Despite a meager earning, my father made it sure that our study is not suffered”, Salman said.
Salman who cracked the 2017 UPSC Civil Services in his 4th attempt was a student of Jamia Hamdard and Jamia Millia Islamia – the two varsities in New Delhi also famous for running Civil Services coaching classes. “I must also thank Kawish Foundation of Aurangabad where I was taught how to crack the entrance exams conducted by Jamia Hamdard and Jamia Millia Islamia”, Salman said.
Salman was dedicated, hard-working, sincere and excellent in studies since childhood. He would always share his concern with his teachers about the problems his fellow villagers were facing due to poverty. “He was staying in the hostel and always remained focused in his studies. He had always dreamt of becoming an officer who could bring some change in the life of poor villagers – especially those from his own village”, said Mohammed Sharif Baig, Principle of Ali Allana Urdu High School, Jamia Umar bin Khattab
“Incidentally, he called me about an hour before the results were declared today. There were reports that the results could be declared any moment and he was looking very confident this time and was pretty sure that he will clear the exam”, Sharif Baig said.
On his part, Salman said he was not able to concentrate on studies in his earlier attempts because he was pursuing M.SC. “It was after completing M.Sc. in 2016 that I decided to shift to Delhi and join Jamia Hamdard for UPSC Civil Services coaching”, he said.
About the most immediate thing he would like to do now that he has cracked the UPSC Civil Services exams, Salman said, “There are about 100 children, including my own brother, in my village. They have started looking in me a role model. It is hence my duty to make sure that these little dreamers become in their life what they dream to be”, he said.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings