OCS Toppers: It Is All About Confidence And Determination

Bhubaneswar: The final results of the Odisha Civil Services (OCS) examination-2017 conducted by the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) have thrown up several stories of motivation and inspiration.

Candidates from diverse backgrounds made it to this service. Here are short profiles of a few of the successful candidates:

Pravati Jhodia, a 28-yr-old tribal girl from Rayagada nailed the OPSC exams this year securing the 76th rank. She is the first in her Jhodia community to crack the OCS examination. She was a Mathematics lecturer at Koraput Government College. Most of the in Rayagada district get married at a tender age and never have the opportunity to pursue education.

“I got this news from my coaching centre. I could not believe it at first as it is a long term process. Hard work and experience matters a lot in this examination,” said Pravati.

“My native place is Pahandi village in Kashipur of Rayagada district. I am the first woman in our community to become a Mathematics lecturer. I aimed to be a bureaucrat. It is a proud moment for the Jhodia Paraja community,” she added.

“I want to give a message to our community people who are interested in the administrative service. Don’t think that you have come from a backward area. People from remote areas can do everything. All they need is proper guidance. If you have a strong will, you can do anything,” said Pravati.

Ayushi Mohapatra of Bhubaneswar has secured the first position. “Though I knew that I will crack this examination, I did not expect rank one. I want do something for the development of the society with the help of civil service. I was a Mechanical Engineer earlier. I studied for eight to 10 hours daily. I am interested in working in the education sector and primary health care sector.”

“My grandfather, father and mother are my inspiration,” she said. “Hard work, time management, optimism and self-belief are necessary for success,” she added.

Sanjita Mohapatra of Bhubaneswar has secured the second position. “I have cleared the exam in the first go and I want to give all the credit to my family members and friends. My securing the second position has come as a big surprise to me. Civil service preparation is not a one day affair. I was working at the Steel Authority of India in Rourkela but I had to leave my job to study. You have to work hard to crack the civil service examination. It is all about having lot of patience and confidence,” said Sanjita.

Prayashi Pradhan of Cuttack has secured the sixth position in OCS. “I want to give all the credit to my family members and teachers for this success. They inspired in me. I was working in an IT company. But I had interest in civil service and tried my luck. My subjects were geography and public administration.”

Sandhya Samarath of Salimi village under Maithili block in Maoist-dominated Malkangiri district was ranked 91 in the civil service examination. Daughter of Ramdev Samarath studied at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Malkangiri. She pursued PG at the Ravenshaw University after her graduation from the BJB Autonomous College. She cracked this examination in her first attempt without attending any coaching class. Sandhya is ecstatic about her result, while locals of Salimi village are celebrating her success.
A total of 106 candidates have cleared the examination conducted by OPSC of which 64 are men and 42 are women. The successful candidates have been selected for category-I and II of Odisha Administrative Services (OAS).