In 5th Attempt, Gritty Ayushi Unlocks UPSC World With ‘Vision’

 

NEW DELHI: “There should not be any plan B. Plan B is for losers, because then you weren’t able to focus on Plan A”.

The dialogue of the YouTube series Aspirants, in which three friends who were preparing for UPSC exams in Delhi Rajinder Nagar, highlights the demanding life of lakhs of aspirants who dream to become an IAS officer.

However, Ayushi Dabas, a visually impaired Post Graduate Teacher in History from Rani Khera in Delhi, with her sheer determination, proved it wrong as she cleared the tough exam in her fifth attempt and secured an All India Ranking of 48.

She cleared the exams without affecting her responsibility and duty as a Class XI and XII history teacher at Government Girls Senior Secondary School No. 2, Mubarakpur Dabas.

There was an unending line of visitors in THAT green colour house who had come to wish the 29-year-old as she became the first IAS officer from the village. The flower bouquets and boxes of sweets are a testament to the joy that she brought to Rani Khera. Even after five days, Ayushi’s phone has not stopped ringing with congratulatory messages and calls from friends and family members.

 

“It’s like a dream come true,” Ayushi told The New Indian struggling to check the emotions. “I was not able to qualify for the mains, falling short by just 2-3 marks. But I did not lose hope. In fact, I became more determined with each failure,” she added.

“It was my brother who broke the news for us. And at that time, we are all in tears… tears of joy,” she added with an unmissable smile.

Ayushi’s brother Kumud Dabas is a Central Excise and Customs Inspector and is posted in Vadodara. He shared his happiness on a microblogging site and wrote, “She can’t see the world, but now the world sees her. Always wondered what kind of happiness makes people cry. It’s THIS.. the happiest feeling of my life. Fighting all that life threw her way. MY SISTER, IAS AYUSHI. UPSC AIR-48 (sic).”

Ayushi’s father Ashok Kumar Dabas did not make any attempt to hide the feeling of a proud father, and quite understandably so.

“She is never shy of hard work. She not only brought laurel to the family but to the whole village. Even we are getting calls and people are visiting from the nearby villages,” Dabas senior told The New Indian.

Dabas, however, gave the credit where it is due. “I think her mother deserved all the credit because she always supported Ayushi in whatever she wanted to do,” Dabas said.

 

“My mother retired from her job to support me in my preparations. There are challenges but I have the support of my mother, who is instrumental in overcoming all the hurdles,” Ayushi said while talking about her mother.
Talking about her preparations, Ayushi said, “I got help from Only IAS YouTube channel. It helped me to develop a perspective and understand the newspaper. My family also helped me in recording the content of books.”

Ayushi started working as a contractual teacher in 2012 at a Municipal Corporation of Delhi school and became a permanent teacher in 2016. In 2019, she topped the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB) test and started working as a history teacher at the school.

With her decade long association in the field of education, Ayushi hopes to continue work in the same field. “Education can change the life of people. I want to work for the underprivileged section and want to work on increasing the participation of people with disabilities,” she said of her mission.