UPSC results 2018: Pune candidates excel, Girish Badole ranked 20th in India

A student of Sainik School, Badole (28) completed his MBBS from J J Hospital and Grant Medical College, Mumbai, in 2014. “I started working at ONGC… even during that period, I attempted UPSC exams. But it was after my second attempt in 2015, when I failed the main exam, that I came to Pune to prepare for the exam full-time,” he said.

Badole, who lives in a rented apartment in Sadashiv Peth, said he had spent every waking moment in the last three years preparing for UPSC. This was Badole’s fourth attempt at the civil services exam.

He hails from a family of farmers in rural Osmanabad and always dreamt of becoming an IAS officer, as he wanted to serve the country. “Even being a doctor means service to humanity but I wanted a job where I could contribute towards nation-building, maybe in the fields of health services or education. I am very happy with the results, but my journey was full of struggles. I come from rural Osmanabad, where my family members work as farmers. It is a very big deal for us,” he said.

Many other candidates from Pune also featured among the top 100 UPSC candidates. One of them, Rohan Joshi, got an AIR of 67. A bright student from some of the country’s premier institutes, and a third generation engineer, Joshi (25), hopes to secure a posting where he can put his training to use. “My father always told me that as an engineer, you should be able to use your analytical skills in a constructive form… I think I will be able to use my skills to develop the infrastructure of the country,” he said.

Joshi, who hails from Parbhani, said he had topped IIT Bombay and won the University of Tokyo’s prestigious ‘Davis Award’ for transportation. This was Joshi’s first attempt at UPSC.

Bhuvanesh Patil (26), who secured an AIR of 59, is a resident of Dhule. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering from MIT Kothrud.

Both his parents are teachers and his mother, Seema Devidas Patel, has received the President’s Award. “My parents also have jobs which are in the service of society and they inspired me. I am the first person from my family to crack the UPSC exam and that makes me proud,” said Patil. Despite his engineering degree, Patel said he had no intention of getting a job in the private sector and he had started appearing for UPSC while he was still in engineering college.
Pune youth Piyush Salunke, who is only 23, managed to score an AIR Rank of 63 and stood fifth in the state.

An electronic and telecommunications engineer, he is in his final year at the D E S Navalmal Firodia Law College. It was his second attempt at the exams, said Salunkhe.

“I started preparing for UPSC in 2015, but I took the exam for the first time last year. I could not clear the main exam last time, but in my second attempt this year, I secured this rank. I chose UPSC because there are some IAS officers in my extended family. They told me about the platform and the opportunity an IAS officer has to make constructive changes in the country. This is exactly what I want to do and so I chose to take the exam,” said Salunkhe.