In October last year, Gujarat confronted alarming statistics.
According to data in the academic year of 2022-23, 23% of students in classes 9 and 10 dropped out of schools in Gujarat. What was more, over 1.15 lakh students in the state were not even going to school. As a state leading India’s economic march, Gujarat ought to be proud of feats in education.
Proud it will be following the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination 2024 results in which the state saw a record 26 candidates clear the exam — the highest ever from Gujarat — but also celebrated two women achievers securing positions among the top five in the country.
Not only has the brilliance of these candidates come to the fore, it has also highlighted the profound influence of Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration (SPIPA), Gujarat’s premier civil services training institute.
The state is celebrating Harshita Goyal, a 24-year-old Chartered Accountant from Vadodara, who secured All India Rank (AIR) 2. Harshita, who described the moment as “unbelievable”, cracked the exam on her third attempt, though it was her first time clearing both the mains and the interview. A commerce graduate from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Harshita trained at SPIPA for the past two years. Her journey is especially moving — having lost her mother to cancer a decade ago, she said she had fulfilled her family’s dreams, and believed her late mother would be proud of her.
In a freewheeling conversation with a national daily, her father, Govind Goyal, who works for a private firm in Kutch, shared their journey from Sadulpur in Rajasthan to Vadodara, crediting Harshita’s discipline, and resilience for her success. Harshita, born in Hisar, Haryana, and has a younger brother, said she was motivated by her father to pursue the IAS. Harshita started preparing for UPSC after clearing her CA in 2021 with Political Science and International Relations as the optional subject.
Even illness couldn’t stop her — she battled typhoid during the mains exam, but with family and friends by her side, she persevered.
Equally inspiring is the journey of Margi Chirag Shah from Ahmedabad, who secured AIR 4, making her the second woman from Gujarat ever to rank in the UPSC top five. A computer science graduate from LD College of Engineering, Margi, who turns 26 this week, cracked the exam in her fifth attempt, having reached the interview stage twice. She said civil services offered her a platform to make a real difference at the grassroots level. Choosing Sociology as her optional subject, Margi said she was focused on quality primary education and holistic women’s empowerment.
Margi lost her father, a private school teacher, to cardiac failure in 2017. Her younger brother is currently studying at IISC Bangalore. She credited her family and friends for their unwavering support through her challenging journey.
Both Harshita and Margi were part of SPIPA’s training programme, which recorded its best result ever this year. SPIPA Director General Hareet Shukla is proud of the institute that has trained 311 successful UPSC candidates till date, with this year’s 26 achievers marking a new milestone. According to a national daily, in 2024, a total of 25 candidates from Gujarat had cleared the UPSC exams with the highest AIR of 31.
SPIPA operates centres across Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, and Mehsana, offering structured guidance and financial aid — including Rs 2,000 per month for seven months post-admission, and Rs 25,000 for male and Rs 30,000 for female candidates upon clearing the prelims.
Among the new achievers, Smit Hasmukhbhai Panchal, AIR 30, stands out for his perseverance. A 22-year-old from Ahmedabad, and a graduate from LD Arts College, Smit returned from Delhi due to financial difficulties and worked at a coaching centre front desk to fund his preparation. After saving Rs 50,000, he went back to Delhi for three months of coaching. SPIPA supported him with Rs 25,000 per month after he cleared prelims. He credited his success to sheer determination and family support, having aspired to the civil services since Class 11.
No less moving is the journey of Visharg Vijaybhai Thakar, who secured AIR 247. He is a 27-year-old MBBS graduate from Gujarat Cancer Society Medical College. Currently in training for the Indian Railway Service in Maharashtra, he intends to resign and attempt again for the IAS. A first-generation doctor, Visharg was inspired by the broad impact administrators can have — a realisation that deepened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Encouraged by his mother, an English professor, and supported by his father, a retired UGVCL engineer, Visharg believes civil services will allow him to serve society in a larger capacity.
Anshul Yadav, AIR 473, too deserves to be in the narrative of Gujarat’s heroes. He brought home success after a journey that started in Rewari, Haryana, and took root in Ahmedabad after his father, a head constable, was transferred. A B.Tech graduate from IIT Delhi, Anshul left his software job at Oracle in 2022 to fully pursue UPSC. It was his fourth attempt, and despite early failures, he remained steadfast with family support and a love for Political Science and International Relations.
Meet Ankit Vaniya, AIR 607, who made a bold decision to leave a secure government post as Municipal Chief Officer in Thara (Banaskantha) to focus on UPSC. A 30-year-old mechanical engineering graduate from Government Engineering College Patan, he has been living in Ahmedabad for four years preparing full-time. His mother worked in a socks factory and sold toys to support the family, while his father rose from being a peon to a clerk at LIC in Patan.
Similarly, deserving of celebration is the story of Jeetkumar Namha, AIR 929. A 27-year-old from Limbdi in Surendranagar, said that out of total four attempts this was his third attempt for the UPSC mains exam and second for the interview. He quit his job as a software engineer in Pune after working for two-and-a half years.
Together, these inspiring stories from Gujarat highlight not just academic excellence, but resilience in the face of adversity. With SPIPA playing a transformative role in nurturing such talent, the state’s UPSC success this year is not just a statistical milestone — it is a celebration of dreams fulfilled, families uplifted, and futures reimagined in the service of the nation.
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