Elite force

Top three toppers of 2009 State Public Services Commission exam, hail from middle class families

P.S. Chauhan

Rethink if you think that candidates from well-to-do families, hailing from urban areas can make it to the civil services. As Arvind Pandey, State Public Services Commission topper for the year 2009, has no such privileged background. In the recently announced UKPSC result 64 candidates for different posts in the state government services, including deputy collectors and deputy superintendents of police have been selected. Arvind Pandey has won laurels by topping the list of successful candidates. Surprisingly, almost all the successful candidates, including the five selected for PCS (administrative) and two selected for provincial police service, belong to the poor and the lower middle class families of the backward and remote rural areas. Arvind Pandey, who is at present working as sales tax officer at Roorkee, belongs to Ramgarh village in district Chandoli of UP. Anjani Rawat rose to be an officer from an humbel post of a teacher in primary school in Naugaon village in Uttarkashi. Similarly, Pyarelal of Chandeli village in Tehri, who also got selected for PCS (administrative) is also a primary school teacher. Pyralal had lost his father at an early age and was brought up by his mother in extremely difficult conditions. The father of Rajendra Kumar, who has been selected as assistant director of industries, is a farm labourer in Sialde village of Almora.

Meenu Bist, who ranks forth among the successful candidates, has also scripted success story after struggling against all odds. Arvind Pandey, told Haridwar Plus that no impediments can obstruct the blossoming of genius. "If you work hard with single minded devotion and the blessings of your parents and elders, you will definitely achieve your goal," he said. He further said that after the creation of Uttarakhand, the districts of the hills have lagged behind in the onward march to progress and development. Elaborating his future plans, he said that he would strive for the development of the districts of the hills. "It will be my best endeavour to implement all the welfare and developmental schemes launched by the state and the central governments to improve the quality of life of the people in the state, specially in the remote rural areas." Arvind success has once again proved that a person can achieve heights irrespective of his background, provided he works with indomitable will power and does not deviate from his chosen path. As a matter of fact this is the mantra of success for one and all and for sure Arvind has followed the same path.