New Delhi: The media narrative around her father’s death has irked Garima Lohia, the 24-year-old from Bihar’s Buxar who secured the All India Rank (AIR) 2 in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Exam (CSE) 2022. Speaking to ThePrint over the phone, Lohia said Wednesday that her success defines her more than her loss.
“The media narrative around my father’s untimely demise shows my journey as a sob story. I want to tell you that despite the hardship, I had a family to support me and don’t want my father’s death to define me,” she said.
Her father, Manoj Kumar Lohia, passed away in 2015, leaving behind a wife and three children. Garima said in the years following his demise, the family worked as a team, supporting each other in their time of need. She added that she cleared the exam with her “hard work” and her “mother’s unwavering support and determination”.
Garima, who is the middle child, said her sister took up a job at the young age of 20 in order to be able to support the family.
“I was always a bright student and my mother ensured that all three of us attained good education. After my father’s passing, my elder sister started working to financially support the family. Every member of the family has contributed to our success,” she added.
Every time she was upset or felt like giving up on her dream to clear the civil services exam, her mother would prepare food she liked, said Garima.
She added that her mother (51) stood like a wall between her and the negativity hurled at her by society. “The community may have tried to demotivate me but my mother never let it get to me and always filtered out the negativity from around me.
On Tuesday, the UPSC declared the final results of the CSE 2022. While Ishita Kishore from Gautam Buddha Nagar bagged the coveted AIR 1, Garima Lohia secured the second rank and Uma Harathi from Telangana the third.
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Failed the first time, came back stronger
With her face now plastered across hoardings and newspapers, Garima recalled how she was extremely sad around the same time last year after she fell short of clearing the preliminary exam for the civil services.
“I had been a topper all my life and failing such a big exam bogged my spirit. I cried for 20 days. However, upon introspection, I realised that I had not given the exam my best shot. I decided to change things around and started with a rigorous schedule,” she said.
Garima Lohia said she made it a point to study eight hours every day, like most UPSC aspirants, besides changing her sleep schedule to train her body to be alert by the time she was to appear for the UPSC exam. “I used to wake up at 4 am so that my mind would be trained to be alert by 9 am for the day when I was to sit for the UPSC exam. I used to drink two sips of coffee eight times a day to stay alert,” she said.
However, the Delhi University graduate knew that she needed more than hard work and a rigorous sleep schedule to crack the exam.
Garima realised that she had to polish her public speaking skills in order to be able to compete with her contemporaries from big cities and more affluent backgrounds in the interview round. For this, she sought the help of her seniors and classmates from Kirori Mal College.
“I knew I had a slight Bihari accent and did not feel confident while speaking in public. I did several mock interviews with my friends. The feedback from these mocks made me realise that my accent didn’t matter as long as I was clear with my expression,” she told ThePrint.
Garima added that she is still rooted in her hometown in western Bihar and wants to help as many children as she can to achieve their dreams.
“Most students move to bigger cities to prepare for the civil services exam. But with my success, children in my neighbourhood are flocking to my house, telling me how they want to become like me. While it is overwhelming, I will do my best to help them achieve their dreams.”
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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