Meet IITian who turned down a high-paying job from Samsung, cracked UPSC in first attempt with AIR..., he is...

Considered the toughest exam in India, the Civil Services Exam, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission, is a challenging case for aspirants dreaming of becoming IAS, IPS, IFS, and others. Very rarely, one achieves their dream with determination and hard work, one such example is of an IITian who left a high-paying job, only to serve his country. With relentless dedication and focus, he cracked the UPSC exam on the first attempt with an exceptional All-India Rank of 1. Yes, we are talking about UPSC 2018 topper Kanishak Kataria. 

Kanishak Kataria, born in Jaipur, Rajasthan, attended St. Paul's Senior Secondary School in Kota, Rajasthan. He achieved high marks in his board exams and secured an All India Rank 44 in the IIT JEE. Post completing B Tech in Computer Science from the prestigious IIT Bombay, he secured a lucrative job in Japan, reportedly with a million-dollar package, He worked as a Software Engineer at Samsung in South Korea for a couple of years, however, he left the high-paying job with a salary worth crores to pursue his dream to become IAS. 

Despite his flourishing career, Kanishak returned India to prepare for the UPSC exam. Meanwhile, his personal life also became the highlight as his girlfriend Sonal Chouhan, whom he met during his graduation in IIT Bombay, became strong support. With immense courage and dedication, he cracked UPSC exam, and secured an All India Rank of 1. He is one of the 2019 batch IAS officers. He strategically chose Mathematics as his optional subject for the UPSC CSE, with his science background, and aligning with his graduation degree. He scored 170 and 191 in his two optional papers in the UPSC CSE Mains 2018.

Kataria also made headlines, when he signed the resignation of his father, Sanwar Mal Verma, who retired from his role as Divisional Commissioner in Bharatpur, Rajasthan. Before this, both father and son received promotions in their respective salaries, as per reports.  Meanwhile, Kataria is promoted and posted as the new Joint Secretary, Department of Personnel (DoP), Government of Rajasthan in Jaipur. Earlier, he was posted as the Chief Executive Officer of the Zila Parishad of Alwar.