Mysuru: For 28-year-old Aishwarya, securing the top place in the gazetted probationary exams conducted by Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) is a dream come true. She will now take on the more challenging and more gruelling exams conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

Aishwarya made Mysuru proud as she topped the list of 464 candidates in the gazetted probationary officers’ exam for 2014, the results of which were announced on Apr. 22. She had scored 1,286 marks. She has now been designated as an Assistant Commissioner, Revenue Department. She will be provided training by the government before posting.

Presently, she is working as an Assistant Manager with the Reserve Bank of India in Bengaluru and she cleared the exam in 2016 by studying through her pregnancy and attending the interview (held a month back) when her baby was just a month old.

Aishwarya is the daughter of Ramaradhya and Vani, residents of Vinaya Marga near Jain Temple, Siddarthanagar. After completing her primary education at Teresian School, she studied in Marimallapa Educational Institutions and did her Engineering degree at NIE. She had secured fourth rank in SSLC and sixth rank in II PU exam. She had also topped Computer Science stream at NIE.

Her father Ramaradhya is serving as a faculty at DIET, Mysuru and her mother works at SBI, MCC Branch. Aishwarya got married to S.S. Mahesh Aradhya, an engineer, settled in Bengaluru. Her father-in-law is Srikanta Aradhya, an advocate in Bengaluru and mother-in-law Vimala, a home-maker.

Aishwarya cleared the KPSC exam in the very first attempt. Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, she said, “Yes. I studied through my pregnancy    and after my son was born. It was a big challenge. “I used to study between 10 pm and 1 am every day and Kannada literature was my optional subject. I did not go to any coaching class and secured the top place thanks to the encouragement by parents, in-laws and my husband,” she said.

Aishwarya, who is presently on maternity leave, said that civil services was her aim. “It was not easy, however,” she said recalling the days when she was pregnant and at the same time when the KPSC issued the interview notification. She said that she would go to the RBI for work in the morning and prepare for the interview in the night.

“But for my family and husband I would not have done this. Mahesh used to get me books and study materials and he even used to read out notes to me when I was exhausted,” she said.

When asked about why civil services, she said that she wants to use her knowledge in technology for the betterment of the society. “I had a job offer from a multi-national company but I rejected it as I want to serve my society,” she added. Aishwarya will appear for the UPSC exams next year.