Anand Sisters: The Three Sisters Who Successfully Cracked UPSC

July 1, 20212 Minutes Read
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Assuming the position of an IAS officer is a dream. What makes this dream even more remarkable is 3 sisters from the same family repeating the same achievement!

That is exactly what the three Anand sisters -- Meenakshi, Urvashi, and Keshni did! All three of them passed the UPSC exam with flying colours.

Mrs Minakshi Chaudhary started this chain reaction of successfully passing the UPSC exam to be an IAS.

Urvashi, her younger sister, followed the same path and became an IAS officer too!

And then the youngest of the three, Keshni, also cleared the UPSC exam to become an IAS officer!

Expanding their boundaries and breaking barriers

Everyone knows how difficult it is to crack these exams. There are mock tests, test series for competitive exams, and coaching classes.

What makes this achievement even more remarkable is - all three of them passed the UPSC exam in their first attempt. With no coaching classes!

And their list of achievements only seems to increase! All 3 of them have served as Cabinet Secretary to the Haryana Chief Minister. This is no small achievement.

Mrs Meenakshi Chaudhary served as the Chief Secretary in November 2005. Her younger sister, Mrs Urvashi Gulati, was appointed as the Chief Secretary in October 2009. And Mrs Keshni Arora repeated the same where she was appointed as the Chief Secretary in July 2019.

The force behind their success: Their father

It was their father, Dr Jagdish C. Anand, who encouraged them to take up Civil Services. A professor of Political Science, Dr Anand was the actual pillar of strength for these three sisters.

So, a fair share of credit also goes to their father. Without his broad-minded approach, support and encouragement, this would not have been possible.

Conversations and discussions around Civil services and UPSC exams were ordinary at Anand's house.

The sisters made their father proud when all 3 of them also topped their graduation in Political science!

While this feat was remarkable, they exceeded expectations and cleared the Civil services examinations on the first attempt, which very few manage, especially in the first go.

Passing the legacy to the next generation

It is said that when a man learns something, he educates himself. But when a woman learns something, she educates her entire family. This saying could not be more true for Mrs Meenakshi Chaudhary.

While Mrs Chaudhary is the only IAS in her home, her son Maneesh Chaudhary is an IPS officer working with Haryana Police. And the latest entrant to carry forward the legacy is her daughter Shruti, who has joined IPS.

This proves that focus, belief, and the attitude to get what you want, make you work tirelessly. Do not hesitate in taking bold steps. Be confident about them and own them. Here are some free online tests which you can take to find out your liking and might help if you are unsure about where your strengths lie. Focus is like the scattered rays of the sun. Once it becomes concentrated, it is enough to create an impact. No field is impossible to conquer once decided.

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If you are interested in social services, you'll find Maya Vishwakarma's story truly inspiring. We at Glow & Lovely Careers (formerly known as Fair & Lovely Career Foundation) have a social work course online called, Social Work Practice: Advocating Social Justice and Change. The course will help you understand the duties and responsibilities of a social worker. It will also make you ready to face the unique challenges of doing social work in India. Maya Vishwakarma started on her own, leaving the comforts of life in a developed country to improve the lives of women in her homeland. You too can bring about such a change if you work with passion.