From the Naxal heartland of Andhra Pradesh to the cacophonous bylanes of Janakpuri in west Delhi, the new crop of men and women who join the civil service this year is as varied as it gets.

Adapa Karthik who has topped the examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission this year hails from Khammam. Karthik, currently an IPS probationer, studied to be a doctor in Chennai, was offered a seat by the Harvard University for medical research but stayed on to try for the civil services. While Delhi boy Supreet Gulati (27), an electrical engineer from IIT Madras, has stood second, Delhi School of Economics post-graduate Ashima Jain has emerged as the overall topper among women.

But perhaps the most striking story is that of the sister-brother duo of Mukta (26) and Mukul Arya (23). Born to a father who worked his way up from a clerical job in the Delhi government to the Delhi Andaman Nicobar Island Civil Services as an officer — his father was a contract labourer — the siblings from the Scheduled Tribes category didn’t expect such astounding twist of fate.

The results declared on Friday evening place sister Mukta well above the reservation benefits of her category to qualify in the general category with an All India Rank of 48 even as brother Mukul with rank 347 makes it to the ranks in the reserved category for Scheduled Tribe candidates.

“Mukta is and has always been more hard-working than me, which is what explains why she has made it to top 50 in the UPSC exams. She has been a constant source of inspiration for me,” says Mukul.

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