UPSC Success story of Karthik Gurunathan Iyer IFS

“Be honest to yourself, and back your potential to the fullest! The only thing that can overcome Hard Luck is Hard Work!” – Karthik Gurunathan Iyer IFS

In the 2011 UPSC exam, the 7th rank was secured by Nagpur native Karthik Gurunathan Iyer. Iyer achieved this amazing IAS success in his very first attempt.

In this article, you can read all about the civil services success story of UPSC topper Karthik Gurunathan Iyer.

IAS Topper Story – Karthik Iyer Background

• Karthik Iyer was born and raised in Nagpur, Maharashtra. His father Gurunathan is a retired officer from the Maharashtra State Textile Corporation and his mother Kamalam is working with BSNL in Bangalore.
• After finishing his schooling from Nagpur, Karthik pursued a B.Sc. (Hons) Physics degree from Fergusson College, Pune.
• Karthik was always a bright student.
• He also joined for an MA course in Political Science from IGNOU.
• As a child, Karthik was passionate about joining the defence forces of the country. He harboured a dream to be a fighter pilot. In the NDA entrance exam, he bagged an all India rank of 6. However, his dreams were shattered when he failed the medical test for the NDA.
• But, his dream of serving the nation came true when he cleared the UPSC exam in his very first attempt. He was only 22 years old at the time of clearing the IAS exam.
• He chose the foreign service for the opportunity to represent India abroad.

You can find out all about the IFS by visiting the linked article

IAS Topper Strategy

• Karthik confesses he did not have a definite strategy for clearing the exam.
• His optional subjects were political science and history, two subjects in which he had a keen interest. This helped him study, he says.

For tips on Karthik’s chosen optionals, click on the links in the table below:

• Being a bright student, Karthik did not join any IAS coaching. But for IAS aspirants who are not quite confident about their chances of clearing the exam, it is prudent to join a reliable and tested UPSC coaching.
• Karthik says his MA course from IGNOU helped him immensely in the civil services exam.
• He is of the opinion that the IAS exam is not tough at all and aspirants can easily achieve their dream if they combine hard work and dedication.

Check similar IAS Success stories at the linked article.

IAS Topper Marks – Karthik’s UPSC Marks

Brief facts about Karthik Gurunathan Iyer 

Some Brief Facts about Karthik Gurunathan Iyer are presented in the table below:

Facts about Karthik Gurunathan Iyer

For more such UPSC success stories for inspiration and motivation, you can check out our segment which posts articles on IAS toppers, Get Inspired.

You can find more UPSC related preparation materials and articles with links given in the table below:

Related Links