The Inspiring Journey Of Sreeja, UPSC AIR 57

'India is at a critical juncture in this century. I want to be a part of the diplomatic team that works to make India great.'

The day Sreeja decided to write the civil services examination, she wrote on her board, 'Sreeja JS, IFS 2026'.

She also wrote, 'I am writing UPSC CSE only once and am taking Indian Foreign Service in 2025-26. Now, get to work!!! you lazy buffoon!'

She looked at what she wanted to achieve before she started studying every single day.

And, indeed she did pass the civil services exam at the first attempt. She got an All India Rank of 57 (though her target was AIR 15). She also qualified to be an Indian Foreign Service officer in 2026.

Her belief in herself, determination and focus in what she wanted to achieve is a inspiration to all.

Meet Sreeja JS who turned 24 on March 2nd:

A child who loved talking all the time

One memory I still have is of the small chair my father had bought for me. I used to carry it everywhere.

I loved talking to people so much that when someone went to the washroom, I would take my small chair and sit next to the door waiting for them to come out so that I could continue talking.

I just wanted to talk to people all the time.

Studies the most important part of growing up

It was my mother who instilled in me how important was education for a child.

She is a post graduate in history but couldn't find a job. My father couldn't study beyond the 9th standard due to family circumstances, and has been working from then on.

This is their 25th year together.

There were a lot of financial difficulties at home, but both Amma and Achan saw to it that both my brother and I were kept away from all that. They just wanted us to concentrate on our studies.

Since my mother didn't have a job, she used to sit with me and teach me from a very young age. It continued till I was in the 9th standard.

While growing up, I understood that education was an important tool for me to get out of the limitations we faced in the form of lack of money and other resources.

I realised that if I had education, I would be able to overcome anything life threw at me.

I realised this at a very young age as I had seen how my parents struggled.

Now I think I have succeeded at least a bit. Because of my focus on education, I was also able to get a good rank, and a better and a very privileged career.

Education is a very important factor, and for every young girl out there, it has to be a non-negotiable factor.

Dream as a child was to become a doctor

When I was a kid, I was always in hospital because of fever or some other issues.

When I watched the doctors walking around in their white coats with stethoscopes around the neck, I found it very glamorous. Seeing them, I also wanted to be a doctor.

But then, I realised I was quite bad in maths and science. I found the subjects difficult to understand and I couldn't score good marks.

Civil Services were an attraction from when she was 11.

I came to know about the civil services when I was in the 7th standard.

The reason was Haritha ma'am from Kerala getting All India Rank 1. All the newspapers wrote about her and interviewed her.

I remember asking my mom what civil service was. She told me everything about the service and the exam.

I was so impressed that I decided to write the exam one day.

Falling in love with Political Science

By the time I reached college, political science became my favourite subject. And in political science also, I had a favourite, and it was international relations.

When I started under graduation, international relations sounded very fancy to me as it dealt with foreign policy, diplomacy etc though those were very heavy words for me then.

But I found it very interesting. Soon I realised that it was a very dynamic subject, like a vast ocean in which you could work on anything you wanted, and it was a very relevant and promising area to go deep into.

I don't know why but my brain got fired up when I thought of international relations at that time.

So, I did my BA and MA in political science.

It was when I dived deep into international relations that I got attracted to the Indian Foreign Service.

I thought it was interesting to go to new places, meet new people and different cultures. I enjoyed exploring new cuisines.

I also want to study many languages. I never got the chance to study any language in depth apart from English and Malayalam.

In my opinion, the sky is not the limit. You can go even beyond!

From MCC Chennai to UPSC

I wanted to expand my horizon by going to Delhi when I was ready to go to college but then I thought it would be too expensive for my family to bear.

So, I decided to go to a place that was close by. That was how I chose MCC (Madras Christian College) in Chennai. The history of the college goes back to 1837.

I was very excited to come to Chennai. In fact, it was a very thrilling experience.

MCC became a good place for me to explore academics and extracurricular activities.

I did things which I never thought I would ever do. For example, I was part of the literary and debating team in my hall, Martin Hall.

When I became literary and debating secretary of Martin Hall, it was the first major leadership position I took up.

My friends tell me even now you were one of the best. That was the greatest compliment I got from my friends.

I also wrote plays and directed them which I don't think I would have done if I had stayed here.

I think MCC shaped me who I am today as it is one of the best colleges in India.

I absolutely love Chennai. It is one of the best cities to be. When I am here (Thiruvananthapuram), I miss Chennai.

Now, my brother also has gone to Chennai to do his UG in physics at Loyola College.

For us, Chennai is like a second home.

Had a Plan B but the universe conspired to make her an IFS officer

Though writing the civil services examination and becoming an IFS officer was my plan, I had a Plan B too.

In January 2024, I had cleared the UGC-NET examination qualifying myself to be an assistant professor.

I continued with Plan B till December 2024 when I attended an interview at MCC for a faculty position. But I did not get the job. I felt I did the interview very badly.

Looking back, I am thankful that I didn't get the job.

If I had got the job, I would not have been able to prepare for the civil services exam properly.

Like Paulo Coelho said, the universe conspired to make me an IFS officer at my first attempt.

Simple Strategy Behind AIR 57

I finished my post-graduation in May 2024 and joined the Fortune IAS Academy in Thiruvananthapuram.

Once I decided to take the exam, I wrote a note for myself that I would take the exam only once and I would become an IFS officer.

I wrote AIR 15 as my target.

Every day I would look at my note before I start studying. Whenever I felt lazy, I would read it again and again so that I was fired up to study, and not waste time.

My preparation basically was,just doing whatever the Academy told me.

I listened to what my mentors said and followed it very religiously.

I worked on improving whatever I was doing.

I think it worked out in the end.

I was talking to my mentors after the results were out, and they said, 'You kept your preparation very simple. You didn't make it complicated. You did your duty which is studying according to the daily plan that the Academy provided. You also listened in the classes. You did this regularly, and this consistency helped you get this rank.'

It is true I followed a regular plan. I got a daily planner from my Academy and I followed it diligently.

I didn't bother to count the hours. Whatever time it took me to finish the daily targets, I just went with it.

Sometimes I couldn't continue for more than 6 to 8 hours; 6 hours of classes plus 2 hours of self-study. But I made sure that I finished studying the content I had before writing the exams on Sundays.

Spending time with Lara was relaxation

I have a cat named Lara, a very beautiful and paavam cat. She used to come to my room quite often which is on the first floor.

Whenever she passed my room, she would stand near my door, and meow. That is the signal for me to get up and pick her up.

I would play with her for some time, and then she would leave me. And she used to do this quite often.

Whenever I felt like playing with her, I had to only call and she would come to me.

That was my greatest relaxation. She would just meow, and all my tension would disappear. That was the kind of relationship I had with my cat.

Prayers helped her relax

Just like spending time with my cat, prayers and talking to my loved ones -- my parents, my friends, my mentors -- helped me a lot in calming my nerves.

I am a Catholic Christian. So we have the rosary, Bible and the Holy Mass, and they anchored me and grounded me so that I was able to overcome any tension I had due to over thinking.

I am a religious person, and going to church on Sundays is non-negotiable for me.

I know God is there everywhere, but I have to go to church on Sundays and say hi to Jesus. Otherwise, I would have no peace of mind especially during the civil service preparation phase.

I would say going to church was my biggest relief.

Prelim, Main or the Interview?

For me, the most interesting was definitely the interview, and it was the easiest part in the entire exam.

Looking back, I feel you don't have to study much for the interview. You just have to read the newspaper, and you need to have general awareness about everything.

If you have good communication skills, you are fine and you will be able to crack it.

You need to strike a conversation and make it interesting.

That was the impression I got after facing the interview board.

I think I was more tense during the mains which were the toughest and the prelims than doing the interview.

All India Rank 57!

My target was AIR 15 which I had written on my note.

I wrote 15 because I felt it would be arrogant to aim for a rank in the top 10 when there are so many brilliant people out there.

It is like you aim for the moon, you will land among the stars.

That was what happened to me. I aimed for 15, and I got AIR 57.

I am really happy.

When I saw Rank 57 next to my name, I checked again and again. Yes, next to Sreeja JS, the number was 57!

I saw all my dreams coming true as this was what I had worked so hard for almost two years now.

I was so excited that I shouted, 'Amma Acha!'

They got scared hearing me. When they came up, I said, 'Amma, Acha, I made it. Rank 57. And I will be an IFS officer in my first attempt'.

Then calls from my mentors came. All of them calmed me down a bit.

After that, the media started calling me. Everybody came to our house and they were all so happy.

The calls and visits are continuing even now.

I was a nobody till last week and today, so many people know me.

Everything feels so surreal sometimes.

But I am still the same old Sreeja. I am still fun and very talkative.

Even though I have started coughing because of the incessant talking, I can't shut up!

Dream of Becoming an IFS Diplomat

What kind of IFS officer she wants to be

I want to be a damn good officer in the service and for the people. That's not negotiable.

You have to be very empathetic. At the same time, you have to adhere to the values the civil services want in as officer.

And I want to be a people's officer and brilliant in that.

I want to make India's name sky high in international politics.

India is at a critical juncture in this century. I want to be a part of the diplomatic team that works to make India great.

People she admires

I really like our Minister of External Affairs, Jaishankar sir. He is somebody I look up to because he was a career diplomat, international relations scholar. I like the way how he responds calmly to any question that comes from across the world. He is an inspiration.

Then, Nirupama ma'am (Nirupama Rao). She was the ambassador to China. And China is in my bucket list, I want to be a diplomat there. Obviously I look up to her.

Then, of course, Shashi Tharoor who is from my hometown. He is a world citizen, a global citizen. In simple words, an awesome, very knowledgeable and a brilliant person.

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff