Gaurav Agarwal, the IAS topper from Jaipur, India, is widely recognized for his remarkable success in cracking some of the most sought-after exams in the country. His journey has been a roller coaster ride, filled with both triumphs and challenges. Gaurav faced significant difficulties while pursuing his degree at IIT Kanpur, encountering failures in several subjects along the way. In his final semester, he even failed another subject, which resulted in an extension of his degree by an additional semester. Determined to overcome these setbacks, Gaurav chose to sacrifice his vacations to diligently clear his academic backlog. He frequently sought the professor's guidance, demonstrating his perseverance and resilience. Ultimately, these experiences shaped him into the accomplished IAS topper, despite his previous failures during his undergraduate studies.

Gaurav’s Early Education

At the young age of 16, Gaurav Agarwal, an IAS aspirant, conquered the formidable Engineering exam and secured the 45th All India Rank in the IIT JEE-2001. Four years later, in 2005, he obtained his Computer Science engineering degree from IIT Kanpur. However, Gaurav experienced a setback during his time at IIT Kanpur, as he faced failure that led to an extension of his degree for an additional semester.

Nevertheless, this initial failure did not hinder his determination to achieve great heights. Gaurav made a remarkable comeback by clearing India's most challenging MBA exam at the age of 21, scoring an impressive 99.94 percentile in CAT 2005. He then joined one of the most academically demanding MBA colleges and graduated with flying colors in 2008, earning a prestigious gold medal for his outstanding academic performance.

Furthermore, Gaurav gained valuable professional experience by working as an Investment Banker for Citigroup for a period of 40 months.

Gaurav’s Journey To UPSC

Gaurav Agarwal made the courageous decision to leave behind a lucrative job in order to dedicate himself to serving the people of India. He chose to pursue an exam with an astonishingly low success rate of approximately 0.4%, widely regarded as one of the most challenging tests in the world. While his family busied themselves with preparations for his wedding, Gaurav Agarwal remained immersed in his books and focused on refining his learning strategy. Remarkably, he managed to attend the personal interview just four days before his wedding.

Subsequently, the UPSC announced the results, and Gaurav Agarwal emerged as the top-ranked candidate in the UPSC 2013 examination, becoming the first individual from his illustrious state to achieve this feat in the Civil Services Examination. Gaurav Agarwal secured the coveted first rank, denoted as AIR 1, in the UPSC 2013.

Gaurav Agarwal’s Posting And Work As An IAS Officer

Gaurav Agarwal currently holds the position of CEO at Zila Parishad in Karauli, Rajasthan. While being a technology enthusiast, he continues to pursue his passion for finance. In a world where the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is eagerly sought after to enhance productivity and efficiency, Gaurav Agarwal is dedicated to exploring ways to utilize AI in public policies. His aim is to ensure that disadvantaged individuals can avail themselves of the maximum benefits offered by advanced technology.

Gaurav Agarwal has actively engaged in various technological projects aimed at improving the quality of life for the underprivileged, impoverished, and marginalized communities. As India grapples with increasing distress among farmers, Gaurav Agarwal endeavors to enhance their livelihoods through the innovative use of technology.

Gaurav Agarwal’s Current Projects

Gaurav Agarwal embarked on a project titled "Machine Learning for Agriculture Extension: Developing Agri Chatbots." The primary goal of this project is to utilize machine learning techniques to effectively reach millions of farmers across India, taking advantage of the widespread availability of affordable data and smartphones. By developing Agri Chatbots, Gaurav aims to provide real-time alerts and valuable information to farmers.

Additionally, Gaurav Agarwal undertook a project called "Business Analysis for Kisan Call Centers" to ensure timely support for farmers. Building upon his previous experiences, he employed data analytics on millions of call records to extract meaningful insights. The objective of this project is to generate real-time alerts regarding agricultural distress in any part of India. These alerts enable prompt administrative interventions to alleviate the distress faced by farmers.

Gaurav Agarwal Notes and Blog

To assist UPSC candidates in their preparation, Gaurav Agarwal took up blogging in 2013 under the name "Khelo India." Through this platform, he shared valuable resources such as preparation tips, strategies, and GS (General Studies) paper notes for the UPSC mains exam. Gaurav Agarwal's notes have gained significant popularity among aspiring candidates, and his blog attracts a substantial amount of traffic as a result.

Conclusion

Gaurav follows and promotes a few key principles for achieving success. He emphasizes that both success and failure are natural parts of life. When faced with failure, one should not be disheartened but rather view it as an opportunity for growth. It is important to learn from failures and utilize those lessons to enhance personal development. Additionally, Gaurav believes in the importance of acknowledging mistakes and embracing weaknesses with courage. Having faith in one's abilities is crucial. Maintaining optimism is essential as it is hope that drives efforts to bring about systemic changes.

Gaurav advises against competing with others, instead urging individuals to compete with themselves and focus on self-improvement by addressing weaknesses. Rather than solely pursuing targets, he encourages individuals to relish the journey itself. Gaurav Agarwal serves as a genuine role model for aspiring individuals.