Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Demonstrating perseverance and determination, at least three candidates from Indore have made the city proud in the UPSC 2025 results announced on Friday.
While Deeksha Chaurasiya secured All India Rank (AIR) 44, Samiksha Dwivedi and Akshat Baldwa secured AIR 56 and AIR 173 respectively.
Among them, perhaps the most inspiring story is that of Akshat Baldwa, a completely visually impaired candidate from Indore, who cleared the prestigious exam on his first attempt.
Akshat completed his Class 11 and 12 education in Hindi medium at a government school. After school, he cracked the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) and went on to study LLB at the National Law School of India University in Bengaluru, entering an English-language academic environment that was far from easy for a Hindi-medium student.
Undeterred, Akshat began preparing for the civil services exam in his fifth year of law school. In 2025, the same year he completed his graduation, he appeared for the UPSC examination for the first time and succeeded.
Self-confidence and self-motivation are essential in preparing for any competitive exam, Baldwa said.
He credited his family for his success, noting that his mother was always by his side, encouraging him through every difficult moment. His father, Sanjay Baldwa, runs a construction business, while his mother Meena Baldwa works as an insurance agent.
Deeksha Chaurasiya fulfils mother s dream
Deeksha Chaurasiya secured All India Rank 44 in the UPSC examination, fulfilling not only her own aspirations but also her mother s long-cherished dream.
Deeksha s mother, a doctor, had once aspired to join the civil services during her youth. Although she could not pursue that path, the dream later became a source of inspiration for Deeksha, motivating her to prepare for the prestigious examination.
Deeksha completed her schooling up to Class 12 in Indore before moving to Delhi for higher education. She pursued a bachelor s degree in History (Honours) from Miranda House College, Delhi University. She is currently pursuing postgraduate studies in Public Administration.
Her UPSC journey began in 2022 and was marked by several challenges. In her first attempt, she was unable to clear the preliminary examination. In the second attempt, she narrowly missed qualifying for the mains examination by 12 marks. The third attempt again saw her falling short in the preliminary stage.
Despite these setbacks, Deeksha remained determined and continued her preparation with renewed focus. Her perseverance finally paid off in her fourth attempt, when she secured AIR 44 in the UPSC examination.
Wants to change society from within: Samiksha Dwivedi, AIR 56
Samiksha Dwivedi s journey to AIR 56 is one of persistence and purpose. After completing her Class 12 from a private school, she earned a BTech in Computer Science, worked for three years in the software industry and later pursued an MBA to gain experience in the corporate sector.
During her professional years, Samiksha felt a deeper calling to contribute to society.
I wanted to change the picture of society from within the system, she said.
She began preparing for the UPSC examination in 2020. In 2023, she narrowly missed clearing the interview round. With strong support from her family, including encouragement from her father and husband, she continued her efforts.
In 2025, she cleared the preliminary examination, mains and interview.
Samiksha is the first member of her family to clear the UPSC examination.
