Pune's Shruti Shrikhande tops UPSC CDS exam among girls
What's the story
Shruti Shrikhande, a 22-year-old from Pune, has topped the Combined Defence Services (CDS) examination among girls, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) recently announced. Shruti, daughter of Army Brigadier Vinod Shrikhande, is a final-year student of ILS Law College. From April, she'll be enrolled into the 107th short service commission course (non-technical) for women at the Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai. Here's more.
The dream
Shruti has always been in awe of Army discipline, values
An alumnus of Army Public School, Pune, Shruti had always wanted to follow in her father's footsteps. His army career has been a major source of inspiration for her. "His crisp uniform and salute are what I have dreamt of growing up. He was posted in remote areas but he always shared his experiences of those places with us," Shruti told Hindustan Times.
The exam
Trekking, running helped Shruti pass the physical test
Trekking helped Shruti clear the CDS's grueling physical test. "Besides my daily academic regimen of about six hours, I used to devote an hour for physical exercise, which included long-distance running and trekking with friends," she told HT. Across India, 232 candidates have qualified the final exam. Nipurn Datta has topped the exam among boys.