Tricity women ace UPSC with grit & home-grown focus
Civil Services Examination
, results of which were announced on Tuesday, marks not just a triumph of intellect but also of choosing familiar surroundings over the capital's high-pressure coaching culture.
Studying in their familiar settings of Zirakpur, Mohali, Panchkula, and Panjab University hostel, they relied on online resources, digital test series, strength of family and community support. Choosing to study from home or close by, they defied the pressure to spend money on expensive coaching and underlined the relevance of personal preparation.
Aastha Singh | AIR 61
All of 21, Aastha Singh from Peer Muchalla, Zirakpur, secured AIR 61 in her very first attempt. An economics graduate from SRCC, Delhi (Class of 2023), Aastha had already cleared the Haryana civil services exam last year, securing Rank 31 and joining as assistant excise and taxation officer in July, 2024. She chose economics as her optional and prepared for the test alongside her job, studying for five to six hours a day in the months leading up to the mains, held in Sep. "I never felt the need to go elsewhere," she said. "I've always studied in a way that suits me, and staying close to family kept me grounded. I knew what I needed, and I stuck to it."
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Riya Sethi | AIR 89
Riya Sethi, a resident of Sector 72, Mohali, secured AIR 89 in her fourth attempt. A 2019 economics graduate from Delhi University's Khalsa College and a postgraduate in development studies from JNU (2021), Riya returned to Punjab after the Covid pandemic and was selected for the Punjab Good Governance Fellowship programme. She was posted in Ludhiana in 2023. "A senior official I worked with told me to give it another go. That advice stayed with me," she said. Riya lost her father in 2017. "He always wanted me to pursue this. After he passed, it became my goal too." Preparing from home with sociology as her optional, she added, "I had the mental space and family support I needed. I wasn't distracted by the stress of being in a new place. I could just focus."
Tanvi Gupta | AIR 187
Tanvi Gupta, a 28-year-old from Panchkula, cleared the exam in her fifth attempt. A Bharatnatyam dancer who represented Haryana at the National Youth Festival in 2012, Tanvi graduated in economics from Panjab University in 2018 and completed her MA in 2024. She drew motivation from her grandfather, a social worker who established dharamshalas across India. "His life was rooted in service. That spirit guided me," she said. Tanvi relied largely on home preparation, using online resources and enrichment courses, but did briefly go to Delhi for answer writing practice. "Even then, I knew I couldn't stay long. I am most focused when I am at home. My parents, the comfort of familiar routines—that's what helped me keep going."
Vijaylakshmi Bishnoi | AIR 233
Vijaylakshmi Bishnoi, 26, is pursuing her LLM at Panjab University. She prepared for the exam at Girls Hostel 4. She completed her B.Com LLB from UILS in 2022. The eldest of five siblings from a farming family in Haryana, she cleared the exam in her third attempt—having not made it past prelims in her first and mains in her second. "I kept refining my approach and used online mock tests and group discussions," she said. "I knew going to Delhi would be too much to manage, logistically, emotionally," she said. "Staying here meant I could focus completely. With online mocks, I created the right rhythm for myself."
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As far as the IT names are concerned, again it is not out of the ordinary TCS reported the numbers, pretty much in line adjusted for BSNL numbers. So, all in all, largecap would have minus one to plus one sort of a CC, constant currency, growth but the better numbers would likely be from the mid-tier players in the IT space. Again, on the IT side again, I would believe that most of the negatives are broadly in the price. If we were to take a next two-to-three-year point of view, these are basically buy on dips even for IT names. Live Events Last time we interacted, you were very positive on the entire insurance space, life as well as health insurance. Does that conviction continue? Manish Sonthalia: Absolutely. I would believe that on a sequential basis the health insurance names would see some sort of an uptick in terms of your profitability, the combined ratio would likely be better than what we have seen in the previous two-three quarters. And long-term trajectory in any case remains okay. And the valuations per se are very-very reasonable. Likewise, for even the life insurance players, even in the first quarter their growth was very-very decent. So again, out here life insurance has not seen too much of an action in terms of over the last two-three years. While we interact with the other market participants as well, they are always flagging off that concern with respect to the valuations, lower growth earnings, and what will eventually be the case with respect to the tariff. While it is good to note and it is good to hear from you that it is a buy on dips market as per you right now, but do not you think that there are some concerns for the markets of late or are you also pencilling in some of the risk factors or it is all good for the markets right now? Manish Sonthalia: Markets would have something to worry about at all points in time. We have never seen a market in my 30 years where they do not have anything to worry about, everything is hunky dory. So, having said that, you look at the anecdote as far as the valuations are concerned from the point of view of earnings. Fourth quarter number earnings was the best for the midcap and the smallcap space and that is where the maximum concern on valuations have been. So, while the Nifty 50 reported 2% YoY growth in the fourth quarter, operating profits were around 5% or 6%. The same number for, let us say, Nifty 50 next was around 27% growth. For, let us say, Nifty 150 midcap index, the earnings growth for fourth quart was 21%. For the smallcap 250 it was 20%. So, when the whole Nifty 50 is seeing a low single-digit sort of a growth, I mean the better growth numbers are coming in from the broader markets. Having said that, yes, historically the median valuations of Nifty 150 midcap was around, let us say, 30 times and today the index is valued at around 35 times, you will have to remove the outliers. You have very high allocations in some of the stocks which are trading at more than 100 PE. So, lopsidedness on some of the allocations, the index gives you a very skewed picture as far as the index PE multiples on the mid and smallcaps are concerned. But overall earnings trajectory for the mid and smallcaps are going to be much better even for this quarter. While the Nifty 50 earnings growth is likely to be in the range of 3% to 8%, I mean the midcap index projected earnings growth is going to be around 22-23%. And even for the smallcap index earnings protection is going to be around 10% to 15%. So, it is going to be better than the index per se and frontloaded dose of liquidity and cost of capital will only keep valuation slightly elevated and there is going to be a price inflation according to me because of the RBI actions and that would be supportive of the market as a whole. So, if one was to assume that markets will fall off a cliff, I would not think so. And in any case, markets do not remain in equilibrium, they undershoot or overshoot. This time around because of the earning support as well as the RBI actions, markets are more likely to overshoot rather than undershoot or stay in equilibrium. Also, give us your sense on some sector specific moves. Pharma is a space that you have liked for some time now, but the big overhang of the 200% tariff on pharma still continues. Does that change your stance on pharma? And do you believe that this 200% tariff could actually materialise on the space? Manish Sonthalia: No way. I mean, I would believe that first of all, you have a holiday on that tariff for the next one, one-and-a-half years and 200% tariffs in any case is not doable. Even after, let us say one, one-and-a-half years, you will have something coming up on that front. Generics is what supports the pharma industry in the US and if this is the amount of tariff, then obviously if there is a pass through of this 200% tariff, it is going to be extremely adverse for the healthcare sector as a whole for the US. But sticking with the tariff, everybody is waiting out for that final number with respect to the India-US tariff. But this time seems to be a little different with respect to the market reaction we have seen on April 2nd because from then till now with respect to the other geographies, Donald Trump has not made any big changes in terms to the numbers. Do you believe that if at all for Indian markets if we also come nearby to that 26% odd mark, it will be very well digested by the markets? Manish Sonthalia: No, I think 26% would be taken very adversely, 10 is already there. Any number between 10 and 15 would be positive for the markets. More than that this 500% tariffs because we import oil from Russia, I mean that is to be given more importance as to whether that is going to come or not come but otherwise markets are digesting today a number between 10% and 15%. If that be a case, then it would be a relief for the markets. Anything more than 15% in the vicinity of 20% or 26% would be negatively looked at by the market. What are you making of the tariff impact on the entire US macros? We have seen the bond yields that spiked up. The dollar index continues to be under pressure. Do you believe the tariffs are doing more harm than good to the US economy at present before they start playing out for the longer term? Manish Sonthalia: Absolutely. I mean, there is no doubt that ultimately the tariffs are going to be paid by American consumers give or take a bit here and there, that is about it, and it is going to be quite inflationary. And from the point of view of the fact is the repercussions on the US dollar, I would reckon it is headed on the downside and if that be the case, then it is going to be beneficial for emerging markets, India is a part of the emerging market and it would also tend to benefit from flows.
