Thane’s Dr. Kashmira Sankhe tops Maharashtra UPSC

On May 23, Thane’s Dr. Kashmira Sankhe became third time lucky as she finally cracked the UPSC exam. After two unsuccessful attempts, Kashmira got it right the third time. The 27-year-old resident of Wagle Estate cleared the exam and secured the first rank all over Maharashtra and 25th in India, which means that she can select her preferred service, IAS.

Since childhood, Kashmira dreamt of becoming a civil servant. Her mother often showed her the photos of the then-civil servants, including Kiran Bedi and encouraged her to do something similar. Kashmira was always a bright student. She scored 95% marks in her 10th standard and then opted for Science. She completed her BDS from St. George Government Dental College and Hospital, Mumbai, in 2019 to become a dentist. However, the dream of becoming a civil servant was always there. After her graduation in dental studies, she began preparing for the UPSC exam. UPSC preparations and practising as a dentist went hand-in-hand.

Born and brought up in Maharashtra, Kashmira would like to be posted in her home state as she knows the culture and language. However, she is open to anything when it comes to civil services, as it will only help her learn and grow.

In the last one and a half years, she had to cut down her work as a dentist to some extent to give adequate time to her UPSC preparations. During this phase, she studied for 14 to 15 hours daily. Her mantra for the UPSC preparation has been ‘Read, repeat, rewrite and revise’. Kashmira followed the Pomodoro time management technique, according to which she studied for 50 minutes at a stretch and then took a 10-minute break. She would go for a walk or listen to music during the break. She also sought coaching for Anthropology subjects to keep up with current affairs and resorted to newspapers.