Shruti Suman
While numerous individuals leave their conventional jobs to pursue dreams in the glamorous world, rare are the instances where people abandon showbiz for national service. Taskeen Khan, a former Miss Dehradun and Miss Uttarakhand, is one such exception. The erstwhile fashion model decided to forgo her dream to concentrate on cracking the demanding civil services examination, eventually achieving an impressive all-India rank of 736.
Taskeen Khan already commands a substantial following on social media, being a popular figure. In the years 2016-2017, she clinched both the titles of Ms. Dehradun and Miss Uttarakhand. Additionally, she gained recognition for her mimicry of Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut. Taskeen’s journey mirrors that of a Bollywood movie. Despite initially aspiring to win the Miss India title, she opted to pursue her passion for civil services and succeeded in her fourth attempt.
After securing the titles of Miss Dehradun and Miss Uttarakhand, Taskeen Khan’s subsequent ambition was to win Miss India. However, after her father’s retirement, she contemplated pursuing a different profession. Her desire was to become an IAS officer, prompting her to start preparing for the UPSC exam. The inspiration to attempt the UPSC came from an Instagram follower who was an IAS aspirant. Subsequently, she enrolled at the Haj House in Mumbai to prepare for the UPSC exam.
In 2020, Taskeen gained admission to the free UPSC coaching program offered at Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia University. Despite facing financial constraints within her family, relying on her father’s modest pension, she persevered and remained committed to passing the challenging exam. Her journey was fraught with difficulties, as she failed to crack the exam three times before finally achieving success. Today, Taskeen Khan stands as a beacon of inspiration for numerous young individuals aspiring to serve as civil servants.
