Some success stories are about a rank, a job or a prestigious examination. Others are about the courage to continue when the first victory is still not enough. Saima Saraj Ahmed Khan, originally from Usia village in Ghazipur’s Kamsarbar area of Uttar Pradesh, represents the second kind of success. Saima has once again cleared the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination 2025, securing an impressive All India Rank of 135 and selected as IPS. What makes her achievement particularly remarkable is that this is not her first UPSC success. She had earlier secured Rank 165 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2023 and subsequently joined the Indian Revenue Service (IRS).
Instead of treating that achievement as the end of her journey, Saima continued to pursue her larger ambition in the civil services. Her latest performance demonstrates the power of persistence, self-belief and the willingness to keep improving. Saima’s educational journey took her across different cities. She completed her early schooling in Kolkata, studied Classes 9 and 10 in Mumbai, and returned to Kolkata for her higher secondary education.
She studied at St. Paul’s Boarding and Day School in Kidderpore and later completed her Class 12 education from Ashok Hall Girls Higher Secondary School, Kolkata. She subsequently graduated from the prestigious St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, with Honours in Sociology. Her academic background in sociology also helped develop her understanding of society and the challenges faced by ordinary people. During her college years, she was associated with an NGO, an experience that brought her closer to people at the grassroots level. That exposure strengthened her desire to work in public service and contribute to society through the civil services.
Saima’s journey to the UPSC was far from easy. Her preparation began after graduation, and she faced setbacks in earlier attempts. According to her interviews, she cleared the preliminary examination in 2021 but could not cross the Mains stage that year. She then reassessed her strategy, worked on her weaknesses and continued preparing. Her persistence finally paid off when she cleared the examination and interview process, securing All India Rank 165 in the 2023 Civil Services Examination. That success earned her a place in the Indian Revenue Service. But Saima wanted to aim higher. Even after entering the civil services, she continued preparing for UPSC. Her latest 2025 Rank 135 is therefore not simply another examination result—it is evidence that she refused to become complacent after achieving a prestigious position.
Saima’s story carries an important lesson: success is not always achieved in the first attempt, and failure is not the opposite of success. Sometimes, failure becomes the training ground for success. Her journey from Ghazipur to one of India’s most competitive examinations demonstrates what education, discipline and perseverance can achieve. Saima Khan’s achievement should be celebrated not only as a personal success but also as a message to every young Indian who dreams of serving the country. To Indian Muslim girls in particular, her journey carries a powerful lesson: never allow social expectations, fear of failure or lack of confidence to define the limits of your dreams.
Saima Khan’s journey—from Ghazipur to the civil services—is a reminder that when an Indian girl gets the opportunity to dream and the determination to pursue that dream, she can rise to the highest levels of national service.