21-year-old Ansar Ahamad Shaikh, who cracked India’s tough civil services this week, has revealed how he was forced to change his name to a Hindu surname in order to get accommodation in Pune.
Ansar hails from a small village in Maharashtra’s Jalna district where his father drove an autorickshaw.
He moved to Pune to pursue higher education and focus on preparing for his UPSC exams.
“I remember when I went to look for a PG accommodation, my friends who were Hindus got rooms but I was refused. So the next time, I said that my name was Shubham, which was actually my friend’s name,” Shaikh told Indian Express.
He lived under the name of Shubham till now but now after clearing the UPSC exam in his first attempt, securing an All-India Rank 361, he says he doesnt have to hide his muslim identity anymore.
“Now I don’t have to hide my real name,” said Shaikh.
But hiding his Muslim identity isn’t the only problem he has faced in life.
“My father has three wives, my mom is the second. In my family, education wasn’t so important. My younger brother dropped out of school and my two sisters were married off at an early age and didn’t study much. When I called home and told them that I cracked UPSC and in all likelihood will be an IAS officer, they were shell shocked,” said Shaikh, adding that he is going home to meet his family to celebrate this achievement.
And before signing off, Shaikh said there's no shortcut to success. "I spent last 3 years studying for the exams, putting in almost 10-12 hours daily."
