Gold medallist left promising career in medicine to fulfill her father’s dream. Today, she is an IAS officer. Who is Mudra Gairola?

Once, she had a gold medal in dentistry and a flourishing career. However, she left it all a promising career in dentistry to become an IAS officer. Taking to X, an X user named Nalini Ungar shared the incredible journey of Dr Mudra Gairola.

According to a ZEE News report, after securing a gold medal in her BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) course, Gairola enrolled in an MDS course, but left it midway to fulfill her father’s dream: Become an IAS officer.

Gairola exemplified remarkable perseverance in her UPSC journey. She reached the interview stage in her first attempt in 2018 and 2019 but missed final selection both times. In 2020, she failed to clear the mains examination. Undaunted by these setbacks, she secured an All India Rank (AIR) of 165 in 2021. Determined to improve further, she appeared once more in 2022 and achieved an impressive AIR 53, ultimately fulfilling her long-cherished dream of excelling in the Civil Services Examination.


According to a DNA report, Mudra’s father Arun Gairola also wanted to clear civil services exam and become a bureaucrat. However, that dream remained unfulfilled. Although he did crack the UPSC exam in 1973, he failed to clear the interview.

She is currently, an Assistant Magistrate and Assistant Collector, North 24 Parganas, under West Bengal cadre.