Imphal: Dominic Haokip was at home in Churachandpur. He had returned home with just one aim: to revise and study hard for the upcoming prelim exams for the Union Public Services Commission.
Yet, destiny, it seems, had other plans for him and all of Manipur. What followed has now been extensively documented, and the problems of civilians are unlikely to end anytime soon, yet, amid the darkness, Dominic and his sister Hatchinghoi have given the much-needed light of success to their community and the state. Dominic Sominthang Haokip and Hatchinghoi Haokip, siblings from the Kuki community of Churachandpur district, created history by clearing the prestigious Civil Services Exam 2023 conducted by the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission).
Born to Jamkhomang Haokip, a retired forest guard at the Manipur Forest Department, and Nemjalhing Haokip, a housewife from Tuibong, Dominic, the youngest among the six siblings, secured the 994 rank in the CSE exam on his very first attempt. Not to be left behind, his elder sister Hatchinghoi secured the 898 rank. Amazingly, this was her third success in the Civil Services Exam.
Hatchinghoi, who holds a B.Tech degree from IIT Madras, had previously cleared the prestigious exam and served in the Indian Defence Accounts Service from 2021-2023 before securing a position in the Indian Forest Service (IFoS). She is currently undergoing training at the Indian Forest Academy, Dehradun.
Both siblings were schooled at St Mary’s School, Tuibong, and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Tuinom in the Churachandpur district.
Recalling the time when violence first broke out in his home state Manipur, Dominic shared that it was all chaos and everyone was affected by the crisis. “I was at home to do the final revision for the prelims when violence erupted, and it was all chaos and tension,” he said.
However, despite the challenges faced due to the prevailing situation in the state, he managed to change the prelim exam centre to Delhi and left home via Aizawl.
“While it was not my first time in Delhi, it does take time to adjust again, plus the uncertainty of everything happening back home,” he shared.
Amid all the tensions and stress while preparing for the civil services exam, Dominic said that he was fortunate to have received support from his parents and siblings, which allowed him to sail through it.
“My dad always encouraged us to focus only on our studies. My mom would always sit with us late at night while we studied. Whenever things get rough, they (parents) always say ‘Jehovah Jireh – The Lord will provide’ which became their life motto,” said Dominic.
He also said their elder siblings, who had already started working, supported them financially while preparing for the civil services exam.
Talking about how he came to know the result, Dominic said, “When I checked the so-called ‘holy PDF’, I didn’t type my name. However, I saw my surname-‘Haokip’ and I saw the no ‘2’ appearing. That’s when I knew both my sister and I made it to the list. It felt great and I quickly forwarded it to our family WhatsApp group.”
“We quickly got on a Video call and all we could see was smiles. My dad thanked all his children for always working hard and making his dreams a reality. For my parents, to see their youngest child (and now all children) achieve something makes them a bit emotional. They felt content and peaceful,” he added.
Though hard work is the key to success, Dominic confided that both luck and hard work are the two sides of a coin.
Neither can lead to success alone. Luck is not in my control, so I focus on hard work. I have all the wishes and prayers from my family, friends and well-wishers. Won’t luck eventually follow if I work hard?” he asked.
‘After facing certain challenges and hurdles amid the violence, now as a bureaucrat, Dominic’s focus is to ensure the availability of essential commodities and health facilities to the people in the state, especially those displaced persons in relief camps.
“I would also like to give my priority to the education of our young kids who have been affected since COVID, to minimise the learning loss,” he added.
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