Kashish has been conferred with numerous awards & honours including the Punjab State Award for Art & Culture by Hon’ble Chief Minister Punjab (2007).
For millions of students in India, clearing exams such as IIT JEE and UPSC is a dream. One inspiring example is Kashish Mittal, who cracked the UPSC exam, became an Indian Administrative Service(IAS) officer. Despite having an excellent career ahead of him, he ultimately chose to leave his IAS career behind to explore his one true passion, which is classical music. Read his motivation story below.
Who is this young IAS Officer who has gone viral? And why?
Kashish Mittal graduated with a B.Tech in Computer Science from IIT Delhi. According to the media reports, he also received an impressive All India Rank (AIR) 6 in the IIT JEE entrance exam. The journey of excellence did not stop there. He proceeded to clear the UPSC Civil Services Exam on the very first attempt, becoming an IAS officer at the age of just 21.
Mittal obtained an All India Rank(AIR) 58 in the Civil Services Examination and became an IAS officer. After spending nearly nine years in that position, Kashish quit his job to pursue his passion for classical music.
Born in 1989, Kashish Mittal hails Jalandhar, Punjab. His father, Jagdish Kumar, served as an IPS officer, ensured that their family environment was disciplined, with an emphasis on civil services. His mother, Sangeeta Mittal, influenced the family’s musical facet. At the age of eight, Kashish started learning Hindustani classical music, and at eleven, he performed at one of the biggest platforms, Harivallabh Sangeet Sammellan in Punjab.
As part of his career in the IAS, Kashish held various administrative positions including Additional Deputy Commissioner Chandigarh, Deputy Commissioner Tawang, and in the office of Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, Government of India.
Kashish’s desire for Hindustani classical music made him devote time to the performing art during the years he was in the IIT and during his service in the IAS. After a nine-year career in government, Kashish decided to quit the well-respected civil service to pursue his deep love for Hindustani classical music.
According to the official website of Kashish Mittal, he has been recognized as an ‘A Grade’ artiste by the All India Radio & Doordarshan and an ‘Established artiste’ by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Government of India.
“Kashish subsequently moved under the tutelage of Pandit Yashpaul, maestro of the Agra Gharana, as per the Guru Shishya Parampara. He underwent rigorous training under Pt. Yashpaul, and learnt the fine nuances of Khayal gayaki in the Agra Gharana style of singing,” reads the statement on his webpage.
Kashish’s music is influenced by and finds its roots in the rich musical heritage of the distinguished Agra Gharana. In addition to his Guru Pt. Yashpaul, Kashish has been deeply inspired by the stalwarts of Agra Gharana such as Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan, Ustad Sharafat Hussain Khan, Ustad Latafat Hussain Khan and others.
Kashish has been conferred with numerous awards & honours including the Punjab State Award for Art & Culture by Hon’ble Chief Minister Punjab (2007), Saraswati Samman by IIT Delhi (2010), Naad Shri Samman for significant contribution to Hindustani Classical Music (2018), among others.
Even as a student, he bagged several National Scholarships in music and academics, such as the Centre for Cultural Resources & Training (CCRT), National Talent Search Examination (NTSE), and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Scholarships.
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