They cracked this year what is considered one of the toughest and most prestigious career examinations in the country, battling all odds as migrants from the Kashmir valley and are now seeking to inspire others like themselves.
Rahul Bhat and Akshay Labroo are presently undergoing the joint foundation course for would be civil servants at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration after having been selected for the IFS and IAS services with their 68th and 104th ranks respectively in the UPSC-conducted exam.
Having done it, they now want youth from the migrant Kashmiri Pandit community to dream big and achieve those dreams.
"Nothing is impossible. Don't be scared of the examination and failures. You can crack it. And soon, you may sit in my place to inspire other youngsters," said Labroo, exhorting a gathering of over 200 young men and women at the biggest camp of migrant Kashmiri Pandits at Jagti near here.
Bhat and Labroo, both 24, were born a few years after their families migrated from Kashmir after terrorism reared its ugly head in early 1990s there.
And both of them battled adversity to make it to the coveted positions.
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"Don't be scared of failures. I missed the grade by two marks in my first attempt but eventually cleared it in the second," said Bhat, who left his cushy job as a mechanical engineer with Mahindra and Mahindra to prepare for civil services.
Labroo decided to take up the UPSC exam while serving as a research assistant with the Union Commerce Ministry, which he had joined after graduation from Ramjas College, New Delhi in 2014.
Labroo moved to the Defence Ministry after Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was allotted that portfolio.
"Chose for the civil service main examination, subjects that you enjoy reading the most," the two advised the youngsters.
They advised parents to let their children choose their field and not thrust upon them professions like engineering.
The event was organised under the aegis of "Future Bureaucrats" - a campaign launched by former bureaucrats from the Valley for the guidance of civil services aspirants among the Kashmiri Pandit community.
"We have been coaching displaced Kahsmiri Pandit aspirants for civil services at Jammu. There is good response," former DGP Ashok Bhan, one of the members of the team, said.
Addressing civil service aspirants, Vice Chancellor Ashok Aima of Central University of Jammu offered to set up a centre with internet facilities at Jagti to suport their endeavour.