Mr.B.Satheesh Balanan IPS officer of batch 2004, has worked at various colleges and schools as a lecturer and PG teacher in Chennai. He has done his M.Sc. in Physics from Govt. Art College, Coimbatore and schooling from Coimbatore Corporation’s school at Masakalipalayam. After his induction in Indian Police Services as an officer he has worked as ASP under training at Kurukshetra and also at Panipat. Later on, he has served as DCP in Gurgaon, Haryana and is currently working as Superintendent of Police at Jind. His deep commitment and dedication to duty in tackling crime and criminals in Jind demonstrated his excellent leadership ability. He spent time in understanding the criminal’s behaviour in his District and went all out against them.

A very Inspirational nd Motivational story of an IPS Officer–
Mr. B. Sateesh Balan IPS
******************************************

(“I have faced very bad times. The situation was so bad that I had only Rs. 4 or Rs. 5 to fend for myself for three days in Chennai”)

Coimbatore: Are you looking for a fact which looks a fiction? Here is one. The life and struggles of 33-year-old B. Satheesh Balan deserves to be ranked
among the ‘Slumdog’ category. But here luck has played little role even
as the oft-quoted adage “no free lunch” echoes in every sinew of Balan’s family
which had to forego lunch on many an occasion.

“Many a time the only lunch, that too provided by my friend, was groundnuts,”
remarks Mr. Balan. Now he is an IPS officer of the Haryana cadre. And as ASP, Panipet, he was the one who investigated the Samjauta Express tragedy which claimed more than 50 lives. He hails from Arasur, a sleepy village in Coimbatore district, and had his education from a panchayat union elementary school there up to Standard IV. Then he had to shift to the Corporation elementary school at Masakalipalayam. Mr. Balan tells G. Satyamurty about the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that he had to face to become what he is. “I was born to parents who were active trade unionists and it was an inter-caste marriage as well in 1960s. To be frank, it was my mother who fed me through her tailoring as my father was involved in jobs only of non-permanent nature. He was more often than not acting like mother attending to household chores.
Then I had to shift to the NGR Higher Secondary School, Coimbatore, to study
up to Class X. As a student and school pupil leader, I chose to sing a song in praise of the veteran trade union leader after whom the institution was named.
Whereas, my father was sent out of the same school for refusing to sing the same
questioning the rationale behind it.”

“Then I did not have even a chappal, which I used to borrow from friends. The
minimum that was insisted by the school was uniform and chappal. “Even I.C.Govindasamy, the Head Master with a heart of gold, was irritated when I
told him I could not afford even a chappal. He was the one who was instrumental in improving my English and discipline.”

Similarly, he recollects the kind- heartedness of his Standard IX teacher
Jayalakshmi, who gave him two new shirts on seeing him switch his seat in
the class to cover up his torn shirt from the view of girl students. “Besides, I used to work as a petrol pump attendant, especially at night, during weekends.”

After doing Plus Two in Sarvajana Higher Secondary School, he graduated and
post-graduated in physics from the Government Arts College, Coimbatore. “I joined B.Sc. Physics in Tamil medium, just for the sake of getting the
scholarship of Rs. 180 per semester.”

His academic attainments could be
achieved only through the sacrifice of his
elder brother, who quit studies to join a
private company. In 1998, Mr. Balan left for Chennai to join
two of his friends preparing for Civil
Services. Then he was absorbed as a PG
Assistant in a CBSE school for a “princely”
salary of Rs. 1,800. Attacks twice from typhoid and once
from a viral fever took away 15 kg and
he had to seek the help of his father once
again for the domestic chores. “In 2001, I cleared the preliminary as
well as the main examinations and the
results came in 2002.” However, he could
not get through the interview. Next year, he joined the Civil Services
Coaching Academy of the GRD Trust,
Coimbatore, and emerged successful on
May 7, 2004. “Now, I am the
Superintendent of Police, Jind.”

“Hailing from lower middle class, I have
faced very bad times. The situation was so bad that I had only
Rs. 4 or Rs. 5 to fend for myself for three
days in Chennai. Even when I was a PG
Teacher at a T.Nagar School, I had to
change a number of restaurants so that I
could pay them slightly later. When I was staying in a mansion with my
friends so that I need not pay any rent, I
had to run out even in odd hours to
escape from the frequent raids.” Even as a teacher he could afford only
meals that cost Rs. 5. “You may very well imagine the quality
of such food.” Mr. Balan admits that coming from a
trade union environment he had lots of
prejudices and was moulded into a
particular ideology. It was his wife, who
made him see the reality.

“To become a successful professional, I
had to change a lot and give up a lot of
prejudices. I was not a man with
progressive ideas. Though she was just a
matriculate, she had a far clearer vision
and now even my social vision has changed.

”According to Mr. Balan, the major
problem with regard to mofussil
candidates attempting the Civil Services
examination is “lack of confidence.”

This is a basic problem with the middle
class as well. “The rural ones are in no way inferior.
But it is true that not only do they lack
confidence but also communication
skills,” he says

Q. Please tell us about your childhood, family background, schooling and higher education.
A. I studied at Campion Higher Secondary School, Trichy, Tamil Nadu. It is the best institution I have ever come across. What I am today, I owe it to my school and parents. My dad is a professor (economics) and my mother is a housewife. My brother works for Ericsson, USA. I completed BDS at Ragas Dental College, Chennai. The discipline and the learning style which I applied in CSE 2010 were taught to me at my school. I extend my special thanks to the institution.

Q. When and why did you choose to become a civil servant?
A. I am not ashamed to confess that a movie inspired me to think about Civil Services Examination. In 2003, I watched a Tamil movie by the name ‘Kakha Kakha’ and it initiated my thought process. Anything can initiate a person; ultimately it is the performance in the job that matters. The desire to join the IPS was always lying deep within and this movie definitely initiated me to chase my dream.

Q. Was CSE a planned decision? How did your parents support you?
A. It is not possible for anybody to clear this examination unless it is a thoroughly planned decision. I decided to take up civil services in 2007 and it took four years to reach the pinnacle. My parents were never doubtful about my decisions and they stood by my side.

Q. It is very difficult to figure out where to start and how to start. What was your strategy when you first decided to prepare for CSE?
A. The first thing a marathon runner plans is the ‘start’. Many candidates fall prey to the thought of becoming a topper and giving interviews to the media. CSE is a long process and one needs to sustain the energy. So I realized that it is not a world full of rainbows and sunshine, hence I decided to take it step-by-step. My primary target was to clear the preliminary exam. I advice candidates to stop worrying about getting the preferred service, preferred state cadre, etc. Instead one can face the examination step-by-step. It will relieve the candidate from the immense pressure created by this exam. Pressure hampers preparation. So to start with, one has to focus on preliminary exam and I suggest one full year of preparation before taking the preliminary exam. First attempt should be the best attempt in my opinion.

Q. Please tell about your icon, hobbies and interests.
A. My icon is Sachin Tendulkar. I am not a great fan of the cricketer in him but I admire him as a person in general. He has immense energy and shows a lot of conviction towards his work. The work we do should never be a burden to us; this is what I learnt from him. I try to emulate him and everyone should develop a ‘child-like desire’ to win, irrespective of whichever field we work in.
I love watching world cinema and documentaries. I worked hard to receive an award in relation to my hobby. I succeeded too. I received the ‘Film Buff Award’ at the 8th Chennai International Film Festival for my movie reviews. By winning this award after mains examination I obviously had a better chance to score high in interview than any other candidate.

Q. How many attempts did it take for you to taste success?
A. CSE 2010 was my third attempt. I read for 2 months before my first attempt. I faced an unprecedented defeat. That motivated me to do well in CSE 2009. I cleared the preliminary exam but skipped the mains exam because I chose to prepare properly for CPF (AC) exam. Also I did not want to score a rank in 100s or 200s. So after securing rank 67 in CPF Exam, I took leave from training and gave my heart and soul to CSE 2010.

Q. How confident were you about succeeding in the CSE?
A. 100%. I never expected a rank other than Rank 1. I am still thinking about how I missed it.

Q. What was your first reaction when you heard that you have cleared the exam with flying colours?
A. Disappointment. I checked the results and did not hear it from anyone. It was a happy result but not the best result. Rank 1 could have been the best result. There is a thin line between arrogance and confidence. Candidates can be very confident of getting rank 1 too. It all depends on the amount of work we have put in.

Q. How helpful are coaching institutes?
A. There is very high chance of getting fleeced. Do not get carried away by the number of candidates enrolled, difficulty in getting admission, colorful websites, tall claims by way of advertisements etc. Instead, speak to candidates and find out about the teachers. Coaching institutes are helpful but one should always view them with suspicion as they might ‘kill’ our creativity and push us into a style we may not be comfortable with. There is no assurance that what they say or teach might be true. It is better to trust good authors. Coaching institutes are helpful when you learn how to use them.

Q. Did you use the internet? How helpful was it?
A. I used Wikipedia umpteenth times. Press Information Bureau will be of particular help when you need government related data. ‘Google books’ is another source to have a brief look at various books.

Shuchita’s is the story of an ordinary but determined girl. Drawing her inspiration from the interviews of IAS toppers and closely following their advice, this young woman from Lucknow finally realised her dream of becoming a civil servant in her third attempt. Shuchita means pure, simple and honest. That’s exactly how this slim and tall young woman of 27 comes across as she makes an effort to smile in front of the camera. Thoughtful and composed in her Salwar Kurta, the 39th ranker in the UPSC Civil Services exam 2010 opines that diplomacy must precede military action as she hopes to become an IFS officer.

One of the four daughters of retired UP government official Mr RK Srivastava, Shuchita could not clear the Prelims in her first attempt at the UPSC due to lack of proper guidance. The second attempt was encouraging as she managed to reach the interview stage. Finally in 2011, Shuchita’s efforts paid off as she secured 39th rank in the Civil Services exam 2010. The hard work clearly reflects in her eyes as she recalls, “It was not that easy to go in for three consecutive attempts but I derived strength from my belief in God.”

As she pursues her PhD in English Literature from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, Shuchita takes pride in showing the copies of IAS interviews that she read way back in 2004 in Jagran Josh. The young diplomat in the making first decided to be a civil servant when she was in class 7 and considers 1996 UPSC topper Mr Iqbal Singh Dhaliwal and 2005 UPSC topper Mona Pruthi her role models. Shuchita loves reading literature and quizzing is her favourite hobby.

Education
Shuchita Kishore went through schooling in Lucknow where she scored 89% and 86% in her class 10 and 12 exams. She then joined Lucknow University from where she completed her BA in Political Science and English Literature with 67%. On graduating from the Lucknow University, she moved to New Delhi to do her Masters in English Literature from JNU. She is currently pursuing her PhD from the JNU itself, the library of which is popularly known as the UPSC hall. Shuchita recognises the importance of educational institutions known for excellence but does not shy away from saying, “It’s not the institutions that make individuals. It’s the people who make institutions.”

Advice to IAS aspirants

Quoting Rig-Veda, Shuchita says, “Let noble thoughts come to us from all sides.” She also identifies with Gandhi’s talisman as she understands the importance of a civil servant whose decisions can affect the entire nation in some way or the other. Shuchita has a word of advice for IAS aspirants as she suggests, “Think about the nation. Try to develop a vision. Never lose hope and with strong determination and hard work, there is nothing that will stop you from succeeding in UPSC exam and life.” She further adds, “You could well be the first person from your school or college to crack the Civil Services exam.”