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We have a curated list of the most noteworthy articles from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy articles from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy articles from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
Ankur Garg became the youngest IAS officer at the age of 22 by clearing the Civil Services Examination conducted by UPSC in the year 2003. He had topped the Civil Service Examinations and secured first rank. He had the sole aim of his life since he was in Class 3. Becoming an IAS officer was the sole aim of Ankur’s life since childhood, which was opted by him in 3rd standard.
IAS is a career and you should make your own decision based on your temperament, competence and interest in administrative issues. He could not imagine himself in any other job so he chose to opt for the Civil Services. But then, its a personal decision and may vary from person to person.
Ankur Garg belongs to a family of doctors from Patiala in Punjab. His father, Dr KC Garg is a Plastic surgeon, and his mother, Parveen Garg is a child specialist and are working in Government Rajindra Hospital. His younger sister was a student of MBBS at Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi and she is a Doctor.
Educational Background
Ankur Garg completed Electronics Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi and passed out in the year 2002. He did the third year of his engineering studies from INSA, Lyon, France as an exchange student. Besides this, he also did a 3 month internship at EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.
He had been amongst the good students throughout his school and college days. As Civil Services was always at the top of his mind, he did not take up any job with any of the MNCs and software companies that came to IIT campus for recruitment.
Attempt by Ankur Garg
Ankur Garg gave the Civil Service Exam immediately after completion of his graduation and in his very first attempt he cracked the UPSC Exam and became the topper of year 2003.
He opted for Physics and Chemistry as his optional paper because it was his favourite subjects since childhood.
Success Strategy
Achieving in Civil Service shows your hard work and dedication. To achieve Civil Service one should not be good with his academic background. There is no secret of success. One just needs the blessings of God, the good wishes of parents, teachers and friends and sincere and single-minded devotion. That is he open formula for success.
Ankur Garg said he had been studying between three to four hours daily for the Preliminary Examination after which he put in eight to nine hours for the Mains Examination.
Tips for young Aspirants
The youth who are preparing for Civil Services should have touch with current affairs also because our work is to do the service to public.
Be sincere and single minded devotion is compulsory to achieve success.
Set the goal and never let this goal out of your sight.
Going through the newspapers regularly is another absolute essential.
Be well connected through internet for more flow of information.
Stuti Charan who always dreamt of reaching the zenith of excellence in Civil Services Examination has come true by securing the Third Rank in the year 2012. Stuti worked as Probationary Officer in UCO Bank before joining IAS. Continuous study and hope were key attributes that brought her success.
Stuti says, “she grew up with the expectation since her childhood to see herself as an IAS which groomed and never let her down from the goal to become an IAS”.
“Every Success story is an inspiration and she got motivated from each topper about whom she read” says Stuti Charan
Stuti Charan was born and brought up in a middle class family. She hails from a small village named Khari Kalla in Jodhpur, district of Rajasthan.
Her father Ram Karan Bareth, is a Deputy Director in the Rajasthan State Warehousing Corporation in Jaipur. Her mother Suman is a Hindi lecturer in government school and younger sister Neeti is a dentist.
Becoming an IAS was the outcome of various reasons that included her family expectations as they really supported her throughout her journey; but, to serve nation was the only motto for her motivation.
Education Background
Stuti did her schooling from Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya (Hurda), Bhilwara. She has done her B.Sc in bio-technology from Lachoo Memorial College of Science and Technology and then Post Graduation Diploma in Personnel and Marketing Management from IIPM, New Delhi.
Though it was Stuti’s childhood dream to secure a rank in the Civil Service Exam, she started serious preparation during her graduation. She never deviated from her goal, which was to become an IAS.
Botany and Agriculture were her optional paper. Natural interest and development aspect in agriculture field was a major reason for opting these subject.
Her day started with reading The Hindu, The Times of India, and a Hindi daily newspaper.
Stuti says the factors that motivated her to try her in Civil Service, was“Everything that is important for the development and growth of our country in all spheres motivated me.”
‘Pratiyogita Darpan’ arranged an exclusive interview with Dr. Raj Kamal Yadav who has been selected in Civil Services Exam., 2012. He has achieved 21st rank. He deserves all admiration and our heartiest congratulations on his splendid success. This important, thought provoking and highly inspiring interview is being presented here in its original form.
“PD is a wonderful magazine; I have been reading it for a long time.” —Dr. Raj Kamal Yadav PD—Achieving top slot in the CS Examination is no small feat; accept our heartiest congratulations on your splendid success. Raj—Thank you very much. PD—Were you confident of your success in this examination and how did you react to this news ? But for me other than all this when my senior Dr. Ujjwal Kumar got 24th rank with whom I used to study at college (infact used to pre¬pare together. He guided us all this time) made me confident that certainly even I can do it. PD—Did change in Prelims pattern in 2011 became base for your decision to appear in Civil Services Examination or were you already preparing for it ? Raj—No, the change has nothing to do with my decision to appear for this exam, but on the contrary it made me more confident that I can do much better in Paper-II. 1 PD—As the Preliminary Exa-mination is staged with the new pattern, how did you manage to face it and what different strategy did you adopt to prepare for the new- look Prelims ? Raj—As I said before after the changed pattern I shifted my focus on Paper-II as in my personal opinion it is easier to score more in this area with a better efficiency and surety so I was heavily relying on it for getting above the desired cutoff. PD—What was your approach towards Paper-I (General Studies) and Paper-II (Aptitude Test) during Prelims preparation ? and this isn’t, if this has been the case only one subject takers will be in final list always. It all depends on how well you can write your optional that is all. PD—Give the basis of selecting these optional subjects ? Raj—Veterinary science was my graduation subject and I prepared it during that time itself so I was* confident in it. For Zoology a good portion of syllabus is overlapping with veterinary science and except two units rest everything is comple¬menting the veterinary science syllabus, so I think analyzing these two it was an informed decision to take these two as optionals. PD—In how many attempts have you achieved this success ? Raj—This was my first attempt. PD—You must have read IAS Toppers’ interviews in newspapers/ magazines; what inspired you the most ? Raj —Indeed success stories inspire you when you get to know about any successful candidates. You try to correlate your personality with his/her and when you find that they are no different, automatically you get a high dose surge of self-confidence which boosts your performance; so, everything is like a chain reaction here. Raj—I was hoping that I will get my name in the final list but to find it at 21 place was like a dream comes true. I was sleeping when one my senior called me to check the results but he was smart enough not to tell me the results rather he asked me to check it myself and then I was simply jumping and yelling around in the hostel, called my parents, went to temple, thanked God. PD—What preference in services have you opted for ? Raj—The IAS is at top, followed by IPS, IFS. For prioritizing IAS at top, the idea was very simple I want to contribute my share directly for the betterment of the society and the nation., PD—What were your optional subjects ? Raj—Optional Subjects : 1. Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science 2. Zoology PD—While making final choice for optional subject/s, what’s im¬portant and what’s not ? Raj—Your understanding of the subject, the ease with which you think you can tackle even the weirdest of the question asked and finally the availability of material and don’t worry about what bogus propaganda says that this is a high scoring subject Raj—GS requires a continuous effort, I was focusing more on core subjects like polity, economy, history, geography as they give a greater chance to score marks with surety. But while comparing both the Papers-I was biased towards Paper-II. PD—How did you manage to tackle the ‘Negative Marking’ in Prelims ? Raj—First go for the questions you are sure about, just have a quick estimate how much you are scoring then check out the one you are doubtful about see your marking is a big game changer and the kind of answers UPSC asks you to pick is just adding another difficulty step to clear it confidence is the only way and don’t be tempted by the fact to score more marks; always remember it’s just a qualifying exam and your aim is to qualify that’s all. PD—The first step is the most difficult; from where did you get the right advice ? Raj—I think I was lucky to have guidance of my seniors who were already in services and cracked this exam with flying colours along with all others with whom I was preparing in the group. More over there is a lot of infor-mation on internet now a days. You just have to find a genuine source (like iaspassion.com and many others) Bio-Data Name—Dr. Raj Kamal Yadav Father’s Name-Shri Kamal Kishore Yadav Mother’s Name—Smt. Sarla Yadav Age—26 years. Educational Qualifications— 10th—2001, CBSE, Uttar Pradesh Sainik School, Lucknow 12th—2003, CBSE, Uttar Pradesh Sainik School, Lucknow B.V.Sc. &A.H.—2011, TANUVAS, Madras Veterinary College, Chennai M.V.Sc. (Surgery)—2012, IVRI, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly. PD—What shift did you adopt in y ?ur strategy for Mains (Written) ? Raj—Nothing much actually just focussed a bit more on GS and revised my optional. I was maintaining a universal applicable kind of notebook where in I used to make note of things which can be used anywhere in any answer with slight modifications. PD—Was there any special effort for effective preparation for Essay Paper ? Raj—No I was just following The Hindu and made points out of it to use as a readymade fodder in essay writing. The topic I picked up was the one about PPP (Public Private Partner¬ship) The issue has been in news for a very long time, I was having a good amount of information about the way PPP works, lot of examples and finally the theme was to stand for or against the PPP model. I used to believe in the model so I was confident I can justify my stand. That’s why I decided to write upon it. PD—’Time Management’ is a key factor; how did you manage things ? Raj—Yes, indeed it is. For me every part of my preparation was along with my course curriculum so my timings were well divided. I was having a fixed schedule of dealing with things topic wise and I made sure that I should stick to my schedule. PD—How did you prepare your¬self for Interview ? Raj—I started working on my profile long back but when interview date was scheduled I just revised everything. I was one lucky person to have my friends and brother who bombarded me with so many diverse questions and analysed my perfor¬mance to the best of their abilities and gave me a realistic review of my performance. I am so thankful to them. My interview was on March 13 2013, and I was interviewed by Lt. Gen. Reddy sir’s board. I was asked about my school, why got attracted towards Civil Services, about my optional subject, about my hobby football, my home state—U.P., neighbouring country Nepal, my district Firozabad and some hypothetical questions. PD—Were you preparing for other career opportunities as well while preparing for your ultimate goal i.e., Career in Civil Services ? Raj—I am already a professional veterinary surgeon, so career back up was not an issue for me. PD—While the changing eco¬nomic environment offers immense lucrative career opportunities in various sectors, still what kept you motivated towards Civil Services ? Raj—My commitment to con¬tribute my share for the betterment of society and the Nation as a whole. It is the best platform from where I can give voice to my vision. PD—In your opinion at which Educational Level should one start preparing for Civil Services and what should be the minimum period of time required to prepare for Civil Services Examinations ? Raj—It depends on the indivi¬dual as to at what level he/she decides to get in this game of preparation for civil services. I will only say that it’s never late to fix these services as your aim. For preparing I think a serious whole hearted effort of 12-15 months is enough to make you a strong contender for selection. PD—What is your opinion regarding the general view that Science subjects have better chance to score than Humanities ? Raj—I don’t think there is any¬thing like that but yes results for past few years do indicate towards this belief but in that case if you will analyze the selections for a long time, your opinion will be different. PD—What is the importance of medium of examination for exams like CSE ? Raj—I don’t think it matters that much. So many selections in final list of 2012 from Hindi medium has proved it. What actually matters is the proficiency with the language for that matter it could be any language. PD—Can you recall the exact moment when you realized the importance of Civil Services ? Raj—It had been there, in my mind for a very long time tracing back the exact moment of genesis is little difficult for me. Personal Qualities Favourite Person—Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Strong Point—I find it very diffi¬cult to let go things I am committed to and I take things little cool no matter whatever they are. Weak Point—Everybody has some flaws as nobody is perfect, but I always make sure that whenever some weakness or flaw has been pointed out, I tried my best to correct it. Hobbies—Coin collection Football is my passion. Reading science fiction and factual writings. I am an serious addict of Holly¬wood television series. PD—Finally, at what point of time did you make up your mind to make career in ‘Civil Services’ ? Raj—I was having this aim in my mind for a very long time, but I started making serious efforts from 4th year of graduation (B.V.Sc & A.H). PD—Was CSE a planned de¬cision or your parent’s wish ? Raj—Partially, as the importance of an IAS officer in the society and in the making of the nation was brilliantly explained, on more than one occasion by my father. This certainly helped me to visualize my aim at that age. PD—Does the educational, financial and demographic status of the family of an aspirant have any impact on the preparation ? Raj—I don’t think so, it’s all about dedication and commitment. I do believe that a man is made out of his circumstances but they just help in giving the firing motivation required to excel and family situation does’t matter here. PD—In your opinion what role do the Competition Magazines play when you are preparing for an examination like Civil Services ? List of Books/Magazines Optional-I Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science • My college notes. • Booklist is exhaustive and I almost got everything compiled in college itself. • Left over topics were covered from websites and notes which my seniors already had. • This is a very specialized subject and people who will be taking it as an optional will be professional students of this subjects so things will not be that much difficult to them, but still if this has to be an optional one need to prepare it in graduation itself or else the volu¬minous syllabus is very difficult to cover. • Please do not commit a mistake of omitting strange single word topics ! because UPSC is asking lot of questions from unconventional areas of syllabus. Optional-II (Zoology) • Kotpal (vertebrates and inver-tebrates) • Armugam (vertebrates and inver-tebrates). • Genetics, Ecology, Molecular Biology from P. S. Verma • Evolution from Armugam and Beer Bala Rastogi. • Animal Behaviour—Reena Mathur. • Some coaching note from Delhi, (for Economic Zoology and Instru-mentation) • Notes from my seniors. Raj—Things are very much com-piled and condensed in Competition Magazines, so they help to save the time for sure. Besides that, they provide many useful stuff expert articles, analysis of exams and certain trends and many more. PD—How do you find Prati- yogita Darpan ? Do you find it close to your expectations ? Raj—It’s a wonderful magazine. I have been reading it for a very long time. Whenever I used to read any interview in there I used to drearr. thanks to God I am talking about my dream here for others. PD—As a reader of PD, do you read IAS Preparation related articles written by Atul Kapoor and did you find these constructive ? Raj—Yes, I do; they are just awesome and that is why I know him I believe. PD—Please give your comments on the PD Extra Issues Series on ‘General Studies’ and a few Optional Subjects ? Raj—These extra issues are bril¬liant initiatives. I have read Economy series and a part of Geography too. I will only say, I love them. PD—What is the secret of your success ? Raj—Blessings of my parents, Full support and grace of Hanuman Ji, belief of my brother, my friends and family and my teachers. Other than that I think I was lucky to have proper guidance of my seniors and at the last the fire which was created by comments of many people on my other failures of life. PD—To whom would you like to give the credit for your success ? , Raj—There is a long list and I am taking liberty to write all names I want to thank my father (Shri Kamal Kishore Yadav), mother (Smt. Sarla Yadav), Hanuman Ji nothing was possible without him, my brother (Navneet), my cousins (Vandana, Anuradha, Nidhi, Mayank, Aman); my friends Sac, Surendra, Swati, Indu, my teachers and the most my seniors Dr. Ujjwal Kumar and Dr. P. Babu. PD—Any suggestion/advice you would like to give to the future aspirants. Raj—Believe in yourself “when others can do it, I can do it, then for sure even you can do it”. Believe in God. He always rewards the hard work so stay focus¬sed and prepare hard and smart. Good Luck. PD—Thank You very much and wishing you all the best for your future endeavours.
An interview of Debasweta Banik, who has been selected in Civil Services Exam., 2012. She has achieved 14th rank. She deserves all admiration and our heartiest congratulations on her splendid success. This important, thought-provoking and highly inspiring interview is being presented here its original form.
—Achieving a top slot in the CS Examination is no small feat; accept our heartiest congratulations on your splendid success. Debasweta—Thanks a lot.
—Were you confident of your success in this examination and how did you react to this news? Debasweta—I tried to give my best throughout. As I crossed each stage of the examination, from Prelims to the Mains to the Personality Test, I kept gaining confidence. Looking at my Mains and the Personality Test, I was confident and hopeful that I would get a rank that would fetch me IAS. My reaction on seeing the result was that of relief and elation.
—What preference in services have you opted for ? Debasweta—My preference is IAS. This is because it provides diverse opportunities to work at every stage of governance, the tremendous work satisfaction and the scope to work at the grass roots level.
—What were your optional subjects ? Debasweta—Optional Subjects : 1. Psychology 2. Anthropology
—While making final choice for optional subject / s, what’s important and what’s not? Debasweta—The most important factor while choosing optional subjects should always be one’s interest and aptitude in them. Next come availability of good quality study material and guidance. Choosing optionals solely on the basis of their popularity isn’t always wise.
—Give the basis of selecting these optional subjects? Debasweta—As I have already mentioned, my biggest consideration for choosing my optionals was my interest in those subjects and my familiarity with them. I felt that both Psychology and Anthropology were substantially correlated with each other and would also be of immense use to me in administration since both deals with the study of human beings. Moreover, I did not wish to depend on any external help for my preparation. My elder sister, who’s a Gold Medalist in M.Sc. Anthropology from Delhi University, could guide me the best in these subjects and this was a major factor behind choosing them.
—In how many attempts have you achieved this success? Debasweta—This was my first attempt.
—You must have read IAS Toppers’ interviews in newspapers/ magazines; what inspired you the most? Debasweta—Yes, I have been reading Interviews of toppers and each one of them has been a source of inspiration. It gave me an opportunity to get to know their varied styles of preparation which aided me to customize a method of study which suited me best.
—As the Preliminary Examination is staged with the new pattern, how did you manage to face it and what different strategy did you adopt to prepare for the new-look Prelims? Debasweta—To get a good understanding of the new prelims pattern, I went through the 2011 Prelims question papers thoroughly. For Paper-II, in the limited time I had before Prelims, I tried to practice some questions on Comprehension and Decision Making to increase my speed and accuracy.
—What was your approach towards Paper-I (General Studies) and Paper-II (Aptitude Test) during Prelims preparation? How much time and effort did you divide for each? Debasweta—I did not break up my General Studies preparation into different stages—Prelims, Mains etc. Rather, I adopted a holistic approach for its preparation. During Prelims preparation, almost my entire focus was on GS. I started with the basics in all the conventional areas—History, Polity, Geography, Economy etc. and focussed on conceptual clarity since the questions in the Prelims Paper-I focus more on basics. I read the newspapers daily for current affairs. For Paper-II, I practised some questions on Comprehension and Decision Making as I felt that they would be decisive areas in the paper.
General Information
Name—Debasweta Banik Father’s Name—Shri K. S. Debasweta Mother’s Name—Smt. Sujata Debasweta Educational Qualifications— 10th—2006, C.B.S.E., Delhi Public School, Noida (96%) 12th—2008, C.B.S.E., Delhi Public School, Noida (91%). B. A. (H) Economics—2008-11, University of Delhi, Miranda House (67-6%).
—How did you manage to tackle the ‘Negative Marking’ in Prelims? Debasweta—I did not hazard wild guesses for questions that I did not know in Paper-I. I first marked those questions I was completely sure about, then I went for those questions that required me to think a little and finally I took a few educated guesses. I did not face much problem in Paper-II. I started my paper from the Comprehension and Decision Making portions, and then went on to the reasoning questions. I could solve almost all questions with reasonable accuracy.
—The first step is the most difficult; from where did you get the right advice ? Debasweta—I had decided before-hand that I would not take any coaching during my preparation and this decision helped me save a lot of time and energy. I went strictly by the syllabus given by UPSC for the Mains examination, and collected good quality standard text-books in all the areas and started reading them. I have graduated in Economics but took Psychology and Anthropology as my optionals since I had a very keen interest in them. Also, my elder sister Subhasweta could ably guide me in these and I wouldn’t have to depend on any external help in preparing them.
—Was there any special effort for effective preparation for Essay Paper ? Debasweta—No there was no special effort to prepare for the essay. Extensive study for General Studies provided enough ingredients to write a good essay. Reading the newspapers daily, especially the editorial columns were of immense help. I also extensively infused relevant ideas from my optional subjects in my essay. I chose the topic—”In the context of Gandhiji’s views on the matter, explore, on an evolutionary scale, the terms ‘Swadhinata’, ‘Swaraj’ and ‘Dharmarajya’. Critically comment on their contemporary relevance to Indian democracy.” I decided to write my essay on this topic since I found it quite unique and I felt I could express my original views in it. Also, the topic itself was very clearly elucidated, which made it easier to stick to the point and write my essay in a logical sequence.
—’Time Management’ is a key factor; how did you manage things ? Debasweta—Yes, proper time management is a necessity. I had chalked out a rough timetable for all the stages of the examination and made sure I fulfilled my targets on a daily basis. While writing the exams as well, I stuck to the word limit, wrote clear, concise answers and did not leave a single question.
—How did you prepare yourself for Interview ? Debasweta—I did not do apy special preparation for the Interview. Since it’s a Personality Test, I feel it’s quite fruitless to try to develop an ‘ideal’ personality in such a short time. Rather, one’s personality is a culmination of all the experiences, from school to college and later that one has acquired. I just continued with my habit of reading good books and newspapers everyday, and brushed up my awareness about the details I had written in my Mains form. Mr. S. K. Mishra (Retd. IAS) gave me valuable guidance. Also, I have been an active debator in college and have held the post of President of the Debating Society. This proved helpful since I was confident while speaking and tackling tricky ques¬tions in the Interview. I faced Mr. P. K. Misra’s board. It lasted for around 45 minutes and questions were asked on a varied range of issues—from Dyslexia to debates in our Parliament, current economic situation, the Budget, empowerment of women, leadership qualities etc. There was not a single factual ques¬tion posed to me, and I was mainly asked to express my views and opinions. The board was extremely cordial and the entire experience was very satisfying and enriching.
Personal Qualities
Favourite Person—My father. Strong Point—I always enjoy whatever task I’m doing. This keeps me calm and composed even in demanding situations. Weak Point—I have the habit of doing any topic from multiple sources and original texts. This sometimes takes up too much time. Hobbies—Parliamentary Debtaing, playing Violin, Bharatanatyam, creative writing.
—Were you preparing for other career opportunities as well while preparing for your ultimate goal i.e. Career in Civil Services ? Debasweta—No, I did not seek out any career opportunity apart from the Civil Services. I believe in giving my 100% to one thing at a time, and was preparing with single minded focus. In fact, I did not even appear for any entrance exam for Masters in Economics as earlier planned. I did not think of any plan B because I was determined to succeed in my ultimate goal.
—While the changing eco¬nomic environment offers immense lucrative career opportunities in various sectors, still what kept you motivated towards Civil Services ? Debasweta—Civil Services pro¬vide one with diverse opportunities at work, and the scope to serve at the grass roots level. The services hold the promise of a life full of challenges and immense job satisfaction. More¬over, one gets to serve impositions of authority right from the beginning of one’s career.
—In your opinion at which Educational Level should one start preparing for Civil Services and what should be the minimum period of time required to prepare for Civil Services Examinations ? Debasweta—For me, my perfor-mance in the examination was not a result of intensive study for just one year. In fact, all my experiences from school to college, all academic and extracurricular activities that I ever did, though not keeping Civil Services in view then, served an important purpose. Having said that, around 8-9 months of serious pre¬paration is needed. I started prepar¬ing right after my graduation.
—What is your opinion regarding the general view that Science subjects have better chance to score than Humanities ? Debasweta—I do not think scoring has too much to do with a subject being from the sciences or the arts. If one has a firm grasp over the subject and is able to answer all questions in a logical and concise manner, good marks would auto-matically follow.
—What is the importance of medium of examination for exams like CSE ? Debasweta—Any medium in which one is comfortable expressing their views should be preferred. Ultimately content is king, and thus UPSC itself offers candidates a scope to opt for a medium of their choicfe. However, certain mediums like English are sometimes preferred more due to greater availability of books and study material.
—Can you recall the exact moment when you realized the importance of Civil Services ? Debasweta—It is difficult to point to any particular instance. However, I always wanted to have a job where I could contribute, how¬ever little, towards building a just, equal and enabling society in our country. The Civil Services, I felt could provide me this opportunity.
—Finally, at what point of time did you make up your mind to make career in ‘Civil Services’? Debasweta—I was attracted towards the Civil Services from school itself, though I had a very vague idea about it then. It was during my final year of graduation that I decided to appear for the CSE to fulfil my long cherished dream, keeping everything else aside.
—Was CSE a planned decision or your parent’s wish? Debasweta—Being a part of the Civil Services it was a long cherished dream of mine. My parents and my elder sister always stood by me and guided me by holding my hand through all the highs and lows. It was therefore a collective wish that was fulfilled.
—Does the educational, financial and demographic status of the family of an aspirant have any impact on the preparation ? Debasweta—Superficially it may seem like these factors have a big role to play. However, at a broader level single minded focus, conceptual clarity and honest, clear intentions play a more important role. From personal experience, I can say that it is not necessary to spend lakhs of rupees and enroll in coaching insti¬tutes to succeed in this examination.
—In your opinion what role do the Competition Magazines play when you are preparing for an examination like Civil Services ? Debasweta—Though I personally could not read any competition magazine during my preparation due to lack of time, they could become a useful tool of preparation since they provide relevant information especially in Current Affairs in a crisp and concise manner.
—How do you find Pratiyo- gita Darpan ? Do you find it close to your expectations ? Debasweta—Pratiyogita Darpan is an extremely helpful magazine and perhaps one of the most read amongst all the competition magazines. I have heard a lot of praises for PD amongst CSE aspirants, especially for the special issue on Indian Economy. I solved a few practice papers from PD before my Prelims examination and found them quite useful.
—As, a reader of PD, do you read IAS Preparation related articles written by Atul Kapoor and did you find these constructive ? Debasweta—Articles written by Mr. Atul Kapoor provide a lot of useful information to aspirants about the right approach to CSE prepara¬tion. I feel they could serve as a good sounding board for them, especially beginners.
—What is the secret of your success ? Debasweta—Sincerity, intelligent hard work and the unwavering support of my family are the secrets of my success. I thoroughly enjoyed this entire process of learning and that kept me motivated and in a positive frame of mind throughout.
—To whom would you like to give the credit for your success? Debasweta—My father, mother and elder sister deserve all the credit. They are the wind beneath my wings. They have inspired me, by example, to give my best in everything I do in life. Above all, I am grateful to God Almighty for converting my endeavours into a good result. I am aware that there are many candidates who might not have made the cut but are equally deserving. Thus, I feel humbled and determined to make the best of this opportunity given to me to serve my country.
—Any suggestion/advice you would like to give to the future aspirants. Debasweta—I would only say that to turn any dream into reality, the most important thing that’s required is to stay positive and have faith in oneself. There are no short¬cuts to success and sincere, honest and intelligent preparation is sure to bear fruit. Coaching centres are not indispensable and self-study can compensate adequately for them. I would take this opportunity to wish all the future aspirants a very bright future.
—Thank you very much and wishing you all the best for your future endeavours.
“I wanted to achieve something high to inspire my thousands of friends out there in orphanages.”
For Mohammed Ali Shihab, who has emerged successful in the Civil Services Examination this year and was placed 226th in the rank-list, going to a reputed campus still remains an unfulfilled experience. The 31-year-old winner from a remote village of Malappuram district in Kerala, who grew up in an orphanage, has a story of grit and perseverance to tell.
Born in penury in a village known as Edavannappara near Kondotty, Mr. Shihab spent his childhood helping his father Ali to sell betel leaves and bamboo baskets. Primary schooling was almost an optional affair for Mr. Shihab as he used to carry his chronically asthmatic father between their tiny home and ramshackle shop. He was sent to Mukkam Muslim Orphanage in Kozhikode district the next day after his father died in 1991, as his family had no wherewithal to support his education. He was even made to fail in Class V in order to get an admission to the orphanage. Becoming a teacher in an orphanage primary school was his dream. His parents were illiterate and poor but they had high ambitions about their three daughters and two sons. Mr. Shihab’s brother Abdul Gafoor, who is 10 years elder, is an Ayurveda doctor. And all his sisters have had teacher training. During his orphanage days, Mr. Shihab was inspired by some of his teachers who loved him and cared for him.
The discipline maintained by the orphanage authorities had its influence in his life. It taught him what systematic life is: He passed SSLC with good marks, and joined a pre-degree course at Mohammed Abdurahman Memorial Orphanage College, Manassery. He stopped the pre-degree (equivalent of higher secondary) course half-way and joined for a teacher-training course. The orphanage authorities readmitted him for pre-degree course in the second year, and he did well in the last batch of the course.
“I was lucky to be part of the last pre-degree batch in Kerala,” he chuckled. Despite the limited facilities and lack of privacy, he studied hard. He maintained a unique time-table for studies. He used to sleep soon after taking dinner from the orphanage mess around 8 p. m. And wake up around midnight for studies. “I used to read in scant light under the cover of bed sheet and pillows in order not to disturb my friends sleeping in the neighbouring beds of the dormitory. In fact, I was violating the orphanage rules,” he said. After pre-degree, Mr. Shihab shifted to Bafakhi Orphanage at Valavannur and joined its school as a primary teacher. There the quizzer in Mr. Shihab began to flower, and he started preparing competitive examinations. He had little money to buy books but he read and assimilated whatever books that came his way. One by one, he started writing PSC exams. He passed all the 21 PSC tests he took. In the meantime, he tried his hand at many jobs. He worked as an unskilled labourer for different organizations, pump operator for Kerala Water Authority, helper in a hotel, clerk in a panchayat office, and assistant in a government school. He cracked the exams for the selection of forester, railway ticket collector, jail warden, and peons and clerks. He got BA degree in history by writing the exams privately. Aspiration It was his brother, Dr. Gafoor, who took his mind to Civil Services. “I wanted to achieve something high to inspire my thousands of friends out there in orphanages,” he said.
Although luck was on his side, Mr. Shihab’s life was not smooth at all. He got married to Aysha Femina in 2006, and his daughter Liya Nawal was born two years later with Erb’s palsy (paralysis of the arm). During his studies and exams, he used to shuttle between hospitals and home. The child is still undergoing physiotherapy. “She has recovered 90 per cent. I am hopeful,” he said. He was selected by New Delhi-based Zakat Foundation for free Civil Services coaching in 2009. That was the only time Zakat Foundation came to Kerala and took 12 students for coaching after conducting a screening test at P. S. M. O. College, Tirurangadi.
“But for that coaching, I would not have made it to the Civil Services,” Mr. Shihab said. He got coaching in history and geography in New Delhi. But the chilling cold of Delhi made him sick and so he returned home. He studied intensively for three months, getting out of his home only for the weekly Juma prayers. Subject pressures forced him to dump geography, and opt for Malayalam language and literature as a topic for the main examination. He joined the Civil Services Institute at Pala for coaching in Malayalam. “I realised that I had a flair in Malayalam writing. I decided to write the mains in Malayalam, though it was a bit late,” he said.
He was encouraged by the PM Foundation, Farook College. But none could instil in him so much of confidence as Aboobacker Siddique, an IAS topper from Malappuram who is now the District Collector of Simdega in Jharkhand. “He boosted my confidence level by giving me training for 10 days. And I scored 201 out of 300 marks in interview, which was quite good.” Mr. Shihab is hopeful of making it to IAS in backward community reservation. He advises the students to read widely, particularly the news and views columns of newspapers and journals. An ardent fan of The Hindu, Mr. Shihab never got the paper at home. He always depended on reading rooms and libraries for the paper. He tells the students: Set your goals firm. Never deviate from the route. Realise the demands of the tests you take. Read extensively at the initial phase. Perseverance should be the motto. Never give up hopes. Be committed to whatever you do. Success is assured. He believes that the future belongs to the children of rural areas. “They have great strengths. We should explore their potential. And they can certainly make it to the top.”
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