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Success Story of IAS Armstrong Pame

By
Syskool
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28
Armstrong Pame IAS

Armstrong Pame is the first from the Zeme tribe of Nagaland to become an IAS officer and has earned the sobriquet ‘Miracle Man’ for building a 100 km long road famously known as the “Peoples’ Road” connecting Manipur to Nagaland and Assam in a remote part of the hilly state of Manipur without any government help.

Armstrong Pame is a harbinger of change and has brought joy to the people f Tousem, a Manipur subdivision considered one of India’s most backward reigons, by giving them what they needed most — a motorable road that connects them to the outside world.

Family Background

Armstrong Pame comes from Impa village of Tousem Sub-division, Tamenglong district of Manipur where there is no road communication except the British bridle path that links with his village from Tamenglong. He belongs to Zeme speaking group of Zeliangrong community. He is the second son of Shri Haitung Pame and Ningwangle. His elder brother Jeremiah Pame is a  Lecturer in the department of English at  Delhi University. His two elder sisters Pourei and Ramning, as well as his nephew Simon, gave all that they could to see him what he is today.

Read Also: Meet V.P. Jayaseelan IAS – Topper from Tamil Nadu

Educational Background

Armstrong Pame studied from United Builders School at a town school in Tamenglong, Manipur till class 10 and moved to St Edmund’s College, Shillong, and completed his class 12 studies there. By 2005, he completed his graduation degree in Physics from the prestigious St Stephen’s College in Delhi. He always dreamed of studying here; and he started to realize another childhood dream – to be an IAS officer.

Attempts

Armstrong Pame appeared for the Civil Services Examination in 2007 and got Indian Revenue Service (IRS) in Custom and Central Excise department. Any by giving his second attempt he got Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 2008 when he has attained the age of 24 years.

Difficulties that moved Armstrong Pame

The 2009 batch IAS officer was moved by the plight of people when he saw how they had to trudge for five hours by first crossing a river and then a stretch that can by no stretch of imagination be called a road to reach Tamenglong just 50 km away.

Armstrong Pame said that after writing his IAS exam, he came to Tamenglong in 2007.He further said that since he had seen hardship in his childhood, he decided to visit 31 villages of Manipur on foot to see how the people lived and he recounted the incident that led him to launch the 100-km road.

Armstrong Pame said that in 2012, he became SDM of Tousem. He travelled to many villages and saw how people were carrying sacks of rice on their backs, walking for hours, and patients being taken on makeshift bamboo stretchers due to the non-availability of motorable roads. When he asked villagers what they wanted me to do for them, their only wish was for a road.

Must Read: UPSC Board Interview of IAS Topper Chanchal Rana, Rank 7

Armstrong Pame said that he asked the government for funds to build the road but his proposal was turned down due to paucity of resources. But he was really moved by the plight of people; so he decided to raise the funds on his own in August 2012 through Facebook. Armstrong Pame with the help of his brother Jeremiah Pame created a group on Facebook and reached donors who contributed Rs. 50 lakh for this project.

In August 2012, he raised 40 Lakh for this purpose through Facebook page. For his efforts in building road with donation and volunteers he was invited to Facebook headquarters in California. In 2012, he was nominated for CNN-IBN Indian of the Year in Public service category.

Armstrong Pame added, “charity must begin from home; so I put in Rs. 5 lakh and my brother donated Rs.1 lakh. Even  mother paid my dad’s one month’s pension of Rs. 5,000”.

One night Armstrong Pame got a call from a person in the U.S. who wanted to donate $2,500 for the road. The next day a Sikh gentleman living in New York said he would give $3,000. And after the media reported about this effort, they never looked back.

Since Rs. 40 lakh was not a huge amount for building a road, Armstrong Pame convinced local contractors to give them earth movers and road-rollers for free.

Enthused by the way Armstrong Pame was able to put together the resources, the residents of Tousem volunteered to build the road, thus saving labour costs.

Sometimes he still cannot believe that they have done it. It’s a miracle. Armstrong Pame doesn’t know whether he can do it again.

Asked whether he faced opposition from the government, he said: “I was called crazy, but I was determined.”

“There is so much to do for the people of Tousem, which lies in sheer neglect. I want to improve their lives in some way because I belong here”.

“But my mother says stop building roads and build your house first,” Armstrong Pame said with a smile.

When he was asked, during the UPSC interview, how he’d serve the nation, as he claimed, if he didn’t get posted to his state and was instead posted somewhere in Tamil Nadu. To this he replied: “Poverty, hunger and thirst know no boundary; they are the same. So I  am willing to work in any part of the country.”

Don’t Miss: Prakash Rajpurohit IAS UPSC Topper, AIR – 2 in 2009

Success Story of Neelabh Saxena IAS, AIR – 12

By
Syskool
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12

Setting an example for IAS aspirants, Neelabh Saxena secured 12th rank the third time and got selected for Indian Administrative Services after failing the Civil Service Exam for three times has given Lucknow reasons to feel proud by attaining the 12th rank in the open merit list of the All India Civil Services Examination!Neelabh Saxena’s perseverance has helped him reach where he is today.

Neelabh Saxena attributes his success in IAS to his hard work, being patient, sincerity, dedication towards the goal and the blessings and support of his teachers and parents. He believes that as an IAS Officer he would be better able to serve the nation and contribute in its progress.

Neelabh Saxena says, “I am passionate to do what I have to”.

Marks Obtained

 Total Marks  Marks Obtained
Total (Written)  2000 861
 Interview 300  135
 Total  2300  996 (43.30%)

Must Read: Topper’s Story – Ayush Prasad IAS

Family Background

Neelabh Saxena comes from Lucknow. His father is a botany teacher in Government Jubilee School and his mother Rani Saxena is a principal in a Sanskrit Pathshala at Lucknow. Neelabh’s sister Nidhi, a working professional.

Educational Background

Neelabh Saxena has been a bright student since childhood. A student of City Montessori School, Lucknow, Neelabh scored 92%, both in class X and XII. He then completed his Electronics and Communication Engineering from MNIT, Allahabad and worked in a manufacturing company in Bengaluru. Two years later, he quit his job in 2010 and took admission in IIT- Delhi to pursue M. Tech in Computer Applications.

The same year, he topped the Indian Engineering Services (IES). He left M.Tech midway and joined the Indian Railways. The same year, he also cracked UPSC and secured AIR-478 and joined IRTS. In 2011, he again wrote civil services and secured AIR-173 after which he joined as assistant commissioner, Income Tax. Then in 2014, he cleared UPSC with 12th rank and became IAS.

Optional Paper

Neelabh Saxena opted Electrical engineering as his optional subject.

Attempts

This was Neelabh Saxena’s third attempt at UPSC.

Also Read: Topper’s Story – Harshika Singh IAS, AIR – 8, 2011

Preparation Strategy of Neelabh Saxena and Advice for Aspirants

Strategy that Neelabh Saxena followed for his preparation are:

  • Go through Economic Survey. Read two newspapers- preferably Hindu and Business Standard. Keep a tab on current events and take help of internet to study all aspects related to it.
  • Theory and numericals both are scoring. Attempt theory as well if you are stuck in numericals i.e. not able to solve them or having paucity of time in completing the question paper. Just give small examples in your theory answers say a small RC circuit or any gate to emphasize your point made in theory.
  • But one needs to understand that Electrical Engineering requires a lot of effort. The syllabus is vast and many books need to be prepared for the completion of the course. However, the needs of UPSC Civil Services Exam are not very stringent and only basic knowledge of the topics mentioned in the syllabus will be sufficient to score well in
    this examination.
  • At the beginning, the aspirants should go through the papers of previous years and ascertain the level of difficulty for themselves. It would be useful if the aspirants actually try an attempt one of the papers to see their comfort level with the topics they may have already covered in the college. It is not necessary that you may have excellent grades in the college, but a general interest in the subject is necessary to overcome the rigors of the syllabus over the period of preparation.
  • The optional papers of electrical engineering are similar over a period of time. The questions are generally similar, with many repetitions over a period of time. The papers of the last 10 years are a pointer to the same.
  • Another point of note is that UPSC will never tend to ask extremely difficult or out of course questions. This makes this optional more predictable with a higher probability of scoring in the upper spectrum.
  • The most important thing is the use of internet for the course. There are many topics which seem extremely difficult and have not been done in college graduation, especially those in digital communication, coding theory etc. For this use of electrical lectures are available at NPTEL.
  • Given the nature of the exam, aspirants should at least cover the syllabus once, and prepare the previous year’s papers even if the detailed strategy as provided later is not doable.
  • The solutions for the previous years ESE papers is also a useful asset for the aspirants as it covers almost the entire spectrum of the course.
  • The book list given below is not the only source. Try to cover the subjects from books you have studied in your college and keep these books as reference only.

Don’t Miss: Toppers Story – Ananya Das IAS

Sweta Mohanty, IAS Topper Rank 2 of 2011

By
Syskool
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22
sweta mohanty ias topper

Sweta Mohanty cracked the UPSC Exam in her third attempt and secured All India Rank 2 in the year 2011. Sweta says,”she belong to a family of bureaucrats as she have grown up seeing her father work endlessly for development of the state and always wanted to follow him”.

The top ranks in the 2011 Civil Services Examination have been secured by women outsmartly. S Divyadharshini, a law graduate from a middle-class family secured the first rank and second position was occupied by Sweta Mohanty, daughter of an IAS officer and is also married to IAS officer. Dr. R V Varun Kumar, a Doctor stood third and fourth rank goes to Abhiram G Sankar, an Engineer.

Sweta feels no other job as dignified as the IAS. It offers an opportunity for leadership and to work at the grassroots level. One gets a chance to make an impact on people’s lives across a variety of domains such as health, education, water, sanitation, roads and electricity. She would be interested to work in the fields of education and women welfare as she think both these areas need a lot of focus.

Must Read: UPSC Interview of Gitanjali Brandon, IFS Rank 6

Marks Obtained

 Total Marks  Marks Obtained
Total (Written)  2000 1103
 Interview 300  222
 Total  2300  1325  (57.61%)

Family Background

Sweta Mohanty was born and brought up in Hyderabad since her father was posted in the city. Sweta’s father Prasanna Kumar Mohanty is an Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS officer of 1979-batch. Her mother, Debasmita Mohanty is a School Principal. Sweta is married to Rajat Saini, an IAS officer and have a daughter also.

Educational Background

Sweta completed her engineering in Computer Sciences and Information Technology from Gokaraju Rangaraju Institute of Engineering and Technology under Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in Hyderabad.

Also Read: Meet IAS Topper Vandana Rao, Rank 4 of 2015

Attempts by Sweta Mohanty

Sweta made it to the IAS in the third attempt, having failed in the first. Sweta first cleared the Civil Services Examination in 2007, she landed with the 312th rank and got selected for the IRS and has been serving in the Customs and Central Excise Department. The third attempt got her the second spot in the UPSC examination and the coveted IAS.

Optional Paper

Sweta’s optional paper were Public Administration and Anthropology. In her opinion it is very difficult to master a subject in which one has little interest. “Once you have an interest in the subject, the learning process becomes very enjoyable”, she says.

Don’t Miss: How to Prepare for UPSC Exams While Doing a Job?

Strategy of Sweta Mohanty’s Success

There are three things that would lead to success in this exam– passion, dedication, sincerity and hard work. If one wants to give it an honest attempt, the exam should be on your mind 24×7. There is no short cut to success. “IAS is an extremely demanding examination, but she always took it up as a challenge,” she says

Tips for future UPSC Aspirants

  • IAS preparation is a continuous learning process
  • Magazines such as Frontline, India Today, daily newspapers all theses help in building up a broad base.
  • Every candidate with dedication and sincerity has a good enough chance to crack the exam.
  • The exam is no doubt difficult, but it is not impossible.
  • In order to bag top rank in the Civil Services one should be ready to put in endless effort.

Must Read: Stuti Charan, IAS – Rank 3 in Civil Services Exam 2012

UPSC Board Interview of IAS Topper Shubhra Saxena

By
Syskool
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21
shubhra saxena ias topper upsc interview

Shubhra Saxena is an IAS Officer of 2009 Batch who scored AIR 1, U.P. Cadre and is currently posted as District Magistrate, Shravasti, Uttar Pradesh. Shravasti is one of the most backward districts in UP.

Shubhra Saxena says, “Everyone achieves victory at her own pace. Self growth is one of the paramount responsibilities of every one of us.” And one must be like Shubhra, constantly strive to grow and find there in fresh abilities to serve the world.

Marks Obtained by Shubhra Saxena IAS

 Total Marks  Marks Obtained
Total (Written)  2000  1161
 Interview  300  210
 Total  2300  1371  (59.61%)

Family Background

Born in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareli. Shubhra’s father, Ashok Chandra, an engineer, with the Central Coalfields Limited’s at Dhori Project. Her Mother, Kamna  is a house maker. Eldest among three siblings, Shubhra also guided her brother and sister in their higher studies. Both of them are now engineers. Shubhra’s husband Shashank Gupta works at Noida.

Shubhra said her husband was her “biggest supporter” in the past four years while she was preparing for the Civil Services Exam.

Must Read: Niharika Bhatt – Left a US Govt Job and Became an IPS

Educational Background

Shubhra had most of her education in Jharkhand. She did her schooling from DAV (Ranchi Zone). She gives full credit of her success to her well groomed parenting, schooling and her over all academics as all of these factors contributed in preparing a strong base, besides equipping her with a competitive zeal.

A software engineer graduated from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, 2002 batch and quit her well-paid IT job after four years as she always had a urge to serve the rural population, who are deprived of of even basic facilities such as education and drinking water.

Optional Paper

Shubhra’s Optional paper were Psychology and Public Administration.

Attempt

She cracked this prestigious UPSC exam in her 2nd attempt. Shubhra devoted her heart and soul and studied for an average of eight hours a day and 10-12 hours during examinations.

She said, “I always had faith in myself… so I won. Once a person understands the concept it is very easy to crack the exam. And more important is the ability to believe in yourself”.

Don’t Miss: How to prepare for IAS Exam? – by Rachit Raj, UPSC Exam Rank 3

Preparation Tips

Do not ever make notes in your first reading. Should go for making notes may be in 2nd or better in 3rd read. This is a very important process. You have millions of books and they seem intimidating at times. It’s always a good idea to make notes.

Finish your syllabus thoroughly and importantly these notes will work a lot.

Inspirational message

Please don’t let one single failure or one single success define who you are. Successes and failures are an integral part of life. Work towards success, but also have a heart to face the failure.

Experience with UPSC board

She shares her experience with interview board of UPSC. Now the interview starts:

CM: What’s your name?
Me: Sir, My name is Shubhra Saxena

CM:Tell us about yourself
Me: I told them about my education, prof background, my family and so on.

CM:Can you tell us the immunisation schedule of children
(Now let me tell you v frankly that I was shocked and thrown off guard. Maybe he wanted to destabilise me to see if I maintained my cool.)
Me:Sir, I am not aware of the immunisation schedule of children. But I do know some vaccines for children.

CM: Fine, go ahead.
Me: There is DPT, that prevents Diptheria, Pertussis and Tetanus. And there is OPV, Oral polio vaccine.

CM: Can’t you recall any more?
Me:Sorry Sir, I can’t recall any more.

CM:Isn’t there a vaccine for Hepatitis B?
Me:Sir there is, But I think it can be taken as an adult because I had this vaccine when I was in college.

CM: (Smiled) Yes but it is now given to children.
Me:I said, Thank you sir.

CM: Your hobbies include teaching. Can you tell us about that?
Me:Sir, I have liked teaching since childhood. I used to teach my younger siblings and the children of my colony. Now I teach some children of my maid servants.

CM:Tell us, who is a good teacher?
(I didn’t understand the question but I nevertheless tried to answer.)
Me: A good teacher is the one who can conceptually explain topics to students. Someone who can motivate students to do better. Someone who can be a friend, philosopher and guide to students.
( He was apparently not satisfied with my answer.)

CM: No, tell me if you are teaching students in a class, how would you make sure that they followed what you were teaching?
Me: Sir, I would first try to understand the level of cognitive maturity of students. Then I would try to adjust the speed of teaching to suit most of the students because at any level of teaching not all students would be satisfied. I would include practical examples to make them understand the concepts better. The students who have somehow not grasped the things I taught them, I would give them time other than the class to make sure they understood it.
(he apparently was satisfied. So he let it go. He gestured to the 1st lady member on his left)

M1: Your hobby is teaching. So can you tell me about a few education schemes of GOI
Me: I told her about SSA. She inturrepted me.

M1: Can you tell us about SSA?
Me: I told her about a few provisions under SSA as I did not know all.

M1:Can you tell me if there are any provisions for handicapped children under SSA.
Me:Ma’m I am not sure if there are any. But there mustbe.

M1:(Looks at other members) aren’ there? (Others nod)
Tell me about other education schemes?
Me: I told about MSA, MDM, KGBV , scholarship schemes for disadvantaged and backward students.

M1: (Interrupts)..That’s fine. Your extra curricular activity said Debating. I will give you a topic. Can you debate on that.
Me: Yes ma’m.

M1: The topic is “Women should empower themselves”
Me: Ma’m should I debate in favour or against the topic?

M1: Whichever way you want
Me: May I speak both in favour and against the topic?

(I was a little apprehensive if this gamble would pay off. But it did. She didn’t look offended.)

M1: Yes, go ahead.
Me:Argued first against the topic. Then later in favour of the topic.

M1:(looking very happy) Excellent Shubhra. You have argued well in both directions. But you forgot to mention the role of husbands.
Me:(I smiled) yes Ma’m. Thank you.

She now passed the charge to the next lady member..

M2: So Shubhra, you have stayed in many states. Which state have you stayed maximum in?
Me: Ma’m I have stayed for 16 years in Jharkhand and 12 years in UP and 2 years in AP.

M2: So can you please compare Jharkhand and UP?
Me: Yes Ma’m. Jharkhand and UP are topographically very diffrent states. Whereas JH has a hilly and forested terrain, UP is part of the Gangetic plain and very sparsely forested. UP is densely populated whereas JH has a low population density. JH has a sizeable tribal population mainly consisting of tribes like Santhal and Munda whereas UP has a low tribal population. Both the states primarily speak Hindi. In terms of HDI, both perform poorly.

M2: No, tell me what diff did you find on a personal level?
Me: Ma’m both states are culturally complex and offer a variety of ways of life. While I was growing up in Jharkhand I used to stay in isolated forested lands where sometimes wild animals like tiger would come into our colony. This is something I have never come across in UP. The food of these 2 states is more or less the same with a few regional variations. The people in both the states are very tolerant and loving and make one feel at home.
(Everyone smiled at the tiger comment)
She nods then asks.

M2: Tell me what is India’s equation with Nepal?
Me: Ma’m Nepal has traditionally been a good friend of India’s and India has always supported Nepal in many ways. But with the coming of Maoist government in Nepal, the equations are changing as Maoists are more sympathetic towards China. And therefore the hegemony of India in Nepal is weakening.
(She draws her eyebrows together as if frowning at me. I am telling you it was a scary moment)

M2: Do you think we should be using words like hegemony in context of international relations. India is a big country and shouldn’t it allow her neighbour countries autonomy rather than dominating them?
Me: Ma’m, (how to redefine the meaning of hegemony???) , I didn’t mean hegemony in the sense of controlling a smaller country for one’s vested interests. I meant primacy in international relations.
India is a very big country and that is the reason most of her neighbours are insecure about India’s intentions. But India is a very peaceful country and instead of dominating its neighbours she extends whatever support it can to her neighbours.

(again frowning….I am so scared now…)

M2: It is you who are saying that India is a peaceful country.But other countries don’t think so.
Me: Ma’m, I have had the fortune to work abroad in many countries and everywhere I meet people they always say that India is perhaps the most peace loving country in the world.

(She looks satisfied now…I heave a sigh of relief)

M2: Tell me about India’s relations with Myanmar.
Me: Relations between India and Myanmar haven’t been very positive ever since the military junta took over control of that country since India had never supported the junta’s rule in Myanmar. But lately, the contours of relations are changing for the better because India needs Myanmar for access to ASEAN route, for development of NE and to curb insurgency in NE. But even despite many efforts, Myanmar is more inclined towards China, that is using Myanmar territory for its naval base as a part of its String Of Pearls strategy to encircle india in the Indian Ocean. This is a concern in Indo Myanmar relations.

(She looks much happier now….Passes the charge to 3rd member.

M3: So, you have been a student of IIT Roorkee. Can you tell me the history of IIT Roorkee?
Me:Yes Sir. IIT Roorkee initialy known as Thomason College of civil Engg.It was named after Lt Governor of Agra Province whose name was Thomason. It was created in 1847 after a famine in British times led to large revenue losses. The British decided to construct a canal from Haridwar to western UP to irrigate these lands. Therefore a need was felt for Civil engineers. And therefore under Lord Hardinge, this instn was created. After independence it was renamed University of Roorkee. In 2000, after Uttarakhand was separated from UP, it was named IIT Roorkee.

M3: Can you tell me what is this structure in Roorkee where there is a canal over river?
Me: Sir, it’s called aqueduct.

M3: Tell me about Ganga Canal.
Me:I told him about the famine of 1837-38. The canal consists of an upper ganga canal from Har-Ki-Pauri in Haridwar to Aligarh and Lower Ganga Canal from Aligarh to Kanpur. Told them the distance of Canal and which governor general started its construction(now I can’t recall)

M3:What is the river over which the canal is passing?
Me:Sir it’s known as Solani. Similar to the aqueduct structure there are structures like superpassage wherein river flows over canal and a structure called siphon.

(He is looking visibly impressed..am glad all the research paid off)

M3: So you are an engg in Paper technology?
Me:Yes sir.

M3:Can we make paper out of weeds?
Me: Yes sir, if the weeds have vascular structure that will yield fibres.

M3: That would solve the problem of weeding then.(smiles to himself )
Me: I smile back.

M3:So where was paper first made.
Me:Sir, it was first made in Egypt from a plant called Papyrus, that’s why the name paper.

M3:But people say it’s China.
Me:Yes sir China later followed this practice and made it more sophisticated so that paper came in daily use.

M3: When was this?
Me: Sir it was around 2nd or 3rd century BC.

M3: Tell me something, who invented printing?
Me:(AAAAAAAAARRRGH) Sir I don’t know. But I know that the person who invented the prniting press was Gutenberg.

M3:No, you tell me one thing. Why did it take printing to travel from China to Europe 400 years?
Me:(I am thinking…what?.. what is this question. The CM i slooking impatient as well) Sir,I am not aware of the reason.
(Thankfully the CM interrupts and said it’s ok.)

M3:Tell me your hobby is teaching. Why does ragging take place ? there was a committee created for tackling ragging.
Me:I told him it was Raghavan committe. I told them the psychological and sociological reasons for ragging.

M3: Since your hobby is teaching,Tell me, what was the committe recently created for higher education reforms? (I am wondering why they are all fixated on my hobby only)
Me: Sir I am not very sure. But I think it was Yashpal committee.
(Everyone murmurs..yes yes)

M3: What were it’s rcommendations?
Me: I told him about improving UGC affiliations, Deemed univ and so on.

CM interrupted- Enough. He gestured to the last member to start.
Somewhere I was getting apprehensive why the CM was getting impatient. Did he think I was no good and wanted to end the interview? But I found the answer in the end. You will also see that)

M4: Your extra curricular activities include athletics. What all did you participate in?
Me: I told them the activities I had participated in.

M4: Can you tell me some type of athletic events in which more than 2 types of athletic events are there.
Me: I told them 2.
M4: What are the special features of Indian Democracy?
Me: Parliamentary democracy, quasi federal structure, Independednt judiciary, Written constitution, supremacy of constitution etc etc.( I explained these also)
M4: Can you tell me the independent agencies under Indian Constitution?
Me: Told him SC, HC, EC, CAG, UPSC(along with the articles)
CM interrupted and said ” enough”. He apparently wanted to ask more questions.
CM: So you are from UP. Tell me the districts in Bundelkhand.
Me: (I remembered only 3) Sir, they are Jhansi, Mahoba and Banda. There are 2 3 more But I can’t recall them.
CM: There are 4 more. Can you recall them?
Me: Sorry Sir, I can’t.
CM: Do you know Hamirpur?
Me: Yes sir, its in Bundelkhand ( He then told me 3 more distts)
Me:Thank you sir.
CM: So, UP has been bifurcated . Most of the forest cover has gone to Uttarakhand. How would you go about reforestation in UP?
Me: Since the land-man ratio in UP is very low, we will need to find fallow land that can’t be used for agricultural purposes. Also, we can promote social forestry.
Agricultural land can be bordered with trees. That would not just reduce soil erosion but also improve the water table. In addition, the local populace can benefit from Minor forest produce and timber.
CM: No Shubhra. These are conventional measures. I am looking for an innovative solution. An out-of -the-box solution. If you give me an innovative solution, you will make my day.
(To be honest, I had not felt this much pressure in the entire interview. My entire performance would be gauged by this last answer. I tried to think of a novel and innovative solution. But nothing worthwhile came to my mind. I took about 2 min to think but they seemd like hours as the board was waiting for my answer)
Me: Sir, i think we can make planting and maintaining trees an incentive scheme from the govt side. For eg, if one planted and maintained a tree, they can get subsidies on land, property, govt. schemes. There could be monetary incentives for people who took ownership for planting and maintaining trees.

(I was nervous if this solution clicked. To me, it was a very mediocre solution. In fact on my way back home, I thought of much more innovative solutions for this problem. But under that pressure, that was the best I could do. )

He smiled and said. “Thank you. Your interview is over.”
I thanked them, got up and left.

The interview lasted 35 mins.
I got 210 out of 300.

See : IAS Topper’s Strategy – Bhavya Mittal, IAS, AIR 34 – How to Prepare?

Success Story of K Nandakumar IAS – A Lorry Driver’s Son

By
Syskool
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28
k nandakumar ias

K Nandakumar who always dreamt of reaching the zenith of excellence in Civil Services Examination has come true by securing All India Rank 30th in the year 2006 at the age of 26 years. He is an icon and a true inspiration for the millions of Indian students and showed that nothing is impossible. This was his dream which came true only because of his hard work.

Family Background

K Nandakumar comes from Mamarthapetti village in Tamil Nadu’s Namakkal district. His father M Karuppannan went to work in the paddy fields of his native village which proved a dead end, so his father joined a local lorry service, as a ‘cleaner’. During that stint, which lasted two years, he learnt to drive and got his license; he then got a job as a driver. His mother Lakshmi is a house maker and she invested some amount in buying a sewing machine, and works from home. She make about one hundred rupees a day, and that takes care of the household expenses. The household ran on Karuppannan’s income. He has one younger brother Aravind Kumar and he is an engineering graduate.

For both Aravind and K Nandakumar, their parents are “Gods”. “We are proud of our father as he is very hardworking and very thrifty” Aravind says.

Must Read: Meet City Girl Zainab Sayeed IRS from Kolkata

Educational Background

K Nandakumar completed his schooling from Namakkal Government South School, an institution where the medium of instruction was Tamil. After completing his schooling he did engineering from the Pollachi Mahalingam College.

Due to economic problem and the feeling that he had to help his father to run the household led him to do a job in private company at Coimbatore. During this period he worked and then did late night studies and the result was extreme tiredness resulting from mental and physical exertion. This began impacting on his studies and he slowly quited focus on the Indian Administrative Service Exams.

Despite the economical challenges K Nandakumar faced, so finally he decided to quit his job at an engineering firm to devote full-time for preparation.

Optional Paper

With Tamil as his language medium, K Nandakumar had Geography and Tamil literature as his optional paper. He was comfortable with Tamil, as he was into this medium of education throughout his school days. K Nandakumar says, “it eased undue apprehension about grammatical and syntax errors and allowed him to focus on the essence of the writing”.

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Attempts by K Nandakumar

For the first time when K Nandakumar sat for the UPSC Exams, he failed. On his second attempt, he ranked 350th and K Nandakumar was offered Indian Railway Traffic System (IRTS). He could not ignore this job in because that was the Railways, while dreaming of the IAS he hoped to land some day. So he joined the Railways, and began the required training. Nights, he shrugged off the fatigue, and studied for yet another attempt at the big one. Again he studied with new hope and great enthusiasm and he fetched 30th rank in his third attempt.

Preparation Strategy

“There is no secret to success, as it was his hard work and nothing else”, K Nandakumar says. He used to study in groups with his friends together. The friends went together to trawl through the market, looking for books relating to the Civil Services; they then pored over their finds. Newspapers were devoured cover to back page, with meticulous care. For current affairs, friends used to ask questions about the last one year, so he read a lot of newspapers.

Tips for Young Aspirants

  • There is no secret to success.
  • Be devoted with strong determination and patience.
  • Read newspaper regularly and make jot down the important points.

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