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UPSC Interview of Gitanjali Brandon, IFS Rank 6

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gitanjali brandonGitanjali Brandon secured All India Rank 6 by clearing the India’s toughest exam in the year 2012 and has brought laurels to her family. She always preferred to choose Indian Foreign Service (IFS) as her first choice. On issues of national and international importance she was always interested and wanted to contribute herself towards making the world a better place.

Celebrations galore as the top two ranks in the Civil Services Exam have been bagged by women. Shena Aggarwal, who holds a Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from the AIIMS, has topped the examination. Whereas, Rukmani Riar, a Master of Arts from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, has secured second rank.

She says “she would really like that people interested in international issues give a serious thought to joining the civil services. It is an unparalleled platform for being actually able to impact directly and help bring a lot of change.”

Must Read: Sweta Mohanty, IAS Topper Rank 2 of 2011

Family Background

Gitanjali’s father Rohit R. Brandon is a senior IAS officer belonging to the Rajasthan cadre, and her mother Anita is a social scientist who always helped in clearing out her doubts. She always had a feeling that if her father can become an IAS (stood 14th rank in CSE-1981), she can also be! This feeling kept her morale high during preparation and while appearing for the exam. She hails from a place Malviya Nagar which is in Jaipur.

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

Educational Background

Gitanjali Brandon graduated from the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore. She subsequently worked as a corporate lawyer for 2 years with one of India’s premier law firms after completing her graduation and before deciding to appear for the UPSC Civil Services Exam.

Before cracking UPSC Exam Gitanjali was happily working in a high ­salaried job in Mumbai and was drafting company policies, when she realised that she was meant to do something bigger.

Attempts

Gitanjali Brandon had made her second attempt by cracking the UPSC Civil Services Exam in the year 2012, having failed the first time.

Optional Paper

The Optional Paper opted by Gitanjali  were Law and Sociology. As she graduated from Law School she had a clear concept of Law paper.

Must Read: Read UPSC Board Interview of Abhiram G Sankar IAS, Rank-4

Advice to Future UPSC Aspirants

  • Keep your motivation levels up.
  • Well formulated strategy along with optimum time management are the two ladders for your dream goal.
  • Study in groups and divide the topics separately
  • Take proper care of your health
  • Read national newspaper, news magazines, reports and keep a knowledge of domestic and international developments.
  • D0 smart use of online resources

Have a Look at: Success Story of Pamela Satpathy, IAS of 2014

UPSC Board Interview of Gitanjali Brandon

Wished Good Morning to everyone. The Chairperson (Mrs. Razdan, referred to as “RR”) asked
Gitanjali Brandon to take a seat. She thanked her and did so and the UPSC Interview begins:

RR: Showed me my passport photo and asked me to confirm if that was me. She asked me to state my name and DOB. She also asked me my hobbies, while glancing through my Summary Sheet.
Gitanjali Brandon: My hobbies are- Reading (fiction and non-fiction- emerging trends in international affairs, gender issues and popular culture), debating, travelling and meeting and interacting with people.

RR: So many. These are perhaps interests, what are your hobbies?
Gitanjali Brandon: Well, Ma’am, I would say that primarily my hobbies are reading and debating.

RR: What kind of books do you like to read in fiction?
Gitanjali Brandon: I read widely, but my favourite genre is human interest stories- which show the triumph of the human spirit against all odds. Some of my favourite books are- To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee), Diary of a Young
Girl by Anne Frank (a memoir) and Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger.

RR: You come from a water-deficient state like Rajasthan. Can you tell us some ways in which water can be conserved?
Gitanjali Brandon: I asked the Chairperson if I could take a few seconds to collect my thoughts on the matter.

RR: Yes, please take your time. (I paused for about 15 seconds)
Me: Gitanjali Brandon says she would like to list the following ways in which water can be conserved:

  • Promoting the efficient use of water by having a mechanism for charging people for the profligate and careless use of water- especially in case of over-exploitation of ground water in water-deficient areas and wastage of water in irrigation.
  • Rain water harvesting- by building such structures on fields and farms as well as houses. Especially for a state like Raj where rain is erratic and minimal.
  • Integrated watershed development
  • Drip irrigation
  • Community-based water management.

RR: Ok. Have you ever heard of euthanasia?
Gitanjali Brandon: Yes Ma’am. It refers to mercy killing- a process where by a person who is terminally ill can ask to be pulled off life support or be administered a lethal injection to be put out of his/her physical suffering. I added that euthanasia is not allowed in India.

(The Chairperson raised an eyebrow at this point and I hastened to add).

Ma’am, the Supreme Court in the recent Aruna Shaunbaug judgement has given a very restricted interpretation to Euthanasia and allowed it in only very limited cases- to prevent it’s misuse.

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RR: Asked the next Panel Member (hereinafter, “M1”) to take over.

M1: You mentioned Run-Off previously. What exactly is run-off?
Gitanjali Brandon: Run Off refers to the movement of water down the natural slope or gradient of the land. This waterafter rains- carries away the top-soil with it, mingles with dirty drain water or goes all the way to the sea in a coastal area. Water is thus wasted and not available for immediate day-to-day use. To prevent this watershed development is adopted- through building bunds and anicuts to store the run off.

M1: Ok. Tell us what is meant by infrastructure?
Gitanjali Brandon: Sir, infrastructure is essentially of two types. Physical infrastructure such as- roads, highways, power projects, ports, dams etc and Social infrastructure- which includes health and education frameworks.

M1: In everything that you have mentioned- what are the commonalities, the basic points regarding infrastructure?
Gitanjali Brandon: Infrastructure forms the basic underlying structure or framework that is necessary for the efficient functioning of society. The commonality between the physical and social infrastructure is that both involve significant expenditure for development, are big in scale, provide employment to various people. The govt often speaks about ways and measures to overcome the infrastructure-deficit for socio-economic development.

M1: Have you heard of the Gini Coefficient? What is it?
Gitanjali Brandon: Yes Sir. The Gini coefficient is an economic tool used to measure the level of equality in a society. The UNDP uses this in its annual Human Development Reports. It’s measured on a scale of 0 to 1; where 0 means perfect inequality and 1 means perfect equality. India is somewhere in the middle.

RR: Asked M2 to take over.

M2: You are a student of Sociology? Have you read MacIver and Paige?
Gitanjali Brandon: Sir I haven’t read it although I know of this book. I referred to Anthony Giddens and Haralambos and Holborn primarily.

M2: MacIver and Paige is a classic of Sociology.
Gitanjali Brandon: I nod respectfully.

M2: You listed some strategies for water conservation. Do you think planting more trees can also be a part of it?
Me: Yes Sir, undoubtedly. Afforestation leads to greater precipitation and also helps in preventing run off of the soil- leading to ground water recharge. Integrated water preservation techniques which include afforestation are very important.

M2: You mentioned that debating is one of your hobbies? Have you ever won any prizes for it?
Me: Yes Sir, I have won several prizes in debating- through school and college. I also represented my University- NLS, Bangalore at international debating championships like the Worlds University Debating Championship and All Asians Inter Varsity Championship.

M2: What was the topic during these debates?
Me: These competitions followed the Parliamentary style of debating. The topic was given 15 minutes before the actual debates. There were several rounds in each of these competitions- some of the topics were- intelligent design v Darwinism; and another was ‘This House Will Not Wear Red’.

You May Also Love to Read: Meet UPSC Topper T.V. Anupama IAS, AIR – 4, 2010

M2: Ok. You also said that you are interested in gender issues. I would like to ask you two questions in this regard- what do you think of reservation for women in Parliament? And also don’t you think that working women end up neglecting the family and their children? Should women not focus more on domestic issues?
Me: May I respond to your second question first?

M2: Go ahead.

And here Gitanjali Brandon explains in detail.

Me: Sir, I don’t think that a working woman neglects her family or children. I have seen several examples of working women who manage to maintain a good work-life balance. Women are generally good at multitasking, and most women can easily balance the two if they prioritize and manage their time correctly. Moving on to your second question on reservation for women in Parliament- I believe that given that women make up half the population their representation in Parliament is undoubtedly marginal. And towards that end reservation will help. And women representatives would hopefully try and mainstream gender issues in the public discourse. However, I would like to add two caveats to this point- 1) The often raised argument that reservation in parliament may serve to entrench women from political families and privileged backgrounds to garner more seats in parliament without significantly impacting gender concerns. 2) Countries like Rwanda and Pakistan that have reservation for women in their Legislatures do not do well on gender indices. Hence, reservation in the legislatures can’t be seen as a stand-alone measure. It has to be supplemented by various other schemes and programmes to empower women at then grassroots.

M2: Nodded and asked the next panel member to take over.
M3: Rajasthan is a semi-arid state. What are the other semi-arid regions in India?
Me: Sir- Rajasthan, The North-Western part of Gujarat (around the Rann of Kachch) and parts of the Deccan Plateau.

M3: Well, I come from Anantpur in Andhra and that is a semi-arid region. What do you think we can do to improve the utilization of these areas?
Me: Gitanjali Brandon mentioned the following in points:

  • Afforestation and water conservation to redress water scarcity
  • Bringing water from a nearby source- through a canal or river-linking project (after due environmental impact assessment). I gave the eg of Indira Gandhi canal in Rajasthan and how that has really changes the economy and agriculture in the districts through which it runs.
  • Using fallow waste-land for cultivation of bio-fuels like Jatropha
  • Use of drought-resistant seeds.

M3: Do these drought-resistant seeds work at all?
Me: I can cite the instance of Rajasthan where the state govt has collaborated with the Govt of Israel (a semi-arid country) to share best-practices in drought-resistant and dryland farming. And in Rajasthan they are actually growing Olives and Strawberries these days.

Also Read: Success Story of Priyanka Mehtani – CA turned IFS

M3: He looked surprised. Really?
Me: Yes Sir, I remember reading the CM also speaking about this a few months ago.

M3: But are these seeds really effective? (He looked sceptical)
Me: (Being a lawyer and having no intricate knowledge about such agricultural details, I decided to give a politically correct yet optimistic answer) Sir I suppose that it is a work in progress and ICAR and our agricultural scientists are attempting to develop better seeds.

M3: Hmm. You went to the best law college in the country. What is your view on the legal situation these days?
Me: Sir- the legal situation regarding a particular case or generally regarding the Rule of Law?

M3: The Rule of Law
Me: Sir, on paper we have very good legislations; it is the implementation that leaves much to be desired. I spoke of the massive judicial arrears, protracted legislation and delays that lead to a denial of justice. I mentioned the Govt has launched a few schemes and policies to tackle judicial backlog and make justice more accessible and speedy. I mentioned the National Mission on Legal Reforms and Access to Justice, National Litigation Policy, Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms to take off some of the burden of the judiciary- arbitration , mediation, Lok Adalats, Gram Nyayalayas, improving the infrastructure of subordinate courts, national arrears grid etc.

M3: (He was the most pleasant member in the Board, constantly nodding and smiling). What do you think is the one major problem with the implementation of Court orders in our country?
Me: Collusion between the subordinate functionaries and the executive machinery in-charge of implementation of court orders and powerful lobbies. I think what we really require is administrative will to be able to implement the law of the land and execute court orders in an effective and time-bound manner.

M4 asked mostly factual questions. Gitanjali Brandon answered all but two regarding date when Islam came to India and some important event in 12th Century India

Also Read: UPSC Topper Interview – Alok Ranjan Jha, Rank 1 Civil Services

M4: What are your sources for staying in touch with important events? Don’t you think English news-papers are more oriented towards urban news? Where do you get rural news from? A famous dignitary visited a place in your state recently, which place and who was the dignitary? (This was with reference to Zardari’s visit to Dargah Sharif in Ajmer). Who was the saint whose Dargah it is? (Khwaja Mouinuddin Chisthi) Was he from India originally? (No, he came from Iran and settled in India to preach Sufism) Which century did he come in? (12th century)
Luckily Gitanjali Brandon knew all of the above because she have visited Dargah Sharif but he asked her 2 more questions on History which she did not know.

M4: What other important event happened in 12th Century?
Me: I mentioned one but turns out that it happened in 14th century (RR pointed that out)

M4: Which year did Islam come to India and how?
Me: Sir, I would not like to hazard a guess with respect to that.

M4: Isn’t History your subject?
Me: No Sir, Law and Sociology (this is after I had explicitly stated in the beginning of the interview that my Optionals are Law and Socio and all other members had asked me a few questions pertaining to those. It had also clearly come up that I am a law graduate from NLS, Bangalore…but for some reason M4 was under the impression that History is my subject!!! )

RR: Islam came to India in 786 AD. Mohd. Qasim was responsible for the introduction of Islam to India. Thank you and good luck.
Me: Thank you Ma’am.

Important: Top 10 World’s Toughest Exams – IAS Exams ranks 3 in list 

Security Guard’s Son Kuldeep Dwivedi Clears UPSC Exam

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Kuldeep Dwivedi

Kuldeep Dwivedi has secured the All India Rank 242 in the Civil Services Exams conducted by UPSC, paving the way for his future as an officer with the Indian Police Service. No obstacle is too great if one has strong determination and Kuldeep Dwivedi has proved that the son of a security Guard at Lucknow University.

Inspirational Story of Kuldeep Dwivedi

Surya Kant Dwivedi works untiringly at the University of Lucknow as a security guard. Making ends meet for his family of five is a struggle on his meagre income. When his youngest son, Kuldeep Dwivedi expressed interest in attempting the UPSC exams – not once, but thrice – Surya agreed, despite the fact that his son’s pursuit would mean one less earning member in the family.

Must Read: Ansar Shaikh – Autodriver’s son who Cracked UPSC 2015

Kuldeep’s father, Surya Kant Dwivedi, who is a security guard at University of Lucknow’s works department, could not believe that his son cracked the prestigious and most toughest exam of the country UPSC exams and may become an Indian Police Service officer. Kuldeep’s mother is a homemaker.

It took Kuldeep Dwivedi nearly 30 minutes to explain to his father what it meant to score the 242nd rank in the Civil Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Surya Kant was on duty when Kuldeep’s brother called him to give him the news.

Kuldeep Dwivedi said, “They do not understand what IPS is all about. They just think that a sub-inspector is the most powerful person in the police department. I had to tell them that after completion of training I will be posted as Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in some district. And when they realised that I have now become an officer. There was complete silence. Tears rolled out from their eyes.”

Read Also: Govind Jaiswal, IAS – The Rickshawallah’s Son

Kuldeep Dwivedi, a 27 year old boy is youngest among three brothers and a sister, wanted to become Civil Servant since he was a child. For Surya Kant’s son, Kuldeep Dwivedi, his family’s acceptance and support was all the encouragement he needed to pursue a childhood dream.

“Since my childhood days, I have seen the amount of power a district collector or SSP of a particular district enjoys. It always inspired me. I always wanted to become like that. It was always there in the back of my mind. I had cracked few other examinations in the past but did not join because I wanted to crack the Civil Service Examination,” Kuldeep Dwivedi said.

Kuldeep Dwivedi graduated from Allahabad University in 2009 and completed his post graduation in 2011. Since then he has been staying in Delhi preparing for the Civil Services Exam. Kuldeep Dwivedi says the most difficult time that he faced was after he failed to crack the exam in his first two attempts. In 2013, he was selected as an Assistant Commandant in the Border Security Force but he did not join the training. This was his third attempt and his success has brought great joy to the entire household.

Also Read: Meet Tina Dabi IAS Topper 2015 – 2016

Kuldeep has proved that talent is not dependent on ones circumstances. He has fought against the odds and believed in his abilities. “I was determined that somehow I will have to crack the UPSC examination with a good rank. I kept myself engaged in academics. Luckily the family never troubled me in my pursuit. I’m now all ready to don the uniform and work for country’s development,” Kuldeep Dwivedi said.

Kuldeep Dwivedi’s success is a shining example of hard work and single-minded focus with determination and Surya Kant’s effort have paid off which can be achieved by aspirants who come up the hard way by overcoming poverty.

“I shared the news with other security guards of the university and went straight home. I cannot thank God more. We have seen difficult times. Now it is for him to change family fortunes. I’m proud that my hard earned money did not go waste,” said the proud father as his joy has no boundaries.

Kuldeep Dwivedi’s story is an inspiration to many people aspiring to be Civil Servants. Kuldeep Dwivedi was determined to fulfill the dreams of his father, and pursued his preparation thoroughly. Kuldeep credits his success to his father, who spared no effort despite belonging to a lower middle class family to see that his son was adequately preapred.

Don’t Miss: Inspirational Story of Sandeep Kaur IAS – Retired Peon’s Daughter

Patna havildar’s son makes it to IPS

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Patna havildar’s son makes it to IPS
As a personal security officer, he has provided shield to many an IPS officers. Now, with more than seven years of service still left, havildar Bhagwan Singh, an instructor in BMP-5 in Patna, hopes to stand guard to his son Sujit Kumar Singh, who has cracked the civil services this year.


Hailing from Nad, a township in Rohtas, where matriculates are worshipped, Sujit (25) has, in a way,
broken the family tradition. Unlike his father, who is a matriculate, mother Suryakanti Devi and sister Binu, both non-matric, Sujit not only did graduation (from Hindu College, New Delhi), but also leapfrogged into the IPS (all-India rank 132) — a position his uncles would envy.

While one of the uncles, Ram Dayal Singh, is an assistant sub-inspector of police (posted in Konch, Gaya), Rajeshwar Singh is a sub-inspector in the BSF (in Tripura), Uday Singh another of Sujit’s uncle is an airman in the Indian Air Force while yet another uncle, Ashok Singh, has retired as an Army havildar.

an ebullient Singh, whose son is expected to arrive in Patna from the national capital on Wednesday, said: “My son has been very different right from his childhood. He was a bookworm, who used to study for 16-18 hours a day. Even during the festival of Holi, when all children would play with colours, Sujit sat with his best companion — books.”

Singh added, “Sujit was never a second divisioner. Having done his matriculation from Maner High School and intermediate from Patna College, he went to Hindu College, New Delhi, for graduation in History and Geography. Such was the stigma of Bihar that the college authorities did not believe his markssheet. Sent back thrice for re-confirmation, it was only after the intervention of B Bhamati, the then Director, Education Department, that the principal of Hindu College agreed to take him in. Even after admission there, his classmates used to look down upon Sujit because of his being a Bihari. “But my son silenced the doubting Thomases with his results. He topped the university in all the three years.”

That was just the prologue of a success story, as Sujit, belonging to a family of cops, made it to the IPS in his second attempt.

Sujit, on the phone from Delhi, gushed: “It’s a dream come true. I feel on top of the world. My father and I had nurtured the hope that one day I would become an IPS officer. I attribute my success to my parents and uncles.”

Photo Courtesy : HT

Top 5 Largest Aircraft in the World

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Ukrainian Antonov An-225 Mriya

The first prize goes fairly to Ukrainian Antonov An-225 Mriya which is acknowledged to be the world’s largest plane up to date. The plane made its first flight in 1988, on December 21. This really huge thing was built exceptionally for military purposes, in particular for carrying the Buran orbiter (Russian Space Shuttle). The developers of An-225 aircraft used a base of An-124 and increased sufficiently its engine capacity. 6 engines are used in the An-225 instead of 4 in An-124 as well as twin nail. The aircraft is the heaviest up to date: its maximum takeover weight is more than 640 tons. Today there is only one An-225 in service.

Airbus A380F

The second place in top-5 of the world’s largest planes takes Airbus A380F with the first flight performed just recently, in 2005, April 23. The aircraft places 525 seats and is considered to be the worlds’ largest passenger airplane ever known and made. This twin deck, high capacity wide body airliner is a really beautiful and potent thing.

Boeing 747-8

The third place in the scale of the top-5 goes to Boeing 747-8 which with is length of about 77 meters is considered to be the longest airliner in the world up to date. This intercontinental airbus places 467 seats and is a high-capacity machine offering more payloads, more range and more fuel efficiency.

Boeing 747-400 ER

The next in the top-5 scale is Boeing 747-400 ER, the one from the family of Boeings possessing the major development and the most sold one. It has seats for 524 passengers and features all-new modern interior.

Ukrainian An-124 Ruslan

The last place in the top-5 belongs to Ukrainian An-124 Ruslan. Up to this moment Ruslan is considered to be world’s second heaviest cargo aircraft and the biggest heavy lifter ever made.

Ansar Shaikh – Autodriver’s son who Cracked UPSC 2015

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Syskool
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ansar shaikh

ansar

Ansar Shaikh a village boy from Jalna’s Shelgaon is the son of an autorickshaw driver studied on his own to find his name in the merit list of Civil Services Exam conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and achieved it by attaining All India Rank 361 in his first attempt.

Ansar Shaikh, when landed in Pune four years ago to prepare for the Civil Services Examination, faced a lot of hardship and social discrimination. “While hunting for a PG accommodations and mess I faced a lot of hardship, my friends who were Hindus got rooms but I was refused the moment I uttered my name and doors to all PG were slammed shut. So the next time, I was forced to change the name to ‘Shubham’, which was actually my friend’s name to secure a roof over my head. Now I don’t have to hide my real name,” says Ansar Shaikh, remarking that this social rejection was “mortifying”.

“It will be my mission to promote religious equality. Having myself been a victim of discrimination, I will strive to ensure that Hindu-Muslim unity transcends tokenism,” says an earnest Ansar Shaikh.

Ansar Shaikh did not let the ‘identity crisis’ hold him back. He became even more determined to get into a system steeped in discrimination and bias and fight from within. “I never got angry or frustrated. In fact, I used to get motivated and inspired by all these things. It became a driving force during my preparation so that I can see myself there (at the top),” he said. Ansar Shaikh hopes to get into the coveted Indian Administrative service so he can do his bit to eliminate discrimination in society.

Ansar Shaikh’s story is all about courage and determination. But it also highlights the biased mindset of society towards minorities.

Must Read: 10 UPSC Toppers 2016 – All You Need to Know

Family Background of Ansar Shaikh

Ansar Shaikh comes from the Shelgaon village in Jalna district in the heart of drought-hit Maharashtra’s Marathwada region and considers the UPSC results as his “advance present” for his upcoming 22nd birthday on June 1. His father Yonus Shaikh Ahmad is an autorickshaw driver. His mother works in fields and the family lives in a rented home at Shelgaon. He has one younger brother, Anees Khan who had left school in standard seventh and started working in a grocery shop to support Ansar’s expenses and defied all odds to send him money so Ansar Shaikh can chase the great IAS dream.

“Education has never been a watchword in my family. My father, a rickshaw driver, has three wives. My mother is the second wife. My younger brother dropped out of school and my two sisters were married off at an early age. In my family, education wasn’t so important. When I told them that I had cleared the UPSC and in all likelihood will be an IAS officer, they were stunned shocked,” said the gentle, bespectacled Ansar Shaikh, with a boyish smile that belies years of pain, hardships and struggles against seemingly insurmountable odds.

Ansar’s parents were in tears when they came to know about the result and they did not believe that their son has made this great achievement. They were highly delighted and proud of Ansar Shaikh. Ansar’s house did not even have a lamp when the reporters visited his house for the interview his brother had to rush to the (Majid Shaikh) a corporation of the local civic body of the Jalna to arrange the lamp for the interview session.

Read Also: Meet Tina Dabi IAS Topper 2015 – 2016

Educational Background

Ansar Shaikh completed his early education from Zillah Parishad School (Marathi medium). He was an exemplary student and had secured 91 per cent in his Class X exams. He did HSC from Barwal College in Arts stream and got 100 out of 100 marks in Sanskrit. Ansar Shaikh came to Pune to pursue Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and got graduated from Fergusson College, Pune.

Ansar Shaikh prepared for UPSC Exam at a private coaching class against great financial odds but never lost sight of his goal. Ansar’s father had to sell the house for his IAS coaching classes. He attributes his success to his family and friends.

Optional Paper

Ansar Shaikh opted for Political Science as his optional subject for UPSC and he cracked it at the first go, securing rank 361 in the merit list.

Also Read: Tina Dabi tops UPSC Civil Services 2015-16 Results

Attempts

Ansar Shaikh, the son of an autorickshaw driver, cleared the IAS in his maiden attempt, snaring All-India Rank of 361. Since then, the media has thronged his lodgings in the city in a bid to capture his inspirational and remarkable personal struggle.

Preparation Strategy

Driven by sheer will, Ansar Shaikh worked for 12 hours a day straight for three consecutive years while preparing for UPSC Exam. Added to these burdens, he faced the stigma of social discrimination and turbulent family life which he triumphed with a strength of character extremely rare for a youth of his age. Ansar Shaikh used to remain without food for 2-3 days as his financial condition was very poor. Ansar Shaikh set his goal to become an IAS officer when he was in 10th and was inspired by his teacher who has cleared MPSC.

“There is no alternative to hard work. During my struggle, my friends helped me a lot mentally and financially and even my coaching academy waived a portion of fees due to my poor financial condition,” said Ansar Shaikh.

Besides his father, his younger brother Anees also helped a lot. His younger brother quit school so Ansar Shaikh could become an IAS officer. His bitter, first-hand tryst with social ostracisation has made a deep influence on Ansar Shaikh.

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