Considering the vast syllabus, creating concise notes helps aspirants break down complex concepts into simpler ones, structure ideas and information logically, help candidates grasp huge topics, and create a roadmap for effective revision.

However, making notes requires a lot of patience and is a skilful exercise.

We sat down with IPS officer Rishabh Bhola to understand how to make notes to retain and review information during the stage of revision and examination.

For the love of the ‘khaki’

Originally hailing from Patiala, Punjab, Rishabh grew up hearing the unsung heroic tales of freedom fighters — Tama Dora, Bhagat Singh, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bhishma Pitamah (supreme commander of the Kauravas in the Mahabharat epic), and the 10 Sikh gurus.

“Their stories inculpated in me the feeling of national pride and love for our nation. When I was studying in Class 8, I decided to become a fighter pilot as I was passionate enough to join the defence forces and serve the nation to the fullest,” he says.

“I learnt about various military leaders like former chief of the Army staff Sam Manekshaw, field marshal George S Patton, and military officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon. However, that dream shattered and my ambition to touch the sky with glory crash-landed when I got a medical rejection for the Air Force. I got an issue related to my spine, which was not a major one as it’s very common in tall people. However, it caused rejection in the Air Force,” he shares.

But this did not deter Rishabh.

In 2016, while pursuing computer engineering at the Punjabi University, Patiala, he started preparing for UPSC, which offered him an alternate way to serve the country. “After three unsuccessful attempts, I finally landed from one uniform to another being the IPS,” he says.

In his fourth attempt, Rishabh secured an All India Rank of 410 in UPSC CSE 2021. Currently, the 28-year-old is posted at Tarn Taran, Punjab, as an ASP under training.

Five tips to write notes for quick revision

Sharing a few mistakes and learnings during his UPSC preparation journey, he says, “Never ignore smaller things as I did. For instance, I ignored the CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) exam. As a result, I failed the exam for three successive times.”

“Also, never be overconfident about your preparation, and don’t go for the vast resources. Remember to follow the previous year’s question papers, which are like the bible of this exam. Do not leave them at any cost. Practise them again and again with original answer keys,” he adds.

“Never take studies as a burden, instead be happy that you are learning so many things out of it that you would never have,” he adds.

Rishabh believes smart revision is the holy grail for clearing the UPSC examination. “One can do a lot of hard work but what we require is smart work of how to present what you have learnt,” he points out.

Essentially, this requires aspirants to master note-making, which acts as a condensed version of the extensive syllabus, so that when the examination date draws near, aspirants can refer to their quick reference guide for an efficient revision.

The IPS officer shares five ultimate tips and techniques to prepare notes that aspirants can easily refer to during the stage of preparation and examination.

1. Firstly, read the book completely. After the first reading, start underlining crucial information to make notes.

2. Keep one source for revision and add all your new learnings in the same notes.

3. Make the notes syllabus-wise and add new points in your notes.

Talking about the length of the notes per subject, he says, “It’s very subjective. However, for bigger subjects, my notes were around 35 pages, and for smaller subjects around 10 to 12 pages.”

4. Collect words that can be fitted in most of the questions. For instance, decentralisation, politicisation, and representation merged with words of the syllabus, like historical, social, geographical, ethical, political, etc.

“Make a chart of words that can be used together. For example, social with decentralisation, politicisation, democracy, representation; political with decentralisation, politicisation, democracy, representation; and geographical with decentralisation, politicisation, representation,” he explains.

5. Make mind maps like notes covering the 360 degrees of a particular topic – when, where, what, how, its impact, future, challenges, etc.

At the end of the conversation, IPS Rishabh also advises aspirants to find wholehearted support from a person for emotional stability.

“Find a person in your life who supports you in this journey irrespective of the number of failures and stays with you like a bedrock, cheering you up in all your sorrows. Find that person who encourages you even when you lose confidence in yourself — the one who enjoys making you laugh, making studies fun rather than a burden that you have to complete,” he adds.

Edited by Pranita Bhat; All photos: Rishabh Bhola (Instagram).

1. Do not buy every new study material

The IFS officer suggests aspirants resist the temptation of buying new study materials coming into the market. “Multiple revisions of what you’ve already covered will be far more effective. Read, revise, and test is the ultimate mantra,” he says.

2. Test, test, test

Ramesh advises aspirants to take as many mock tests as possible in this time frame as this is their chance to identify and eliminate mistakes before the actual exam.

3. Learn from every test

“Analyse test solutions sincerely. Make online/offline notes of new useful information, key concepts, and especially your mistakes. This will be an invaluable resource for last-minute revision and boost your confidence. I preferred making online notes,” he says.

4. Prioritise quality over quantity

The IFS officer says that not everything in mock tests is equally relevant. “Based on past papers, prioritise questions, information, and concepts that have a higher chance of appearing. Avoid wasting time on irrelevant details,” he adds.

5. Consider previous year questions as gold

“Analyse the previous 10 years’ UPSC Prelims question papers. Many questions and concepts are repeated. By practising PYQs (Previous Year Questions), you can significantly improve your score,” he says.

6. Focus on core subjects and concepts

IFS Ramesh opines that a strong understanding of core subjects and concepts like polity, geography, and economy will yield high returns on your invested time. “With strong basics, you can easily tackle applied questions,” he adds.

7. Practise diverse question patterns

The IFS officer mentions that the UPSC loves surprises. So, it is better to take all India mock tests from various coaching centres to get exposure to diverse question patterns. “This will help you stay calm and composed on exam day, even if the format throws a surprise,” he adds.

Edited by Pranita Bhat

“Let my name feature in the list,” Samyak shares what he was praying for during those moments of waiting.

An hour later, tears of joy and happiness were being shed as a shocked Samyak still grappled with the fact that he had scored an All India Rank (AIR) 7. Anticipating to feature in the top 100 was an “awesome” thought; believing he would make it to the top 10 was “unthinkable”. It seemed too far-fetched for the young aspirant. Double-checking and triple-checking convinced Samyak that the score was indeed his!

Two years to that day, the 28-year-old catches up with The Better India to retell the iconic story, the road that led to it and why an appetite for success has always fuelled him to give every endeavour his best shot.

An 18-year-old Samyak would have found his current achievements hard to believe.

Diagnosed with a condition that was causing him to lose his vision progressively made him wonder why this was happening to him. But today, as he champions change in his position as Assistant Collector of Puducherry, Samyak sees how every dot connected to bring him to this moment.

While the UPSC CSE is deemed near-to-impossible to crack by some, Samyak says a thorough preparation strategy can help. Here are some tips he shares with other aspirants.

Failure is part of the process

“I did not clear my first attempt in 2020,” Samyak shares. But instead of viewing this as a setback, Samyak saw it as giving way to an opportunity that gave him leverage above others.  He began to view this first attempt as a “trial round” that taught him everything he needed to know about “one of India’s toughest exams”.

The mock run, as he calls it, introduced him to the nuances of the exam, the process of applying, how the exam was conducted, the environment in which the exam took place, etc. “These experiences taught me what to do and what to avoid during the second attempt in 2021,” he shares.

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A post shared by Samyak Jain IAS (@samyakjain.ias)

Always set a high target

“Reach for the moon. If you miss it, you’ll land among the stars,” — borrowing from this philosophy, Samyak says in his second attempt, he kept the general category cut-off as his goal, instead of the PwD (persons with disabilities) category.

“Usually, the PwD category has a lower cut-off than the general. In my first attempt, I had noticed this and was trying to match this cut-off. But, in my second attempt, I learnt from my mistake and aimed for the general category cut-off.”

Find a holy grail for your optional subject

Preparing for the UPSC is often viewed as nerve-racking by the many aspirants who attempt it every year. But a foolproof plan is what will differentiate you from others, believes Samyak. While choosing an optional subject, he recommends going for something that you are passionate about and know of.

A master’s degree in political science and international relations from JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi) formed the basis for Samyak choosing political science and international relations as his optional.

Notes formed the bedrock of his preparation strategy. 

Elaborating on the political science paper, Samyak says it is divided into two parts, with each part featuring two sections. Out of the four sections, three are static (a set of questions that repeat over the years) and one is dynamic (questions that assess your knowledge of current affairs and news).

For the static sections, going through the previous years’ questions suffices, Samyak notes. “The question bank (of notes) has around 2,500 questions that feature ad verbatim, with a few changes,” he adds. This leaves a candidate with the fourth section on which they must spend adequate time. “This section is more challenging than the others,” Samyak shares.

Coaching might not be your cup of tea

Samyak once harboured a dream to become an engineer. It was during this phase when he was preparing for the IIT exam that he attended coaching classes. However, he instantly knew this style of learning wasn’t suited to his temperament. Thus, when it came to the UPSC exam, he decided to study by himself.

Not wanting to dissuade anyone from opting for coaching, Samyak emphasises it merely wasn’t his cup of tea. “To each his own,” he reiterates.

Acing the final frontier — the personality test  

The second part of the daunting UPSC exam — the interview round more famously known as the ‘Personality Test’ — is actually designed to test one’s integrity, Samyak emphasises. Take its name seriously.

He goes on to explain that in every interview, there is bound to be a five-minute or 10-minute period when the candidate is grilled and might find themselves on the spot. “Don’t get anxious or fidget with your hands during this time. The examiners are trying to assess how well you perform in real-time high-pressure situations. They are not testing your knowledge but rather your personality,” he shares.

Recalling his own interview, he shares how a casual mention of ‘yellow journalism’ in one of his answers led him to be questioned about it. “I tried to dodge the question a few times. But eventually, the examiner asked me a pointed question as to what I meant and I had to explain,” he says.

Borrowing from this incident, he says there will be times when candidates can be expected to be bombarded with questions they wouldn’t like to answer. “All you need to do is keep calm and composed as you speak,” he advises.

If it seems impossible, you’re doing it wrong

Ever since Samyak began losing his vision, his journey has been fraught with moments of challenge. However, persistence through his personal life taught him to apply the same in his preparatory phase of the UPSC. Nevertheless, there were moments of disappointment.

“Sometimes I wouldn’t score well in my mock tests despite studying hard for them. It would feel disheartening. But, I began to tell myself that if it were seeming impossible, there was something that I was doing wrong.”

He emphasises the importance of smart work rather than hard work.

A recalibration of the strategy followed by discussions with peers would usually prove effective. “I would go through model answer sheets, check how toppers had approached tough questions, and then begin my preparation with a new mindset,” Samyak adds.

But above all, follow your calling

Tasting success in the UPSC exam meant all the more to Samyak who had found the courage to navigate this path after years of exposure to other professional fields. Following Class 12, he began preparing for engineering but dropped out after his first year. He then pursued a BA in English Honors from Delhi University followed by journalism at the Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi.

It was during this time that Samyak began to get invested in current affairs, particularly the upcoming elections of 2019. Intent to be a part of the mechanism creating change in society, Samyak decided to follow his calling of joining the civil services and registered for the UPSC exam the next year.

He saw this as a stepping stone to getting direct agency that would help him ease the plight of people, and make a tangible difference to society. And this is exactly the message he is upholding in his current post.

With dreams to create impact in areas of pollution, traffic management, and education, Samyak speaks of how losing your vision can change the trajectory of your life. “Challenging circumstances can either break you or make you. Always choose the latter,” he remarks.

Edited by Pranita Bhat.

How do you cope with this dejection?

Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Jitin Yadav shared a message of hope and how to handle failure on X. Titled “For the ones who did not make it to the final list”, he gave his own example of what he did when he didn’t find his name on the “holy pdf”.

His message to everyone who didn’t make it is: “Do not give up. Never. Be proud that you have come this far.”

Jitin recalls sitting in his Gurugram house, heart pounding, as he impatiently checked the UPSC website multiple times to see if the result was out. Finally, as the results were declared, he downloaded the million-dollar final list and checked it thrice for his name. He even did ‘Ctrl + F’ with trembling hands, confirming that he hadn’t been selected.

“I was numb and confused, and thought ‘Why only me?’,” he wrote in the candid post that now has over 1.25 lakh views.

It was a friend who came to the bureaucrat’s rescue that day. Jitin met his friend and received an important life lesson, which applies to everyone in a difficult situation.

“Whatever happens, happens for good only. We can only give our 100%. There are two ways ahead — one to be depressed and do nothing, other to immediately bounce back after a couple of days and do what all past selected candidates have done who faced rejections too,” he wrote.

The IAS officer and author chose the second option and was selected in the next attempt.

It’s also not necessary for everyone to continue on the same path as there are many career options beyond UPSC. To such students, he advises taking a break and then figuring out a future plan.

“Better things are waiting for you,” shares the bureaucrat.

Here’s the entire post:

Edited by Pranita Bhat, Feature Image Courtesy Jitin Yadav/X

As a tweet by Srivastava reads, “From doubts to dreams, from aspiration to achievements and everything in between, the path has been a long and arduous one. But it was truly worth all the pain and struggle.”

Throughout his academic years, Srivastava was a model student. His accolades and marks speak for themselves. The IIT-Kanpur graduate has a BTech and MTech degree under his belt and was working a lucrative job in Bengaluru. However, fuelled by the desire to create impact at a grassroots level, Srivastava quit the corporate sector. 

From doubts to dreams, from aspiration to achievements and everything in between, the path has been a long and arduous one. But it was truly worth all the pain and struggle.#AdityaSrivastava #AIR1 #UPSC2023 #UPSC pic.twitter.com/pqB3AxtekQ

— Aditya Srivastava (@AdityaSri_1) April 17, 2024

While Srivastava scored AIR 236 in his previous attempt at the UPSC CSE in 2022, he was determined to join the IAS (Indian Administrative Service). Currently undergoing training at the National Police Academy in Hyderabad, Srivastava attempted the UPSC this year and topped! 

युद्ध में योद्धाओं के शस्त्र ही उनके आभूषण होते हैं !!#TheJourney ✌️🚨 pic.twitter.com/7hdn42bzvx

— Aditya Srivastava (@AdityaSri_1) March 22, 2022

As he once shared in a speech, ‘life isn’t easy but you’ve got to carve your own path’. 

“The point isn’t only to earn respect but also to bring a positive change in someone’s life,” is what he believes.  

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A post shared by The Better India (@thebetterindia)

Edited by Padmashree Pande

“I wasn’t interested in the subject matter, i.e. taxation. Guided by service rules, it’s an accounting and number-based type of work that doesn’t involve too much creativity. Working in the IRS also vests you with a lot of power. I was neither interested in the subject matter nor the pursuit of power. The work was suffocating my curiosity and my energy. My heart was just not in it. That is the truth,” Ravi shares with The Better India. 

During his service, however, Ravi found an avenue that would allow him to quit—mentoring UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) aspirants. Since 2020, Ravi has been running a Free Online Mentorship Programme (FMP) for thousands of aspirants, and is currently the Chief Mentor of UPSC at Testbook, an online exam preparation platform. 

Taking upon his 10 years of bureaucratic experience and master’s degree in clinical psychology, Ravi’s approach to UPSC mentorship has always been geared towards mental fitness and motivation.

And the results of his FMP have been promising. Last year, 7 of his students cleared the UPSC exam. This year they’re expecting around 20 students to clear the exam. More importantly, the FMP has given UPSC aspirants a choice, which is what stands out the most about it.

Recognising the gap in the market

Suffice it to say that an entire cottage industry has been built on UPSC coaching. Walk on the streets of Mukherjee Nagar in New Delhi and every second building there is running a UPSC coaching centre. As Ravi notes, “I started this to eliminate the requirement for [paid] coaching. In practice, this didn’t happen. Aspirants wanted to consume my content but that did not stop them from joining coaching institutes. They desire a classroom environment.” 

What the FMP did was solve the problem of lack of guidance through this gruelling examination process. “Aspirants don’t understand what they’re paying for when they join a coaching institute. They’re actually paying these institutes to guide them through a process so that they don’t have to guide and plan [the course] themselves. That’s what we have been able to do,” he says. 

As Ravi explains, “The students are given the choice of whether they want to attend coaching institutes or not. That choice did not really exist earlier. Much of the mentorship and guidance is in courses like our FMP  just like the content is also available everywhere. If you use them both smartly, you can bypass the requirement of coaching. Ultimately, the choice has to be with the consumer (aspirant).”

Ravi’s decision to quit a desirable occupation to mentor UPSC aspirants and challenge the status quo established by the coaching institutes comes from facing the drawbacks of the conventional school education system himself. 

‘The education system failed me’

Born into a modest middle-class family in West Delhi, Ravi grew up with his share of struggles. During his teens, Ravi was an overweight boy with no noteworthy academic achievements. He suffered bullying and isolation, which led to growing introversion and was a severe blow to his self-esteem. Only later did he understand that he had Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), the diagnosis of which helped him identify and help himself better.

Disappointed with the traditional education system that wasn’t tailored to neurodivergent students like him, and to overcome his feelings of inferiority, Ravi shifted his focus to physical fitness and bodybuilding.  

“As a rebellious teenager, I felt school was a waste of time. There was a time when I decided to drop education altogether. I wanted to make a career in sports. Despite trying to make something of these pursuits even after college, it was very difficult because people like me didn’t have the necessary support structure or infrastructure to excel,” he recalls. 

A common theme in Ravi’s early life is the failure of the school education system in India to help students like him who didn’t want to pursue conventional careers in engineering and medicine. 

“I never got to explore what I wanted to just because my academic inclinations were unconventional. For example, when I was in Class 10, I was fascinated by philosophy and psychology. Although I wanted to opt for them in high school, neither my parents, teachers nor mentors allowed me to. Not only was I denied the chance to study these subjects but I was also judged for it,” he says.

“People around me told me that ‘serious and successful people’ don’t engage with these subjects. A major failure of the school education system is its inability to encourage obvious interest in areas deemed ‘unconventional’,” he shares.  

In fact, after Class 12, Ravi applied for a Psychology (Honours) course at Zakir Hussain College, Delhi University, and was even accepted. It’s a path he wanted to take. 

“But I was pushed towards engineering. Ironically, I cleared my UPSC civil services exam choosing psychology as one of my optional subjects and recently earned a master’s degree in it. In hindsight, I didn’t have to take such a long-winded road to pursue my real academic interests,” he muses. 

Secondly, he argues that the school education system to a large extent overlooks children who aren’t neurotypical. “Growing up, I was quite severely attention deficient and this was quite obvious. But I wasn’t given the kind of care and attention any such child needs. And, of course, everyone pushes you towards science. Although I did eventually develop an interest in engineering much later in life, there was this external push,” he says.

Finding clarity in UPSC preparations

The general perception of preparing for the gruelling three-part UPSC civil services exam is that it requires rote learning and parsing through vast amounts of reading material. For Ravi, however, UPSC preparations filled those significant knowledge gaps created in school and college.  

“As an aspirant, I learnt everything from scratch. I filled all those gaps in my education, learning and understanding about the world, and how things actually connect and attained a degree of conceptual clarity during my UPSC preparations. I never achieved this level of clarity in school. This revelation, following my preparation, made me a different person,” he says. 

He vividly remembers a few moments that led to this intellectual awakening. 

“Initially, I went to coaching institutes and understood nothing. My preferred subject, and one of my optional subjects (for the Mains exam) was Psychology, given my proficiency in it despite having no academic background,” he recalls. 

“While reading a chapter on motivation, I discovered theories about what motivates people. There were parts about how childhood influences make a person the way they are, how one can bring out their true potential and the roadblocks along the way. Reading such material gave me answers to the questions that I always had. To me, this was real knowledge,” he shares. 

“Why wasn’t I taught these things instead of Physics? This is the stuff I wanted to know because these concepts helped me explain my behaviour and the behaviour of people around me,” he adds.  

These concepts gave him a degree of emotional and intellectual maturity that was missing in his life. 

“And then, everything I saw and learned was connected to how it pertains to real life. I began to learn about the world as it is rather than what I read in books. For example, UPSC doesn’t ask you questions like who made UPI or to give its full form. They will rather ask you, when you root a transaction through UPI, what are the banking channels it goes through and why, what are the problems with UPI, and so on,” he explains.

“The vantage point of UPSC is not that of a supervisor sitting in an ivory tower and judging people below. When you see the world as a UPSC aspirant, you interconnect things, find solutions and ask various questions. For example, I skip a red light and a traffic policeman gives me a fine. Under what law is the traffic policeman given the authority to slap a fine on me? What happens if I don’t pay the fine? Where does the authority to punish me for not paying the fine come from? You ask these questions and begin to realise how this system works,” he adds. 

Mentoring UPSC aspirants

A couple of years into the job as an IRS officer, Ravi began feeling a sense of emptiness and it only grew until he got in touch with an old teacher from his days as an aspirant in 2018. It was that teacher who suggested to Ravi that he should mentor UPSC aspirants.

Initially, Ravi decided to start writing a blog, which he continues till day, and this was converted into a book titled ‘The Ultimate Cheatbook for UPSC Civil Services’ published in late 2020.  

“As word spread about the book, people began approaching me with more questions. These weren’t questions I could just answer with a comment. Instead, I needed to put them through some process. They were not merely looking for advice but wanted to be taught. I could have put up a video on YouTube but that isn’t teaching unless they’re (aspirants) actively involved. They need to generate an output whether it’s in the form of an essay or answer to certain questions,” he explains. 

“How do you do that for free? That was the challenge,” he says. 

What gave Ravi the time to write his book and develop his FMP was the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020. This gave him the time to create and write. “I was working 10-12 hours a day writing and creating content because there was nothing else to do. I was passionately involved in the process and realised the opportunity to quit placed before me 9-10 years after joining the service. Also, my work was getting a good response and having an impact on people,” he says.  

In short, the FMP consists of a lecture he posts on YouTube followed by an email which contains a carefully crafted assignment. Students have to complete it on the day they are given. If they don’t finish the assignment on that day, they won’t get the next one.  

“It’s a free email course where I help aspirants prepare for their UPSC exams. Upon joining this free course over email, I send you assignments every day with markers on what needs to be done. Once you finish the assignment, you email it back to me and I get to know whether you’ve done it or not. And I put you through this series of assignments and in that process, I not only provide the requisite study material but also psychological advice. The process I have established helped bring regularity and consistency to UPSC preparation,” he explains. 

To facilitate this process, he employs Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools which most businesses employ to sell their wares or services. “I started to use these tools with the aspirants. This was the innovation I adopted to facilitate learning. I used the sequential CRM emails and created a flow or a journey. Once you enter this journey, you’ll receive an assignment from me via this automated email. No one has used these tools for educational purposes before,” he explains.

The UPSC civil services exam contains three parts—prelims, mains and interview. Ravi’s FMP covers prelims except for CSAT maths, essay writing, current affairs and General Studies (GS) answer writing and ethics. It does not get into too much detail with optional subjects besides psychology and philosophy—subjects Ravi prepared for during his UPSC preparations. 

“This course covers how to remain consistent in your preparations, to keep your head under control and help aspirants strengthen that energy and clarity on a daily-basis with my assignments,” he claims. 

“Also, after our aspirants clear the prelims, I organise the ‘Mains SuperGroup’. About 100-200 students are inducted into this group free of charge and I mentor them through essay writing, ethics and what optional subjects they should take,” he adds. 

For the interview process, the FMP presents a video of a student who cleared the UPSC exam and students are asked to take their camera and answer basic questions about why they want to join a particular service (IAS, IPS, IFS, etc), record themselves and then observe it. 

“Before the end of the day, I ask them to send their inputs and give them feedback. We also advise them on the kind of body language and type of answers required during these interviews. And then I put them all through a process of lecturing because they need to verbalise the information in their head. The best way to verbalise this information is to teach. So, they become pro-bono interns at the FMP. Following this, I conduct their mock interview,” he adds. 

Life after IRS

After formally quitting the service last year, Ravi knew that he needed to find a way of not just sustaining himself but also supporting the FMP. As a result, he joined Testbook, an ed-tech startup which has developed an online exam preparation platform.

“They have their coaching institutes, paid programmes and a large ecosystem, but my work there is to help bridge the gap between students and teachers—a key concern in online education. I am working with them to develop solutions. Thankfully, I have the time to fulfil my professional duties and run my free programme as well. That will never stop,” he says.     

You can follow Ravi Kapoor on his Instagram and YouTube pages.

(Edited by Padmashree Pande; Images courtesy Ravi Kapoor)

“They burnt down the forest department vehicle, what do we do?!”

Armed with lathi (a long stick), iron rods, gullel (catapult), and stones, at least 700 villagers had surrounded nearly 250 forest guards who had reached the Taurenga buffer area inside Udanti-Sitanadi tiger reserve in Chhattisgarh to conduct an eviction drive, recounts IFS officer Varun Jain.

The forest officials team, led by Jain, had apparently gotten into a heated argument with the group after it was found that roughly 200 hectares of forest land was “encroached”.

About 30,000 trees were axed and huts were built on the land despite the alleged accused having permanent settlements on revenue land. Jain evaluated the area using Google Earth imagery and GPS-tracking to find that it was a dense forest before 2008 when a large number of trees were chopped.

The officer adds how in this past year, as many as 200 encroachers were evicted and at least 600 hectares of forest land was recovered.

We sat down with the 34-year-old to understand what goes into working as a forest officer.

Where tigers were killed for fun

Hailing from Jaipur, Rajasthan, Jain pursued civil engineering at IIT-Roorkee and cracked the UPSC exam to become an IFS officer in 2017. After two years of training, he was allotted the Chhattisgarh cadre, and in February 2022, he joined Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve as a deputy director.

Sharing its boundary with Odisha, the Udanti-Sitanadi tiger reserve is known for its rich vegetation and forest cover of sal, teak, and bamboo trees. It is also home to a diverse fauna, including leopards, wild buffaloes, tigers, hyenas, elephants, bears, pangolins, and more.

After joining the tiger reserve, Jain observed a lack of awareness of wildlife and forest conservation among the local people. “As the area is Naxal-affected, forest officials would fear going for patrolling. This patrolling gap led to a rise in encroachment and poaching cases. People would cut down trees to build their establishments in animal habitats while poachers fanned the illegal wildlife trade,” he tells The Better India.

But this irresponsible behaviour was not new, he adds. Jain points out that during the British Raj and the Zamindari period after Independence, the Udanti-Sitanadi tiger reserve was used as a game reserve.

“Back then, anyone could shoot animals after paying a small fee. For instance, you could shoot a tiger paying Rs 25, and wild buffalo, which is the state animal, with Rs 100. This continued till 1972,” he informs.

“This is the reason why we have such low numbers of tigers. Currently, we have just one tiger. This makes our tiger reserve different from the Kanha, Ranthambore, or Pilibhit tiger reserves. Because of the encroachment, we were not able to progress eco-tourism in the region. Just a year back, we did not even have any gypsy safaris,” he adds.

From evicting encroachers to welcoming wildlife

During field visits to the forest, Jain would often see large charred spots. “I found out that giant 100-year-old trees were burnt down to make huts and farmland. Immediately, I procured ISRO images from 2008, 2010, and 2012, and then, I conducted surveys using drones to assess the encroachment. After comparing both the images, we found out that the reserve was a dense forest until 2008. Now, it has been reduced to an open forest land,” he explains.

In 2006, the Forest Rights Act was enacted and it stated that any member or community that primarily resided in forest land for bona fide livelihood needs before 13 December, 2005, would be entitled to forest rights. “Using the ISRO images, we understood that these people settled here after that period,” he informs.

During this period, Jain informs that the forest cover reduced from 400 trees per hectare to 40 trees per hectare. “It was necessary to get rid of encroachments,” he adds.

So, the forest department issued notices to the dwellers seeking their documents in support of possessing the forest land. But when they did not cooperate, the officials asked them to vacate.

“But carrying eviction drives in this particular area was a big challenge for us. Our teams were attacked twice leading to injuries. My car was burnt down. It was heartbreaking for me to see my own people being beaten,” he recalls.

“To manage this situation, I announced on a loudspeaker that since they injured forest officials, the police would book the masses,” he adds.

“The gathered mob had asked the women and the children of their community to stand before us. To avoid any hassles or misplaced blame, we had a force of female forest rangers on the sidelines too. There were even attempts to give this whole incident a communal angle,” he informs.

Meanwhile, the dwellers went on to file petitions at the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, the State Commission for Scheduled Tribes, and the Chhattisgarh High Court against the Forest Department. “But the judgement was passed in our favour as we had all the evidence,” he adds.

In its order dated 20 June, 2023, the high court disposed of the writ petition of the “encroachers” and mentioned that the respondents are “free to take appropriate steps in accordance with the rules”. 

Another order dated 12 December, 2023, by the Chhattisgarh Forest and Climate Change Department mentioned that with ISRO images, it was evident that the forest land was encroached after 2005 and the documentation of petitioners does not support their claims on the land.

Jain informs that the forest official conducted the first eviction proceeding in January 2023. And so far, at least 600 acres of forest land have been restored.

“This has also helped us build trust among other local villagers who have now become our sources for sharing information on poaching-related incidences. Within nine months, we were able to conduct 32 operations where we arrested 134 poachers and smugglers. With reduced poaching and encroachment cases, we believe tigers from neighbouring states will find safe shelter and repopulate the reserve,” he adds.

Personally, this work has also brought immense contentment to Jain. “Before becoming an IFS officer, I wished to join the Delhi police force but I missed it by seven marks. This project made me do similar investigation work — from using the cyber cell to tracking call records and encroaching activities. I do not regret my decision anymore,” he says.

“In India, an official uniform has been given to only three units — the Army, the police, and the forest officials. The purpose of this uniform is to provide protection. It is our duty to protect our natural heritage. Anyone can plant trees. But as a forest official, if we cannot save a tree, then what is the point of new afforestation drives?” remarks Jain.

Edited by Padmashree Pande. All photos: IFS Varun Jain.

Sources:

Villagers attack forest personnel clearing encroachments in Chhattisgarh tiger reserve; three hurt: Published in The Telegraph online on 2 June 2023.

HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR Writ Petition (C) No.2700 of 2023.

The Chhattisgarh Forest and Climate Change Department order dated 12 December 2023.

This statement rings especially true for many successful individuals, particularly in the realm of civil services. The UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) exams stand as one of the most competitive and challenging examinations to conquer. Behind the triumph of many rank holders and nearly all officers, lies a compelling story of perseverance and resilience amidst setbacks.

One such story is that of Sonal Goel — an IAS officer, currently serving as the Resident Commissioner at Tripura Bhawan in New Delhi. She secured the All India Rank 13 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 2008.

But not many know that this was her second attempt, as she fell short of going to the interview stage by a few marks.

Sonal recounted this story alongside a picture of her UPSC Civil Services 2007 Mains mark sheet, shared on X (formerly Twitter). She reflected on the trials and tribulations that paved the way for her selection in May 2008.

And remarkably, she achieved this feat while simultaneously pursuing her LLB (Bachelor of Laws) and working part-time as a Company Secretary (CS).

As she had low marks in the general studies paper, she didn’t qualify for the interview stage. “However, this setback fueled my determination to leave no stone unturned in achieving my goal, UPSC,” she wrote.

She devoted herself to mastering the general studies paper, investing significant time and effort. Sonal also disclosed her strategy for excelling in the exams — which included meticulous note-taking, repeated revisions, and consistent practice in answer writing.

Her diligent efforts bore fruit as she not only secured a commendable rank but also earned high marks in the subject.

To every aspirant, she shared this message: “No obstacle is insurmountable. Every setback and failure is an opportunity to learn, improvise and ultimately, triumph. It is through perseverance, that greatness is achieved.”

Read her complete post here:

Edited by Pranita Bhat

Born to a family of daily wagers, the child was malnourished. “He weighed nine kg then, whereas, he should ideally have been above 10 kg. We lacked enough resources to offer him good nutritional food. I cooked lentils only on alternate days,” Pooja tells The Better India.

After a treatment that continued for seven days, Pooja brought her son back home. Deeply concerned for her son’s health, she was able to heave a sigh of relief only after three months when Deepanshu finally showed improvement.

“We started including green vegetables like bottle gourd, all kinds of lentils, soybean bari (nuggets), jaggery, peanuts, sattu with milk, and grams in his diet. My son now weighs 10.5 kg. He remains happy and plays all day now,” smiles the 27-year-old resident of Dhanvahi village in Katni district.

This health improvement in the child was made possible with the support of District Collector Avi Prasad, who launched a unique initiative to fight against the issue of malnutrition in Madhya Pradesh. In a remarkable effort, he roped in the community members and encouraged them to adopt malnourished children to improve their nutritional status. Interestingly, this approach has helped the district reduce malnutrition by nearly 30 percent.

In a conversation with us, the District Magistrate sheds light on how he aims at eradicating malnutrition in his district with this unique model.

Where every second child was malnourished

It was during one of his visits to an anganwadi centre when IAS Avi Prasad saw a year-old Sakshi lying in her mother’s arms. “She looked very weak. After inquiring, I came to know that her father was unemployed and they could not afford to look after her nutritional requirements. She also developed a heart disease because of a lack of a proper diet,” he tells The Better India.

“I sought help from the community, and one of the industrialists wished to adopt that child. With his support, Sakshi underwent a hernia operation and was also provided with additional nutrition via a special nutrition kit. Because of the timely intervention, she is a healthy and nourished child today,” he says, adding, “This is when I thought of replicating this approach to help other children in similar situations,” says the IAS officer.

It is noteworthy that nearly half (49.5 percent) of under-five children in Katni suffered from stunting (below-average height for their age), with 44 percent of these children also being underweight (weighing below the healthy range for their age).

Avi points out that the economic burden was the major factor behind the malnutrition crisis in the district. “Most of these impoverished families are unable to afford a nutritious diet for their children. Although the Government allocates additional take-home rations that comprise wheat, rice, or grams for every malnourished family, we decided to do something extra,” says Avi, who joined Katni as a collector in November 2022.

“If a young kid continues to be fed a poor diet, it results in cognitive and intellectual disabilities throughout their life. More than the ration support, I had understood these families should be provided emotional support in terms of counselling and care, towards understanding the need behind investing in their child in the initial years,” he adds.

This birthed an idea to engage the community to combat malnutrition in the district.

For the community, by the community

As part of the Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM) programme of the Indian Government, which provides take-home rations to children, the IAS officer appealed to the community of Katni to adopt malnourished kids to provide them with proper nutritional care.

“Under this programme, anyone can volunteer to look after malnourished children. As part of this, they are expected to provide them with nutrition kits for at least three months,” he informs. The kits comprise a variety of vitamin and protein-rich food products — including amla candy, soybean nuggets, grams, sattu, Horlicks, jaggery, groundnuts, and lentils.

The District Collector roped in a team of paediatricians, child nutritionists, and experts from the women and child development department to come up with the kit, specially designed for malnourished children.

“We are providing rations worth Rs 600 per child every month. This ration kit was expected to be provided once or twice a month. The additional ration support was given for three to six months to MAM [moderate acute malnutrition] kids, whereas nine to 12 months for SAM [severely acute malnutrition] children,” he says.

The initiative, the IAS officer says, has brought people from all walks of life and groups — including industrialists, doctors, non-profit organisations, and individuals — to join the nutrition campaign of the district administration.

When the programme kicked off in January 2023, there were 232 SAM and 1,318 MAM children in the district. Within a year, the nutrition campaign resulted in an improvement of 27 percent and 23 percent in the nutrition level of SAM and MAM children, respectively.

“In the first phase of the programme, the district was able to adopt around 600 malnourished children. But we still have at least 1,000 malnourished children in our district. Of these, 50 are severely SAM kids. In the second phase, we will try to bring this number to a minimum,” says IAS Avi Prasad.

To the IAS officer, the results of the initiative have brought immense contentment. “It was satisfying as well as a learning experience for us. We could have done this work through Government finances, but the effectiveness of the programme was ensured as the community was involved. The community mobilisation will also ensure that this work keeps on going, irrespective of who the officer is,” he adds.

It takes just Rs 600 to sponsor nutritional meals for one malnourished child. If you wish to contribute, here are the bank account details:

Atal Bal Mitra Yojana
Bank account number: 40560100000070
IFSC code: BARB0INDKAT
Bank of Baroda, Industrial area, Katni.

For more details, you can also contact Nayan Singh, district programme officer, Women and Child Development department, Katni, at +91 96309 81671.

(Edited by Pranita Bhat. All photos: Women and Child Development office, Katni, Madhya Pradesh)

According to the district administration, while the rural water demand in the district is 74 MLD (million litres a day), the water supplied is approximately 40 to 55 LPCD (litres per capita per day).

“This water is supplied from the Kaveri and Bhavani rivers through 20 Combined Water Supply Schemes (i.e. water from rivers) apart from local borewell sources. Currently, most villages in Erode district and elsewhere rely on overhead tanks (OHTs) for their water supply, sourced either from borewells or infiltration wells in nearby rivers,” explains District Collector (DC) Raja Gopal Sunkara, a 2015-batch IAS officer, in a conversation with The Better India.

DC Sunkara goes on to explain that in the Erode district, there are over 4,700 Over Head Tanks (OHTs) in rural areas whereas the number of tank operators is only 299.

Due to the reliance on tank operators, he explains the following problems were being faced:

1) High water losses: “In most villages, we see overflowing OHTs since the motors are not switched off on time,” explains DC Sunkara.

2) Unreliable timings of water supply: Since tank operators have to manually manage OHTs, water supply timings change from day to day depending on their availability and punctuality.

3) High electricity bill for the local body: “Since the motors are not switched off on time, the electricity bills of villages increase,” he notes.

4) Dry Run: Motors get damaged when they are run without water in the sump.

As K Renuva Devi, the Panchayat president of Kuttapalayam village explains, “Earlier, we were dependent on the tank operator, who used to manually operate the gate valves and motor pumps. There used to be overflow from the tanks.”

To address these failings of the OHT water supply system in Erode district, DC Sunkara has installed IoT devices in 50 habitations across 16 villages, which the district administration claims have not only reduced electricity bills by approximately 40% but also increased water supply by over 20%.

Finding IoT solutions

Before his current posting as DC of Erode in May 2023, DC Sunkara — a dual-degree holder from IIT-Kharagpur — worked as a commissioner in the neighbouring Coimbatore city municipal corporation where a 24/7 water supply scheme was being implemented, and as executive director of the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB).

In both these roles, he got a deeper understanding of water supply systems, but predominantly in urban settings. “Following my posting in Erode, I organised regular inspections to garner a greater understanding of the scale of the rural water distribution problem,” he notes.

To tackle these issues, the administration installed IoT devices with the following features:

1. Tank-level alerts providing real-time updates on water levels in the sumps and the OHT.

2. Automated pumping: As per this system, water is automatically pumped to the OHT from the sump, with a semi-automatic option for special occasions.

3. Scheduled water supply: Timings can be preset and valves open automatically.

4. Overflow Prevention: Installation of automatic mechanisms to stop overflow.

5. Comprehensive data on water quantity and timings, enhancing accountability.

According to DC Sunkara, “This IoT system has already been successfully implemented in 63 OHTs in 50 habitations in Erode district, resulting in significant benefits — such as reduced motor running time, lower electricity bills, and minimised water wastage. More importantly, the reliability of water supply to the public has seen a remarkable improvement; thus alleviating the burden on women who often spend considerable time waiting near taps.”

“The initiative costs roughly Rs 1 to 1.5 lakh per OHT, and has been mostly taken up under the village panchayat general fund or 15th Central Finance Commission (CFC) funds. After the initial successes, we are working on installing it in 150 OHTs in Har Ghar Jal villages (all households in that village are provided with tap water supply) using these funds along with the District Mineral Foundation funds, Corporate Environment Responsibility funds, etc,” he adds.

How does this technology work?

“A linear level sensor pushes tank level alerts to the IoT Master Controller, triggering the pump and inlet valve to ensure OHT filling when water levels are low,” explains DC Sunkara.

Once the required level is reached, the motor switches off, and the inlet valve closes. The outlet valve operates automatically based on pre-set schedules. Real-time data generated from these functions is stored in AWS Cloud and can be accessed through the iNeer mobile app by stakeholders.

“Comprehensive data on water quantity and timings are collected in real-time through the sensors, which is made available on a mobile application to local public representatives like Panchayat presidents, tank operators, councillors, etc. The mobile application called iNeer, (available on Google Play Store) provides insights into consumption patterns and operational efficiency,” he says.

“Based on feedback from the stakeholders, the mobile application has been redesigned to make it very user-friendly. The impact on residents is reflected in improved water availability, reliable water timings, reduced waiting time, better water pressure and overall convenience,” he adds.

To make sure this system works, DC Sunkara notes how pilots were taken up in Kumaravalasu, Kuttapalayam and Ponmudi village panchayats under the leadership of Panchayat presidents.

“The initial findings of these pilots were very encouraging,” he shares. But the administration did encounter challenges during the pilot/testing process including technical glitches and ensuring compatibility with existing infrastructure.

“During the pilot stage, we planned for an electricity board (EB) supply for the IoT controllers and motorised valves. The controllers had to be chosen accordingly. The controllers got damaged during voltage fluctuations and lightning events. We then introduced a solar power supply with battery backup. The specifications for wattage, etc were finalised after a lot of trial and error,” he explains, adding, “At each stage, it was a learning process for us.”

Other implementation challenges included maintenance issues and the need for continuous monitoring, requiring collaboration with tech experts and regular training for maintenance staff. 

Meanwhile, public representatives like Panchayat presidents and Councillors were also trained in using the app through which OHTs can be controlled and data can be seen. Suffice it to say, there was some scepticism about the implementation of these IoT devices. 

“Initial scepticism was due to the cost of the technology and since there was no precedent to learn from. While Panchayat presidents of the pilot villages took on this experiment with open minds, the other presidents were brought on board by arranging visits to see the success of the initiative in pilot villages. This helped overcome this scepticism,” he adds.

Benefits to Rural Erode

How have these systems benefitted residents in terms of reduced motor running time, lower electricity bills, minimising water wastage and reliable water supply?

In Ponmudi village, for example, the IoT system was installed in 10 OHTs.

According to DC Sunkara, “The electricity units consumed fell from 35,930 (4 months before installation) to 17,819 (4 months post-installation) — a drastic 50% decrease. The electricity bill fell from Rs 2,72,707 to Rs 1,67,001 for the same period — a 40% fall. Meanwhile, the quantity of water supplied per day increased from 1.65 lakh litres to 2.09 lakh litres — additional supply of 44,180 litres. These savings can be used for providing other amenities to the public. The results for Ponmudi have been reflected in other villages too.”

As Renuva Devi, Panchayat president of Kuttapalayam village also notes, “Now, we are not dependent on the tank operator. Water is automatically supplied to the public at pre-set timings. There have hardly been any complaints regarding water supply from the public. Fixed quantity is being supplied for a fixed timing and then, there are water savings.”

These systems also helped alleviate the burden on women — particularly from households with no direct water supply connections who often spend a long time waiting near taps.

“In our society, the burden of fetching water falls on women. Water is supplied through household connections or public fountains in rural areas. Those who don’t have these connections or who are not getting adequate quantities of water through such connections were either forced to purchase water in the private market or wait at public fountains. The burden on women was further aggravated because of unreliable water supply timings. They would have to wait at odd timings and for long periods for water,” informs DC Sunkara.

He further explains, “Out of 4,18,981 households, 3,56,101 have connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission, and works are ongoing for giving functional household tap connections to all.”

Kalaiselvi, a 32-year-old resident of Ponmudi village, notes, “Earlier, water supply in our village was problematic. It was managed by a waterman (tank operator). He would switch on the motor pump to the overhead tanks and forget to switch it off. We would have to call and remind him, and only then would he switch off the motor. There was a lot of water wastage due to this.”

“Despite tap connections being affected to all households under the Jal Jeevan Mission, we never knew when water would be supplied. Most of the women in the village go to work. On days when water is supplied, they would have to take leave or not be able to fetch water. Moreover, houses at a higher elevation used to get less water and those at a lower elevation used to get more water,” she adds.

“Now, a fixed quantity of water is being supplied at pre-set timings, irrespective of elevation. Today, our area gets water from 6 am to 8 am every day. A WhatsApp group has been created in which water supply timings are informed to us. Water wastage and electricity bills also have come down. We are not forced to take leave [from work] for fetching water,” says Kalaiselvi.

Moving forward, the plan is to install these IoT devices in OHTs located in other villages too. “Our vision is to harness available technology and expand this initiative, one village at a time, utilising existing funds,” says DC Sunkara.

(Edited by Pranita Bhat; Images courtesy Erode District Administration)

However, in the village of Madhopatti in Uttar Pradesh, a remarkable phenomenon unfolded. With an impressive track record, Madhopatti has been the hometown of over 51 IAS and PCS (Provincial Civil Service) officers.

Earning the moniker ‘IAS factory’, this village consistently produces officers year after year. What makes this feat even more laudable is the fact that this village in Jaunpur district has just 75 households. It also doesn’t have any coaching centres!

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A post shared by The Better India (@thebetterindia)

A hub for education, most of the officers hailing from this village have high-flying careers across space, atomic research, judicial services and banking. The village is also famous for being home to four IAS siblings — Vinay Kumar Singh, Chatrapal Singh, Ajay Kumar Singh, and Shashikant Singh.

Looking into the past for an explanation for this village’s feat, it is said that freedom fighter Thakur Bhagwati Din Singh and his wife Shyamrati Singh started educating children in the village in 1917. Initially, Shyamrati started by teaching the girls, and soon, boys started queueing up too!

It could be that the learning spirit that was sown years ago has found its way into the lifestyle of the people in this village.

Edited by Pranita Bhat

Thus, it comes as no surprise that plans are afoot yet again in the Hindi film industry to make a movie based on the life and career of Dr Ram Gopal Naik, a 2002-batch officer of the Indian Police Service (IPS). Portraying the doctor-turned-police officer’s eventful life is Imran Zahid, an actor who recently played the role of a young man from a small town in Bihar who dreams of becoming an IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officer in the 2023 film Ab Dilli Dur Nahin. 

Also starring veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, this movie was inspired by the real-life story of Govind Jaiswal, a rickshaw puller’s son who became an IAS officer in 2007. 

Speaking to The Better India, Dr Naik, who is currently the DCP (deputy commissioner of police), Metro Police, in the national capital, says, “The news came as a major surprise. It was an emotional moment for my wife and children. They were so excited. Based on real-life incidents, a movie about my life will motivate my staff further. After all, it’s a real form of recognition for our work. As an officer, I can be a role model for them.”  

Meanwhile, speaking about playing a real-life character, Imran says, “Whenever you portray a living person in a performance, it becomes an authoritative portrayal of their experiences: their motivations, the challenges they confronted, and how they overcame their struggles.”

Choosing IPS over medicine     

Born in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh (AP), Dr Naik grew up in an upper-middle-class family where his father served as an officer in the customs and central excise department, while his mother was a homemaker. Like thousands of youngsters in AP, his initial goal was to become a doctor. 

It was during his third year of medical school studying MBBS that he decided to prepare for the central civil services exam. However, what inspired this decision was a personal tragedy. 

While studying at the Andhra Medical College in the early 1990s, his brother-in-law was murdered following a business rivalry. A shocking development, it left his family dealing with a crisis. But, amid this crisis, he saw something that would leave an indelible impression.    

“There were many influential people with notorious criminal backgrounds involved in this murder case. Fortunately, we had a very good police officer who fairly investigated the case. In this case, I saw the best of what a police officer can do and the impact they can have on our society. As an officer of the law, he was able to help our family, manage other professionals engaged in this investigation, and nab the culprits as well. Instead of becoming a doctor, I felt I could be more useful to society as a police officer,” recalls Dr Naik.  

While Dr Naik struggles to recall the name of the officer who solved his brother-in-law’s murder more than 30 years after it happened, he cannot forget the impression the episode left behind. Of course, with other family members in and out of the service motivating him to make that transition to a career in the IPS, this memory remained seared in his consciousness.   

After completing his MBBS in 1996, he served as a doctor for three years until 1999 when he decided that he needed a complete shift away from a career in medicine.        

“From my third year onwards, I began preparing for the UPSC exam. I was simultaneously studying for my MBBS and preparing for the Union Civil Services exam. Following my MBBS, I worked at a private hospital in Visakhapatnam for a short while before leaving for Hyderabad to join UPSC coaching classes. To support myself financially, however, I even worked at the Apollo Hospital in Jubilee Hills as an emergency physician,” he recalls. 

“My decision to quit medicine and prepare [full-time] for the UPSC exam was met by vehement opposition in the family. They wanted me to continue as a doctor and earn well,” he adds.  

In his first attempt, Dr Naik reached the interview stage but missed out. But helping him along the way were a few friends he had known since primary school. They were also preparing for it. 

“They supported me a lot. They could not get through but they were happy that I did,” he says.      

Their faith in Dr Naik would eventually pay off as he cleared the interview stage in his next attempt. He joined the IPS in 2002 as part of the DANIPS (Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Dadra, and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Police Service) cadre. 

Since becoming an IPS officer, Dr Naik has gone on to achieve a great deal. From receiving a special commendation from the Andhra Pradesh government for organising relief operations after Cyclone HUD HUD in 2014 to investigating and extraditing Sanjeev Chawla, the bookmaker famously involved with the deceased cricket player Hansie Cronje, in fixing matches between India and South Africa in 2000, Dr Naik has many achievements to his name. 

Other notable achievements include initiating the modernisation process of the Lakshadweep Police during his first official posting and investigating and solving the 2008 bomb blasts in the M-Block Market of Greater Kailash, New Delhi. In 2018, he also solved the paper leak case of the CBSE Class 12 economics and Class 10 mathematics examinations. 

In 2021, he won the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry in January 2021 for conducting a daring rescue operation of a kidnapped 5-year-old boy in Sahibabad, Uttar Pradesh (UP). During his career, he has investigated a plethora of cases but this one stands out. 

Ram Gopal Naik, DCP Crime Branch: Delhi Police Crime Branch with help of Ministry of External Affairs and Home Affairs was trying to get him (Sanjeev Chawla).In 2013, extradition process started. We have got 12-days custody.We have not yet questioned him,process will start now. pic.twitter.com/I4yOF3swVS

— ANI (@ANI) February 13, 2020

Rescuing a child                  

On 25 January 2018, as preparations for that year’s Republic Day celebrations were in full force, a five-year-old son of a prominent businessman in Northeast Delhi was kidnapped. 

According to a report by The Indian Express, “Before the kidnapping, the accused conducted a recce of the area for over a month and decided to target the school bus. They made three failed attempts on January 21, 22 and 23.” Speaking to the media, the then JCP (Crime Branch) Alok Kumar identified the accused as Nitin Sharma, Ravi Kumar, and Pankaj alias Singh Saheb. 

He also said the three suspects had hatched a plan to kidnap the child after “Sunny Gupta, father of the child, recently finalised a real estate deal of Rs 60 lakh. The details of the deal were common knowledge of everyone who stayed in Gupta’s locality GTB Enclave. Nitin thought he could earn a good ransom if he kidnapped Gupta’s son.”

On the morning of 25 January, when the school van was approaching the school, the kidnappers intercepted it and snatched the boy for ransom. The kidnappers shot the driver in the leg and took the boy to a two-bedroom flat in Sahibabad’s Shalimar City apartments. 

“At the time, I was working as DCP of Delhi Police Crime Branch. Initially, the case was taken up by the local police. For a week, the local police could not get any leads. Given that the incident happened a day before Republic Day, there was a lot of pressure on the Delhi Police Commissioner to solve this case and rescue the boy. My commissioner took a call that the case should be transferred to the Crime Branch and I was selected to handle this sensitive investigation given that a boy’s life was at stake,” he says. 

Once Dr Naik’s team took over the case, they deployed their sources on the ground and brought on officers with “good knowledge of criminal networks in Northeast Delhi”.  

“One of our officers eventually got a lead that three persons were missing in the area where the boy was picked up and that they may be involved in the case. We also went through their criminal records and posited that they could be involved. Meanwhile, we also kept in touch with the father of the boy who was receiving calls for a ransom. Besides these calls, he was also receiving videos [on WhatsApp] of the kidnappers claiming that they have his son and voice recordings too where he could hear his son pleading to say, ‘Papa, I love you’,” he says.

Besides dealing with kidnappers, they also had to deal with a terrified father. 

“He probably felt that cooperating with the police would put his son’s life at risk. Thus, he wasn’t being very cooperative. The kidnappers had demanded Rs 60 lakh as ransom and we asked him to negotiate to buy some time and trace these calls. But we believe he was actively hiding things from us. We discovered that he was even arranging the money to pay off the kidnappers so that his child could come back home,” he says. 

So, Dr Naik recalls that his team “engaged in some ethical hacking” of the father’s phone so that they could have first-hand information about what was being discussed. Meanwhile, the kidnappers set a date and location for the exchange. After this conversation, Dr Naik took the father into confidence and assured him that they would rescue his child.            

Speaking to The Statesman at the time, Dr Naik said, “As ransom calls were also made from nearby areas we selected a few areas and kept a close watch on a few suspects there. Meanwhile, through local sources and technical surveillance, police identified Nitin as a prime suspect. Police kept track of his activities and deployed sources to keep a closer watch on him.”

“When we shared Nitin’s pictures with the victim’s father, he identified him as a frequent visitor of the area,” Naik noted. After a thorough investigation, he was identified as one of the kidnappers.

After taking the father into confidence, Dr Naik learned that Nitin was attending a wedding in Northeast Delhi. In response to this news, Dr Naik and his team attended this wedding pretending to be guests. At the wedding venue, one of the officers identified the main suspect. 

Initially, they thought of nabbing him there but decided against this move because of the commotion it would create. Instead, they trailed his car out of the venue. 

In his conversation with The Statesman, Dr Naik said, “Police started following Nitin from 8 pm [on 5 February 2018] till 12.30 midnight [when he was intercepted]. He was driving his Swift at speeds close to 90 km/hr to 100km/hr. Police followed him on four bikes and four vans.” 

After the main suspect dropped his girlfriend at her residence, the police continued trailing him. 

Again, Dr Naik added, “Around 12.30 am, Nitin was intercepted near a community block in Seemapuri [near the Delhi-UP border]. Before his vehicle stopped, he hit our vehicle and he was drunk. He was also carrying three mobile phones. On interrogation, he told police that two of his friends had kept the child in a flat in Shalimar City in Sahibabad.” 

After getting the main suspect to confess where they were keeping the boy, there were discussions among senior officers who were informed of the interception that they should wait to gather more force (personnel). Dr Naik disagreed and said that there was no time and they needed to move fast with the suspect in their custody. 

“Moreover, his phones are with us and if he is unreachable, his accomplices may get alerted, leave the apartment, and possibly harm the boy as well. Thankfully, my top boss at the Delhi Crime Branch trusted my instincts,” he says.  

In barely 1.5 hours, Dr Naik’s team reached the apartment complex, did a complete recce of it, covered all the exits, got into the flat amidst a firefight, and rescued the boy. To understand the layout of the two-bedroom apartment, Dr Naik and two other officers visited another apartment in the same complex and asked the family residing inside if they could take a look. 

“Once we understood the layout of this apartment, we took positions outside the fifth-floor flat where the child was being kept. Meanwhile, we also had a team prepared below with blankets and nets ready in case the kidnappers tried to throw the boy off the balcony. At this crucial juncture, we decided to send the suspect to ring the bell,” he recalls.  

The main suspect Nitin proceeded to ring the bell, but the moment his accomplice opened the door he sensed that something was wrong and tried to shut it immediately. 

“As he was about to shut the door, I told one of my officers that we had to break these doors down. Luckily, there was a little gap on top of the iron grill door. One of my officers was able to bend the iron grill part of the door down and that left enough space for me to enter. Following this, the kidnappers inside began firing at us,” he recalls. As per news reports, a bullet hit Inspector Vinay Tyagi’s vest, while another hit commando Kuldip Singh. 

Amidst this chaos, Dr Naik climbed over the bent iron grill and took a peek at the gap left behind by a second wooden door inside to see if the child was inside the main hall of the flat. 

“I found that the boy wasn’t there. That’s when I ordered the personnel behind me to fire back. There was an exchange of fire. One of the kidnappers was shot down on the ground lying in a pool of blood while the other was shot in the leg. My team immediately followed me inside while I went straight to the bedroom to find the child under a blanket,” he recalls. 

Suffice it to say, the child was terrified following the exchange of fire outside. “I slowly took down the blanket and told him, ‘Beta, mein police uncle hoon. Mein tumhare papa ke paas le jaane ke liye aaya hoon.’ After hearing those words, he immediately jumped off the bed and hugged me. I carried him out of the flat covering his eyes. As we were driving to GTB Hospital, I called up his father and told him that we had rescued his child safely. This was around 2 am in the wee hours [of 6 February 2018]. The father was asleep when we called him,” he recalls.

Meanwhile, among the other two suspects inside the flat, one was killed while the other was injured. The police personnel injured by gunshots were saved by their bulletproof vests. 

“All of us made our way to GTB Hospital. After the doctor on duty confirmed that the child had not suffered any serious injuries or abuse, the parents took him into their arms. It was an emotional moment seeing these tearful parents reuniting with their son. I also shed a tear. Four officers, including me, received the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry,” he recalls. 

While the life of a police officer has its share of controversy and disappointments, it’s moments like these that make the journey worth it. Seeing that tearful reunion between the parents and their son, “and the fact that you made it possible”, is what makes this path worth it.  

(Edited by Padmashree Pande; Images courtesy Dr Ram Gopal Naik and Instagram/Imran Zahid)

Posted as deputy commissioner (DC) between February 2022 and August 2023 in a district   predominantly inhabited by the indigenous Adivasi communities and marked by decades of Naxalite insurgency, he introduced some game-changing interventions.

Primarily, Sushant brought about a transformation in local agricultural practices by helping thousands of farmers, particularly women, transition from water-guzzling paddy to a more sustainable model of ragi cultivation. He empowered them to leverage that transition into a self-sustaining business opportunity by helping them sell ragi-based products in and out of the state. Given its health benefits, he also employed ragi to address severe anaemia and malnutrition.

Before his arrival, farmers in the district did not cultivate this ‘super grain’. Today, there are approximately 30,000 farmers in the district growing this millet on more than 30,000 acres and largely selling their harvest locally, according to the district’s agriculture department.

Some of these farmers are also part of a successful women-driven Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) called the ‘Baghima-Palkot Farmer Producer Company Ltd’ selling a variety of ragi-based products.

Speaking to The Better India, Bhagwati Devi, a 40-year-old ragi farmer and member of this FPO, says, “Our organisation [the] Baghima-Palkot Farmer Producer Company, currently makes a variety of items out of ragi including laddoo, cookies, mixture, khajuria, nimki, bhujia, chips and flour. Thanks to the intervention of DC Sushant, we sell some of these items to the local administration, particularly for their ICDS (Integrated Child Development Scheme), and various local markets too. At the Millet Cafe in Gumla, we also serve samosa, pakoda, etc.”

An official closely associated with the FPO claims, “Since May 2023, we have earned approximately Rs 15 lakh through retail sales and Rs 28 lakh through selling food items to the local administration. Our company has generated a total revenue of around Rs 43 lakh.”

For his efforts, Sushant was awarded the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration in the “holistic development through aspirational district programme — overall progress with special focus on saturation approach” category in April 2023.

What’s more, this initiative was also presented at the Harvard Business School earlier this year by Avinash Kumar, a Mahatma Gandhi National Fellow at the Government of India’s Ministry of Skill Development. Speaking to the National Press earlier this year, Avinash claimed that the institute has also commenced a case study on the ‘Gumla model’ and it will be circulated among other business schools and used in training modules for bureaucrats.

Lay of the land

Located in the southern part of the Chota Nagpur Plateau, about 100 km away from Ranchi, Gumla district is marked by a highly undulating and rugged terrain consisting of flat-topped hills. What Sushant found here was a poverty-stricken populace predominantly dependent on rain-fed agriculture. He noted that due to the lack of irrigation facilities, infrastructure, scientific inputs and marketing, the majority of the families engaged in agriculture don’t earn enough to provide basic necessities to their families.

“About 85% of the population has agriculture as the primary source of livelihood, among whom 90% are small and marginal farmers. They predominantly engage in paddy cultivation even though the soil conditions don’t really support it. What we found was acidic soil with a mix of red (soil) and laterite (soil). The topography is marked by gentle and steep slopes resulting in a lot of surface run-off (unconfined flow of water over the ground surface) and soil erosion,” he says.

“This is part of the legacy of the Green Revolution where an emphasis was made on growing wheat and paddy. As a result, what we saw in terms of food habits were locals consuming rice-intensive diets. In the mornings, for example, people would eat paani bhaat, a local delicacy containing leftover rice soaked in water overnight with a dash of salt. There was a shortage of protein and no scope for roughage or vegetables in their diets,” he adds.

Finding the solution in ragi

Ragi, known locally as mandua, is consumed in Jharkhand “in different food preparations such as porridge, chapati, cake, cookies, kurha, and sweetmeat,” according to this 2020 paper published in the International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences.

“In addition to these, boiled and malted germinated grains are used as a food supplement to infants and pregnant women as it does not form acids and are easy to digest,” the paper adds.

Going further, ragi is also “a drought-tolerant and highly nutritional crop which has an economic value and productivity in the range of major cereals.” Given its popularity locally, nutritional value and suitability to local weather conditions, ragi seemed like a good choice to replace paddy.

As Bhagwati explains, “In the past, we used to cultivate ragi but we eventually left it behind and the crops we did end up growing we would sell rather than consume it at home. Once DC Sir re-introduced ragi, he explained the benefits of cultivating and consuming it.”

On a policy level, former district programme officer (DPO) Sujit Bari recalls how in early April 2022, the DC organised a meeting with the district agricultural department, Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) and the social welfare department. At this meeting, Sujit recalls the DC emphasising how Gumla was suffering from severe malnutrition and anaemia.

During this meeting, Sujit also recalls how the DC also directed officials in these three departments to find approximately 5,000 farmers, particularly women, who were interested in cultivating ragi, and motivate them into actually making that transition.

“We went to each block delivering his message through self-help groups (SHGs) associated with JSLPS. Following this outreach, about 5,500 women farmers volunteered to grow ragi. Although these farmers had some understanding of cultivating ragi, they weren’t familiar with some of the newer technical methods. Before sowing began, we trained them in these new techniques with assistance from a private agency and the government-run Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK). At this time, we distributed high-quality ragi seeds, organised live demonstrations in each Block and provided on-field training on correct harvesting processes,” recalls Sujit.

Meanwhile, Sushant recalls that it wasn’t difficult for them to address the public on the benefits of growing and consuming ragi given the real health benefits associated with it.

“But changing long-standing habits is a difficult exercise. Among other things, we would convey messages like how ragi contains high calcium content which allows children to play with more energy. Given how sports is one medium to escape the troubles of poverty, it would be in their best interest to let their children consume ragi,” says Sushant.

To give farmers the confidence to make that transition away from paddy to ragi, he lists the steps that were taken.

1) Assurances from the collectorate that their ragi harvest will be bought at a good price and that it will be processed and distributed to children and women in their communities.

2) Decision to distribute seeds for free: This addresses a key part of the farmer’s input costs. In March 2022, the administration placed orders for 20,000 kg of quality ragi seeds based on soil suitability from the Birsa Agricultural University in Ranchi and the National Seed Corporation (NSC). “Upon receiving the seeds, we distributed them to the farmers free of cost,” says Sushant.

3) Distributing the seeds on time: “As we were training them on the process of growing ragi, we distributed the seeds too on 15 April. Our sowing season began in June,” says Sushant.

4) “Our farmers were growing weary of the overdependence on limited irrigation infrastructure, rainfall and unpredictability of cultivating paddy. They wanted to be free of these concerns from growing paddy and needed the confidence to make that transition away,” he adds.

5) Lastly, the district administration’s decision to empower women farmers in the community “who had the passion to fearlessly do something new,” notes Sushant.

In just a matter of weeks, before the Kharif sowing season began in 2022/23, Sushant recalls how they had about 5,500 farmers who volunteered to grow ragi in their fields. Meanwhile, the administration also worked towards developing drip irrigation and solar lift systems, and renovating ponds to improve the state of irrigation infrastructure in Gumla.

“As the farmers reached the halfway mark of the production stage (‘baali thootne laga’ or when the grain begins to break out of the husk), we organised regular field visits to explain to farmers that this is a finer seed variety and that unlike conventional ragi crops you will not get big grains. Without the emergence of big grains, farmers often feel they’ve suffered a loss in terms of volume of production or that the grain has not been harvested properly. Instead, we explained the properties of this finer variety of ragi grain they were harvesting,” explains Sushant.

“Going further, we explained to them the kind of pests that may attack their crops and how to stop them. In terms of value, we also gave assurances on the MSP (minimum support price) they would receive for these crops from the government and that they can sell these ragi grains for nearly double the price if they’re officially deemed to be organic. During these field visits, we also raised awareness about the types of organic insecticides (neem-based), pesticides and fertilisers they can source from state-run cooperatives at subsidised rates,” he adds.

During their first field visit before the harvest, officials told farmers to transport their harvest to their respective cluster-level federations (CLFs) in the area. Each CLF has about 100 members minimum comprising different village organisations (VOs) and neighbourhood self-help groups (SHGs). Local communities are well represented in these CLFs and their reach is extensive.

Once these grains are cut, farmers often spread them on the road for the de-husking (separating the husk from the grain) process. Vehicles are often employed to run over these husks and break them, following which the grains emerge. But obtaining grains in this manner has a negative impact on their market value because of the presence of dust and small stones.

“We assured the farmers that they should sell their harvest to us provided they can keep them free of impurities like dust. We assure them of a market for their produce. With State and Central government-run funds, we established platforms in each village to teach farmers how to spread the husked grains on the floor, dry them and separate the grain from it,” he says.

“As per the district agriculture department, we increased net acreage under ragi by 219% in 2022/23. We also saw a 270% growth in ragi production in 2022/23 compared to the year before. In 2023/24, we don’t have the data available and don’t want to speculate. But the total land cultivated under ragi in 2023/24 has crossed 30,000 acres — a 10-time expansion in the area covered under this crop — according to our estimates,” he adds.

Empowering women

In Gumla, as farmers shifted from growing paddy to cultivating ragi, the district administration formed a women-led group named Baghima-Palkot Farmer Producer Company Ltd. This group, consisting of about 500 women, was tasked with buying ragi from local farmers, ensuring its quality, and purchasing good ragi seeds for the following season.

These 500 women were also among the 5,500 farmers who initially volunteered to grow ragi. “Each of these farmers invested Rs 1,500 of their own money to raise capital for the FPO,” notes Sujit Bari, the former DPO in Gumla district.

More importantly, the administration gave the FPO seed money to procure these ragi crops at a good price from these 5,500 farmers. After arriving at this price, these CLFs procured the ragi harvest from the farmers.

“Farmers in Jharkhand would receive a minimum support price (MSP) of anywhere between Rs 16 and Rs 17 per kg for their paddy (rice) harvest. Meanwhile, they could get anywhere between Rs 34 to Rs 35 per kg for ragi which gives them additional income. We didn’t advise them to completely give up paddy cultivation. Instead, we convinced them to cultivate ragi in the upland areas while continuing to cultivate paddy in the lowland areas,” notes Sujit.

Meanwhile, this FPO delegated the process of procuring this harvest from the first set of 5,500-odd farmers to 18 local cluster-level federations and the SHGs operating under them.

Creating value out of ragi

Now, the question was what would the FPO do with all this harvest? At the local APMC (Agricultural Produce Market Committee) mandi, there was a godown which was defunct.

“The district administration gave the FPO a grant of Rs 50 lakh to establish a processing unit at this godown measuring 10,000 square feet. The godown was divided into essentially four parts — maintaining, processing, packaging and delivering ragi-based stock products. Moreover, this godown was given to the FPO free of cost with no rent to be paid. To power this processing unit, we installed solar panels,” says Sujit.

“At this godown, we installed a small machine that would demonstrate to these women how to grind the grain into flour (atta-chakki machine). In addition, we also installed a larger mechanised plant which could generate one metric tonne of ragi flour per day. We further provided training to the members of this FPO on running this mechanised processing plant to process flour, the process of packaging that ragi flour, etc,” explains Sushant.

“To market this flour, we engaged the CLFs under which local SHGs operate. Each CLF invested Rs 50,000, bought the ragi flour coming out of the processing plant and marketed them in their respective areas. Grocery shops in Gumla and other districts were also encouraged to buy this flour and market it in their respective areas. If the response to the ragi flour was good, they could get more,” notes Sujit.

However, the district administration knew that selling ragi flour wasn’t going to be enough. To add value, they trained the FPO members running the processing centre to make ragi laddoos and other snacks and distributed them to the local Anganwadi centres.

Days after the FPO started making ragi laddoos, there was a big mela (festival) at the Gandhi Maidan in neighbouring Simdega in November 2022. The FPO had already started selling packaged ragi flour but ragi laddoos were already starting to gain traction.

“Within hours, their entire stock was sold out. This gave them real confidence,” says Sushant.

“For greater exposure, we also took them to a Millet Conclave in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. At the conclave, they sold Rs 50,000 worth of laddoos in just one day. With the success of laddoos, we decided to develop more products out of ragi. Following this event, DC Sir proposed the opening of a ‘Millet Cafe’ in Gumla. Here you can find cookies, samosa and peetha made of ragi, besides a live kitchen where you can get baked items made of ragi,” notes Sujit.

In the meantime, more women-led CLFs reached out to the district administration talking about how they too were capable of making such products. Their advice to these women was to work as collaborators and not competitors. They collaborated with FPO to make other snack items like ragi-based thekua, nimki, and bhujia. “We brought these entities together and they converged into one entity. Today, they produce these snacks on a bigger scale,” says Sushant.  

“In the second year of this initiative, we advised these women not to mass launch these products in the national market given the intense competition. They need time to grow. We advised them to focus on rural markets and help facilitate change in food habits which would in turn cement demand for their products in these parts,” he adds.

Making this a self-sustainable business

The district administration treated 2022–23 as a demonstration year.

“Farmers didn’t suffer monetarily, growing ragi required fewer agricultural inputs and all their stock was more or less bought out. What’s more, they didn’t have to travel long distances to sell their produce. All their produce was essentially bought in-house. In 2023–24, around 30,000 farmers came to us with their desire to grow ragi. We reached out to Karnataka University and paid them Rs 20 lakh just to buy premium quality ragi seeds for the next season,” says Sushant.

After the first round of seed funding, the district administration told the FPO that there wouldn’t be another to buy this year’s harvest. “Following the initial injection of seed money into the FPO last season, today these women are buying produce straight from the farmers, managing their book of accounts, preparing for the following season, and are even creating individual savings for themselves. This is a successful financial and sustainable model as well,” claims Sushant.

Battling malnutrition and anaemia with ragi

Every month, the district administration began organising intensive screening for severe and moderate malnutrition and anaemia in children and pregnant and lactating mothers. As a result, they developed real-time data for malnutrition and anaemia in the district.

“Once we identified the children and women at risk, we distributed ragi laddoos, snacks and other nutritious items to them on an immediate basis at the Anganwadi centres and their homes. Women who had just given birth were given these ragi laddoos and other assorted ragi-based snacks to take home and develop the habit of consuming these food items,” he says.

“At the Anganwadi centres, we also distributed items like ragi ka halwa. We are also the only district in India where 70% of the total tuberculosis (TB) patients were screened, identified and given Poshan (food) Kits to improve their immunity. We added ragi elements to these Poshan Kits,” he says.

Going further, Sushant claims that over 400 model Anganwadi centres were set up equipped with digital haemoglobin metres, innovative blue MTC (Malnutrition Treatment Card), height growth charts, and follow-up cards.

“Each school has also been given a weight chart and we have printed a height metre in these educational institutions. What’s more, we have tasked administrators there to maintain an updated profile of the students enrolled there. For their midday meals, we have even added items like drumstick leaves in their daal,” he explains.

“In addition, we have identified 52 types of local leafy vegetables. And depending on what’s available in a given panchayat, we have painted them on the walls of their respective Panchayat Bhavan and listed out their benefits. In the fight against malnutrition, we have taken small yet critical steps, which will have a real impact in five or ten years down the line,” he adds.

Bhagwati Devi, a 40-year-old ragi farmer and member of the FPO recalls, “In the short time he was posted here, DC Sir has done great work for the community. We have left behind the old ways of farming. Today, we are seeing the real benefits of cultivating ragi.”

“Beyond farming, however, we are now running a business where we can sell the products made from the ragi we grow. Today, there are 40 women working with me, who were stuck at home, unemployed and would do odd jobs before we started this company (FPO). The work we are doing today has given us self-respect. Not only do I grow ragi on my land but also work at the processing plant making products out of this ragi and selling them locally. Ragi has now become an integral part of our identity, not just in our district, but elsewhere too,” she adds.

But Sushant is quick to point out that all these initiatives, particularly the one centred around ragi, were a team effort characterised by consistency in effort and clarity of purpose.

“This is possible if we can all work together with the necessary rigour, dedication and discipline,” he says. It was little surprise that he became the first ever IAS officer from the state to win the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration.

(Edited by Pranita Bhat; Images courtesy District Administration, Gumla)

A doctor by education, she completed her MBBS from Delhi’s Lady Hardinge Medical College in 2012. Before preparing for the UPSC CSE (Union Public Service Commission Civil Services Exam), Saloni received an opportunity to move abroad for higher studies. However, she chose to stay in India.

“This is when my father suggested that I appear for the UPSC examination,” Saloni, who hails from Jalalabad town in Punjab, tells The Better India.

Talking about her motivation to pursue a career being a civil servant, she says, “I still value the profession of a doctor. The commonality between the two jobs [doctors and civil servants] is that you deal with people. Unlike many other professions where you have a desk job, being a doctor allowed me to deal directly with people, which is the same after you become a public servant.”

“Also, UPSC allows you to broaden your knowledge horizon. If I had been just a doctor, I would have not read geography, civics, or economics. During preparation, I got to know about my country in detail. This is the beauty of the exam,” says the 35-year-old, who did not take medicine as her optional but a new subject — law.

Saloni’s quest for knowledge helped her crack the UPSC examination on her very first attempt. With a year’s preparation, she was able to achieve an All India Rank of 74.

Initially, Saloni was allocated to the Andhra Pradesh cadre. Post her marriage with IAS Ashish Vashishta, she joined the Madhya Pradesh cadre. For their marriage, Saloni paid a court fee of Rs 500 and reported to work within two days. She has been praised for her simplicity.

The 2014-batch IAS officer shares her strategy for the first-time aspirants:

Do not follow what everyone else does

The IAS officer advises UPSC aspirants to not follow a blanket approach.

“Figure out what works out best for you. You need to have a very customised approach for yourself. Some people prefer studying in groups, some prefer to study alone in a room. That is totally okay,” she adds.

Be consistent

Given Saloni had roughly a year for preparation, she chose to be consistent in her preparation. 

“Preparing for UPSC is not a 100-metre race. It is a marathon. Here, you have to study for at least a whole year. You cannot have abrupt moments of very extensive study and then go into a shell,” she opines.

Unlike most aspirants, Saloni says, she was not obsessed with the preparation. “I was very dedicated and sincere to my preparation, but at the same time, I was relaxed and not stressed,” she adds.

What helped her crack the examination in the very first attempt, Saloni says, was her consistency.

“Every day, I would dedicate around six to eight hours to preparation. There was not a single day when I took an off. Usually, some people study for 12 hours one day and then waste time sleeping for the entire next day. I didn’t do that,” she says.

Seek guidance

“There is nothing wrong if you want to take support from coaching. Personally, I preferred joining a coaching institute where they had very less aspirants, instead of going to a class of 400,” says Saloni.

“I only had five months to appear for prelims. I would seclude myself in a library, away from the chaos of aspirants who keep advising others to follow this or that approach,” she adds.

Live in your comfort zone a month before the exam

Saloni says that she moved to her comfort zone — her home — in the last month before appearing for the examination.

“I did not want to get influenced by anyone. I restricted talking to other aspirants. I only talked to friends from medicine, my teachers, and family members,” she says.

“In this period, I focussed on revising the old content instead of learning new topics. Also, I would give mock papers once every three days. I would dedicate one whole day to analysing the mock paper,” she adds.

Saloni stressed that giving more mocks does not help if aspirants do not analyse them. “Ultimately, their purpose is to teach you from your mistakes. The whole exercise is futile if you do not analyse them,” she points out.

How to craft a powerful essay

UPSC examination tests not only the content of your essay but also your writing skills, the flow of ideas, and how aspirants weave it all together. Saloni says acing essay writing does not happen in a single day.

Sharing her strategy, the IAS officer says, “I wondered what kind of writing engages me as a reader. I would read the editorial section of The Hindu and write down my inference in the form of a story.”

“I incorporated that same style in my answer writing. Your essay should be crisp, engaging, and backed by facts. You can also include flowcharts to make answers interesting,” she adds.

No fancy answers in the interview

The IAS officer says she did not give any fancy answers to the interviewers. “I was just myself”

She shares an instance from her interview. “I am a state-level silver medalist in taekwondo. I remember I was told that I looked so fragile and that it did not look like I could practice taekwondo. I politely said that strength matters more than physical appearance. I was not like ‘Oh, my god, sir, it’s all about willpower’,” she laughs.

“They are too senior; they understand when you are not being yourself. They do not appreciate it,” adds Saloni.

Edited by Pranita Bhat; All photos: Mandla District Collectorate Facebook, Saloni Sidana

Even today, the hamlet has no roads and about 400 residents in the tribal-populated village have been living without basic amenities, far from the luxuries of internet connectivity and modern technologies. For them, quality education and transportation during medical emergencies have been a major concern as the nearest primary healthcare centre is 40 km away.

Its plight reversed only when an IAS officer trekked the hilly terrain to meet the tribal residents.

The Better India sat down with Krishnanunni H, the IAS officer, and Kathrimalai residents to comprehend the issue closely and script their transformation journey.

When a remote village gets 5G

Originally from Kerala and a 2012-batch IAS officer, Krishnanunni H took charge as the district collector of Erode in 2021. It was during his regular visits to the remote parts of the district that he came across the difficulties faced by these tribal residents.

In a conversation with The Better India, he says, “When it comes to health and education, Tamil Nadu usually has one of the best systems in place. For example, Erode district in the state is well developed.”

He continues, “But remote pockets like Kathirimalai, which are located deep within the forest, are inaccessible given its geographically difficult terrain. Tribal residents have to trek for 3-4 hours one way to avail health services. This makes it difficult for them to avail of any other welfare services as well.”

Upon trekking back from the hamlet, the officer decided to respond to the villagers’ woes with an effective solution. 

“We started looking for solutions once the problem was identified. We did not intend to establish a new brick-and-mortar structure there. We wanted to utilise the resources that were already available (such as solar power). After brainstorming for solutions, we decided to introduce technology and initiate a tele-facilitation service in the remote village,” he says.

In early 2022, Krishnanunni launched the ‘Punnagai’ (meaning smile in Tamil) project that connected Kathirimalai with a high-speed 5GHz Wi-Fi network to provide tele-medicine facilities and tele-education services to tribal residents.

The district administration roped in a team from Kerala-based Centre for Social Computing (C4S) to install a tower and set up the required hardware using solar power. Soon, the village had its WiFi network installed.

Connecting with the outside world

To get the programme rolling, the district administration established a tele-facilitation centre in a tribal school where residents are connected with medical officers and educational experts at the click of a button.

“Every week, a tele-health session is conducted for the public. Now instead of trekking down to the primary health centres, residents can come to the school and consult with the same medical officers,” says the IAS officer.

“Similarly, we focused on improving the overall learning outcomes for these children without compromising on the existing school curriculum. Children are connected to an educational expert who helps them improve their regular academics,” he adds.

As of now, 32 students from grades 1 to 8 are studying at the Government Tribal Residential Middle School on the hilltop. Over a video call, The Better India spoke to the enthusiastic students and one of the Tamil language teachers, Chandraseyer.

Explaining the functioning of the project, he says, “We organise these online classes from Monday to Friday between 10:30am to 3:30pm. Earlier, the students would be inactive and less interested in classes. They would not come to school regularly. But with these online classes, we observe excitement among students. When they talk to experts, they feel connected to the outside world.”

A win-win for all

Talking about the impact of the project, Krishnanunni says, “We periodically assess the improvement in learning outcomes of these children. Many children in the initial assessment had basic knowledge, but now their learning levels have improved. Other than this, the dropout rate has reduced from 50 percent to nil.”

“In terms of health, people are now able to consult with doctors for primary issues like common colds, skin diseases, and anaemia, in an easier and quicker way. Their health-seeking behaviour has also improved,” he adds.

As of now, dedicated centres have been established in schools across 25 villages including Kalvarai, Arepalayam, and Hongalavadi benefitting 5,000 students and a tribal population of 12,000.

Looking at the success of the project, the Tamil Nadu government has announced plans to replicate the project across the state, says Krishnanunni. 

“Along with my regular duties, I took this project as a priority. If you can bring a positive change in the most difficult places, then it could become an example for other similar villages. The expansion is a testimony to the success of the Kathirimalai project. In fact, the government has sanctioned a budget of Rs 10 crore to roll this project,” he says with pride.

Moreover, the IAS officer also focused on building community ownership. “We engaged tribal communities by training them to coordinate with health experts and educational experts, use the computer, and organise tele-facilitation every day,” he says.

This is the reason that even after Krishnaunni left the district to work as joint secretary in the Department of Finance, Government of Tamil Nadu, the project is still running. “Any programme can be initiated but a system needs to be put in place for the project to survive,” he adds.

“As an IAS officer or district collector, you have a lot of regular functions to execute but some projects are closer to your heart. When you see them at cutting-edge levels and catering to the needs of marginalised communities, it gives you immense satisfaction. There is nothing better than that,” he says with a smile.

Edited by Padmashree Pande. All photos: Krishnanunni H

Being a first-time mom, she did not have any awareness about postpartum depression. 

Over time, Shubhrata tried to distract herself with official work but she did not feel like her old self again.

“There were days when I could not get out of bed or even brush my teeth. If anyone would say a kind word to me, I would break down. Since nothing was physically wrong with me, I could not understand what was,” she says.

Eventually, people started comparing her with others who did not have a good job and a supportive family like hers and yet performed better than Shubhrata. This would stress her out even more.

In 2011, the 49-year-old experienced a severe panic attack.

“My heart was beating very fast, I was sweating, and my hands and feet were trembling. This incident brought back fears of the period when I had undergone heart surgery two weeks before my UPSC interview. This fueled my anxiety further,” she recalls.

“I was emotionally flooded and I feared I was about to die. Yet, I gathered courage and went to the hospital straight from the office. This was enough. I decided to meet the psychiatrist. I cried all my heart out to the doctor,” she adds.

Shubhrata was diagnosed with depression, after five years of the birth of her first child.

The treatment and antidepressant pills brought her temporary relief. But she suffered from side effects. For instance, she experienced tremors in her limbs that kept her awake the entire night. “Personally, I felt medicines did not work for me. So, I decided to stop relying on pills,” she says.

Later, she chose cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness meditation, yoga, and swimming – activities that made Shubhrata feel like herself.

Today, she still has anxiety and sometimes experiences panic attacks still, but she chooses to no longer suffer in silence. “It is okay to not be okay. Life poses challenges in different ways, but we all deserve to have a peaceful life,” adds the IRS officer, who also documented her struggles in the book The D Word: A Survivor’s Guide to Depression.

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Edited by Padmashree Pande.

In conversation with The Better India, the Agra resident says, “The only motivation throughout these years was that I wanted to be part of a service where my work could improve people’s lives on a large scale.”

“I have seen how officers have the power to bring change in people’s lives — be it in education, transport or infrastructure. There were times when I was extremely demotivated. But I did not let the negativity of my failures dampen my enthusiasm to work towards the goal of positively impacting my country,” he adds.

He began preparing for the UPSC in 2015. However, it wasn’t until 2022 that he successfully passed the exam. Now an IFS officer, Pawan shares his journey and offers advice on avoiding common mistakes during preparation.

Turning setbacks into strengths

Hailing from a modest business family in Agra, Pawan studied mechanical engineering. While in college at NIT Durgapur, he felt inspired to clear the UPSC exam. However, he decided to work at an automotive manufacturing company to achieve financial independence.

Even while holding a job at the company, he couldn’t let go of his dream career. He managed to juggle both — working and attempting the UPSC exam in 2015 and 2016 — but unfortunately, he didn’t pass the prelims both years. “I wanted to focus on the exam, so I quit my job after two years,” he says.

Pawan tried the exam again in 2017 but didn’t make it past the prelims. Then, in 2018, he succeeded in clearing the prelims for both the Civil Services Examination (CSE) and IFS. “Out of the two, I managed to pass only the IFS Mains, but couldn’t make it through the interview round,” he says.

This time, he took a gap year and appeared in the Indian Engineering Services (IES) exam to get employed again. “I was jobless all these years. It was getting difficult for me to manage expenses, so I thought of taking up a job,” shares Pawan, who secured AIR 17 in IES and started working as an assistant work manager at Indian Railways in Kapurthala, Punjab.

“My repeated failures while attempting the UPSC CSE led me to think that the exam was quite difficult for me and that I might not be able to clear it. But once I cleared IES and got a job again, I regained my confidence. This helped me to focus on my dream job again, but this time with a relaxed state of mind,” he says.

In 2020, he worked hard and attempted both the CSE and IFS interviews, but still missed the final list. He skipped the attempt in 2021 due to his IES training. Despite each setback, Pawan kept pushing himself. “Now, I had only one attempt left. I wanted to utilise the period to work on my weaknesses so that my chances of getting selected become high,” he says.

Finally, in 2022, Pawan achieved his goal and secured a spot in the IFS with an All India Rank (AIR) of 90.

“I was really happy that I finally passed the exam after all those years. My past errors taught me not to assume anything. Just because you were a top student and did well in college doesn’t guarantee success here. The preparation humbles you and strengthens your resolve,” he adds.

Currently, he is getting training for the foundational course at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LSBNAA), Mussoorie.

Crucial insights for UPSC aspirants

Whenever Pawan didn’t score well, he concentrated on improving those weak areas. For instance, he struggled with answer writing and practising within the three-hour exam format.

Based on his experiences, he shares useful tips and points out mistakes that aspirants should avoid.

Start as early as possible: “Although I knew that I wanted to appear for the examination in my college days, it was only after I quit my job that I started sincere preparation. If you are serious about attempting the examination, there is no point in delaying the process,” he says.

Get good guidance: When Pawan started to prepare for UPSC, he observed a lack of good online study material. “We did not have access to digital means like Telegram for notes. I wanted to prepare but did not know how. I ended up reading the wrong books,” he shares.

“Getting guidance from someone who can direct you on what to study, when to study, and which topics to focus on is essential. Knowing what mistakes to avoid is crucial too. This exam is quite demanding, so aspirants need solid guidance,” he says.

Choose the right optional: Since Pawan studied mechanical engineering, he selected the same field as his optional subject. He advises students to pick an optional subject they’re passionate about and have ample resources for.

“Nowadays, candidates often choose subjects like anthropology, sociology, geology, and forestry as their optional because these have manageable syllabi and also aid in general studies preparation. For instance, I couldn’t apply my mechanical studies to general studies, but that worked out for me because some subjects (with less syllabus) consume more energy that could otherwise be spent on other topics,” he adds.

“So, it’s a good idea for candidates to discuss their options with someone who cleared the exam with their chosen optional, as they can provide useful insights to make the final choice,” he says.

Focus on answer writing: “Answer writing helps you score better. Keep your introduction short, write answers in points, underline the keywords, give a decent conclusion, and include diagrams in subjects like geography,” suggests Pawan.

Make short notes on big topics: Pawan suggests using short notes for last-minute revision. “Short notes help revise content in a short period of time. I had short notes for every topic. Your content should be condensed. For example, convert a 20–30 page topic into 3–4 page short notes. Also, prepare yourself to appear to write general studies papers 1, 2, 3, and 4  — four exams in two days,” he adds.

Keep another career option: “You may meet many toppers and officers while preparing, but remember there are lakhs who were unable to clear the exam. Their stories never get published. Make sure to meet them and understand the challenges they faced. Then focus on the exam sincerely. There is no shame in having a second career option; IITians also keep NIT as an option!” he says.

Don’t make exam your life: “Keep in mind that it’s just a test, not your entire life. You might excel in your studies and preparation, but outcomes might not always go as planned. Many aspirants worry that failing this exam will ruin their lives. At times, this pressure leads us to answer questions incorrectly. Remember to stay calm during the exam. With patience, things will eventually work out,” he says.

Edited by Pranita Bhat

Unknowingly switching buses and trains, he reached Varanasi — about 1,000 km from his home.

With no knowledge of how to go back home, the child stayed at the railway station and survived by begging. Meanwhile, his family back home went pillar to post in search of him. 

His brother Raheed tells The Better India, “When he did not come back home in the evening, we went to the barber shop and were informed that he never arrived there. He cannot speak clearly and is intellectually disabled.”

“We registered missing report FIRs at several police stations. I went on my bike to a distance of up to 130 km to find him. We tried our best but we could not find him. We feared if he was even alive,” he adds.

It had been four years since then.

“One day, we got a call from the police thana (station) that they had found him. All of us — even the entire neighbourhood — were happy. We spoke to him over video call and saw his face. We saw him after so many years. All of us burst into tears,” the 25-year-old adds. 

In January this year, Shoaib was back home. 

Like Shoaib, 730 lost children in Varanasi have been reunited with their families since last July. This could have been possible with Mission Muskaan, supervised by IAS officer Himanshu Nagpal.

Giving happiness back to families

Originally hailing from the Hissar district of Haryana, Himanshu is a 2019-batch IAS officer. Last year, he was posted as the Chief Development Officer (CDO) in Varanasi. During a field visit, he came across a few children begging at a circle. After speaking to them, he found that the children had been living under the flyover and were not from the city.

“Thousands of tourists visit Kashi city every day. At times, children coming along with their parents are lost, and then they have to turn to begging to fend for themselves. We found many such children at railway stations, temples, and the ghats. Some of these children have been here for as long as five years,” he tells The Better India.

“We found that a lot of these children were from other districts and states like Telangana, Karnataka, Assam, and even neighbouring country Nepal,” he adds. The IAS officer pledged to reunite these children with their families so they could leave the life of drudgery.

Along with 12 teams comprising 60 officers from departments such as Child Development, Social Welfare, Anti-Human Trafficking, and the police, the officer started identifying and rescuing children from railway and bus stations, flyovers, ghats, circles, and temples.

The children in the age group of 5 to 18 years are given shelter at child welfare homes till they are reunited with their families. “Some of these children are intellectually disabled. So it takes time to understand where they come from and who their parents are. This is when we seek help from psychologists, who assist them so that we can track their locations,” explains Himanshu.

Once psychologists are able to get the required information, photos of children are circulated in the local police stations. After identifying the village, these children are reunited with their families, he informs.

If the impoverished families are unable to travel to Varanasi, departmental officials are deployed to accompany the child and safely take them to their homes. A “happy” picture of reunited families along with officials is clicked to maintain record. 

“Thereafter, we follow up on all cases. We regularly video or phone call the families to ensure children are safe. We talk to the children as well,” says the IAS officer.

Until reunited …

Until the children are reunited with their families, they are housed in 20 child welfare shelters that have been equipped with improved facilities including air conditioning and smart classes.

“Till the time, they are not reunited, they are like our children. We wanted to make good facilities available at the shelter homes. In the morning after Yoga classes, they get involved in different sports activities and are engaged in making crafts and paintings. Children are also given regular medical check-ups,” he says.

The IAS officer has roped in primary school teachers and teachers from non-profits like Bachpan to provide basic education to these children. “We have one space for students of classes 1, 2, and 3; a second for classes 4 and 5; a third for classes 6 and 7, and another for Class 8 students,” he says. 

For this purpose, he utilises funds from the district administration. Himanshu says the activities at the child care homes are supervised regularly. “I personally visit at least one home every week.”

Highlighting challenges to run the campaign, he says, “Usually it takes 5-15 days or more to reunite children with their families. But not all kids are the same. Some are intellectually disabled and it takes time to identify their homes as they are not able to communicate effectively.”

For instance, Saurabh Maurya, who accompanies children to their homes, tells The Better India, “In the case of Shoaib, we had to use his biometrics to get his Aadhaar card, and address details, because he was unable to communicate about his home and parents.”

“There was a big challenge to increase and better facilities at shelter homes. Also, coordination of the counterpart districts also matters. If the police stations there are not active, we will not be able to track their locations. This is not a one-time process. We have to be continuous in spearheading the campaign,” says Himanshu.

The IAS officer feels that this work is also part of his duty. “If we are unable to reunite these children with their families, then I do not think we are doing a good job. What we do is just part of my legal responsibilities. There have been moments when we see families crying with happiness when their kids reach home. Looking at their smiles makes your day,” he says.

Edited by Divya Sethu. All photos: Saurabh Maurya.

He was able to bring this dream to reality when the results for UPSC CSE came out this year. Clearing one of the most difficult exams in the country, Robin secured an All India Rank of 135 in his fourth attempt.

However, this was not Robin’s first attempt at cracking an important exam. Before attempting his civil service exam, he had prepared and passed JEE in 2015 to join IIT Delhi, from where he was placed in a high-paying job at Samsung in Bengaluru.

“The moment I got the job, I started to wonder if this really was my calling. Soon, I had this urge to quit and throw myself completely into the preparation for UPSC CSE,” he tells The Better India.

Reaching the last mile

Robin was born and raised in the small town of Lehragaga in the Sangrur district of Punjab.

“Growing up in a small town, I could see that it was only the civil servants who had the last mile reach in our country. If anything comes up, people in rural areas and small towns only have the government agencies to fall back on. So public service was always something that interested me,” he says.

“Thanks to my parents, the seed for becoming a public servant was sown in my heart when I was just a child. So I always had an inclination towards the profession, and I wanted to try my hand at it,” he adds.

After completing his schooling in his hometown, he cleared JEE and got admission to IIT Delhi in 2015.

“Getting admission to IIT Delhi was great as I had a keen interest in physics. I studied diligently in college. However, the urge to become a civil servant never died. Even when I was in college, I knew I will give the examination one day,” he informs.

While life was busy shaping a different path for Robin, he had already made up his mind about attempting UPSC CSE.

“After graduating in 2019, I got placed in Samsung and moved to Bengaluru. While I was working there, I also started to prepare for the exams,” he says.

“Surely, the job was well paid, but it did not give me the satisfaction I was seeking. While I did start preparing for the exam while I was still working, I was not able to manage the timings and workload. I wanted to give my 100 percent to the preparation, and therefore decided to quit the job,” he adds.

Robin got a warm reception from his family on his decision to leave behind a high-paying job. “My family was as happy as I was with my decision. They always wanted me to become a public servant, so they supported my decision wholeheartedly,” he says.

In 2021, Robin quit his corporate job and fully committed himself to preparing for UPSC.

Talking about the motivation to quit his job and keep attempting the exam again and again, he says, “It was the passion of becoming a public servant that kept pushing me to work harder. I could see that my grades were improving, and I knew if I focus more, I will be able to crack the exam.”

Having cleared the CSE, Robin is keen on joining the Indian Police Services, given a choice.

‘What I learnt along the way’

Robin, who attempted the UPSC CSE three times before succeeding on his fourth attempt, emphasises the significance of learning from past mistakes. He provides valuable advice and helpful tips for aspiring candidates aiming to crack the exam.

1. Detect your mistakes

UPSC CSE is one of the toughest exams to crack in India, and many times, it requires more than one attempt to clear it. “The good thing about various attempts is that you can always figure out what went wrong in the failed attempt. The aspirants have so much space to learn if they have the right mindset,” he says.

2. Learn from the mistakes

“In my case, when I attempted the exam in 2019, I was not successful because I was not able to give my full attention to General Knowledge. I saw my shortcoming, so the next year, I worked hard to better myself in that category,” he shares.

Learning is a continuous process and even if you fix one mistake, there is always a chance of committing another error. Robin says, “I was not good at writing, so I had to practise writing fast and clearly. This I felt was one of the reasons for yet another failed attempt.”

3. Self-study or coaching?

While coaching has been helpful to many students, Robin has a countering view. “The entire package that the coaching centres provide to you is not always the best option. I had enrolled for coaching, but it did not really work for me. I suggest people have a good mix of both self-study and coaching,” he says.

He continues, “Never depend on just the material your coaching centre provides you with. The syllabus of the exam is as vast as the sea and few notes cannot cover it.”

Robin advises a judicious use of the internet, top recommended books, peer groups and other study materials for preparation. “If you are facing difficulties in a particular subject, then coaching would be a good option. Take help when needed for those subjects but also come back and self-study, and evaluate if those notes are enough for the exam,” he advises.

4. Never forget to solve the previous year’s papers

The key to cracking the exams, Robin opines, is by solving the previous years’ papers. “Many aspirants get so indulged in covering the vast syllabus that they forget about the previous years’ papers,” he says.

“This is a mistake. The papers give a keen insight into the pattern of questions that can be asked in the current year. Solving previous years’ papers is one of the most important tricks that helped me crack the exams.”

5. Take care of your mental health

The syllabus of UPSC CSE is vast and the repeated attempts can be tedious. “It can be harrowing on your mental health, so it is important to address that. With failure comes a lot of self-doubt. This makes it very important to have a safe and peaceful environment around you,” he recommends.

“Keep yourself in a comfortable and loved environment. During the preparation for this attempt, I stayed with my family at home. Having people who love and support me helped me to keep a cool and sane mind throughout the preparation and examination,” he says.

6. Relax with your friends

Robin says that leisure time is also very important and advises aspirants to take breaks from studying and meet a few friends to relax from time to time.

He adds, “The basics like practising hard, revising subjects, and learning new things that you are not familiar with are some aspects that most of us are aware of. However, what we forget is that it is very important to give yourself time to breathe and release pressure. I was lucky enough to have good friends who helped me during the process.”

Edited by Pranita Bhat

A few years prior, the 27-year-old had suffered a fall from the roof, and had since become a wheelchair user. “After the injury, I was advised bed rest for three months. It was difficult for me to accept the reality. But I was not ready to give up on my dreams,” she adds. 

Sitting in a wheelchair for prolonged periods was difficult, as it caused her immense back pain. “I preferred online classes because it was difficult for me to [physically] go to the coaching institutes,” she explains, adding that what hindered her preparation was a lack of guidance. 

Sherin was unable to clear her prelims in her first attempt in 2021, which is when she found Kerala’s Job S Kottaram. 

‘Giving our students wings’

Jobin runs project Chitrasalabham, which he started in 2021. Under the project — which he launched under his institute Absolute IAS Academy — 100 aspirants with disabilities including orthopaedic disabilities, cerebral palsy, and those with visual and hearing impairments study in offline and online batches. What’s unique about the project is that it does not charge a penny for a course that can cost up to Rs 1,10,000.

“Chithrasalabham in Malayalam means ‘butterfly’. We wanted to give wings to students with disabilities. Because of their disability, people look at them differently. Society — sometimes even their parents — consider them a burden, that they are not capable of doing anything.”

“They are capable, but there’s hardly anyone to support them,” says the 41-year-old.

“In India, there are over 2.68 crore people with disabilities, but they are not adequately represented in our leadership. I wanted to work towards promoting an inclusive society so that we have representatives from each segment,” he adds. “When people from a segment like this come into power, they will understand their problems and can change policies as well.” 

‘Wanted to become an IAS officer’

Born and raised in Kerala’s Changanassery town, Jobin, too, appeared for the civil service examination in 2010. But after reaching the interview stage, he missed the final list by just two marks.

“I felt dejected. I wanted to become an IAS officer because I wanted to work for the betterment of society. But [then I realised that] even by becoming a teacher, I could work towards empowering people. That motivated me to help others crack the examination,” he says.

It is with this vision that he started the academy in 2010. Initially, he helped aspirants who took up Malayalam as their optional paper. Eventually, in 2019, he established it as a full-fledged academy with three offline centres at Kochi, Kozhikode, and Thiruvananthapuram.

Apart from the offline centres, he also conducts online batches through his YouTube channel for students. In one such educational video, he was discussing scholarships available for students across categories. 

“I accidentally mentioned that people with disabilities can also write the examination and the government provides scholarship support. But after a week, I got a call from a differently-abled student who said that she searched a lot but could not find any financial support for people with disabilities to prepare for the civil services examination,” he recalls.

“There are many big coaching centres, but we could not find any of them running special batches for aspirants with disabilities,” he adds.

This inspired Jobin to start a special batch for aspirants with disabilities in 2021. 

“At times, [disabled students] are disheartened because of taunts from society and even families. My methodology is based on a motivational psychological approach. You have to be their personal mentor. So, besides giving them academic training, we also provide personal development training to empower them,” he adds.

Jobin utilises the profits that the academy makes from regular classes. From his first batch of 25 students with disabilities, four other students have cleared IBPS bank examinations and UPSC prelims, he says. Jobin informs that the other two batches will write the examinations in the upcoming years.

An example for others

Among his students was Sherin. “He is a good mentor, he helped me a lot during my preparation. He provided me with one-on-one mentoring. This helped me improve a lot,” she says.

This May, after the UPSC CSE results were announced, 41 candidates with benchmark disability were recommended for appointment to various services. Among them was Sherin, who secured 913th rank in the examination.

She is also among the first batch of 25 persons with disabilities at the academy. 

Jobin says, “When I invited Sherin to join the project, she was doubtful and asked me if people like her could become civil servants. Now, it has become a reality.”

“Her example could encourage other students with disabilities to come forward,” he notes, adding that she will begin her training in July this year. 

“Currently, only students from Kerala are studying with us. I intend to expand this project to pan India. I want to make it a social transformation project and tell the world that if you are in an influential role, you can also support people like you,” he says.

Edited by Divya Sethu

Source:

The final result of Civil Services Examination (CSE), 2022: Published in Press Information Bureau on 23 May 2023.

It was now on the collectorate to help the student pursue either career. All he needed was financial help of Rs 20,000 to study engineering at IIT Madras. Through crowdfunding and with the help of the collectorate, he got the fee to register at the college. But this also inspired him to become an IAS officer.

“Although I cracked IIT JEE, I had almost lost hope that I would be able to study there because of lack of money. But Dr Ashok Kumar sir [the then collector] helped me a lot. That day, I realised if I was in that position, I could also help people from impoverished backgrounds,” Dongre Revaiah, an IIT Madras graduate, tells The Better India.

Nearly a decade later, today the 29-year-old has become an IAS officer. He cleared UPSC CSE 2022 with an All India Rank of 410, securing 961 marks. We sat down with him to trace his journey to becoming an IAS.

Beating all odds

When Dongre was four years old, his father passed away, leaving his wife and three children behind. To make ends meet, his mother started working as a mid-day meal cook at a monthly salary of Rs 1,500. Almost 14 times this amount was required for registration at IIT.

Born and raised in Tungda village, he completed schooling at a government school. In 2017 after completing an integrated course in chemical engineering from IIT Madras, he also cleared GATE with an AIR 70. This helped him get a job at Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), Mumbai.

All this while, the aspiration to become an IAS officer did not diminish. In 2020, he started preparing for UPSC alongside his job. “I gave my first attempt in 2021. I missed the final list by two marks,” he says.

So, Dongre quit his job to focus on the next attempt. This year, he secured AIR 410 and is expected to join the Maharashtra cadre. “My mother did not have any formal education and she never went to school. Despite being a single mother, working as a mid-day meal cook, and with the responsibility of raising three kids, she still wanted me to pursue my dream to become an IAS officer. It is so satisfying to be able to fulfil not only your dream, but also your parent’s dreams for you,” he says.

Tips for aspirants

Dongre shares his mistakes and the strategy that worked out for him while preparing for the UPSC CSE examination.

1. Practice as per the exam pattern: Dongre informs that for the General Studies exam’s answer writing, he would practise one paper in a day. “But in mains, you need to write two papers, and similarly two papers the other day. On the first day, I managed to write two papers but the second day, I started getting pain in my wrist. I had to leave around 4-5 questions because of which I got fewer marks,” he says.

He rectified this mistake in the second attempt. “I started practising as per the examination pattern. For instance, I would practise writing two papers on Saturday and two papers on Sunday. I did not get the hand pain issue in the next examination. It is better to practise two essays at a time,” he adds.

2. Do thorough research before choosing optional: Dongre chose Mathematics as an optional subject in both of his attempts. “I found that the problem with a lot of aspirants, even with my close friends, was that they are not able to manage both General Studies and Maths together. Reason why one should do good research of the subject before choosing optional,” he says.

“If they have an interest in the subject, they can practise it properly. But many people change their optional after two or three attempts. This is just a waste of time. Aspirants who have chosen Maths should practise more and focus on reducing mistakes. In mains, I focused more on value-added parts like data. I dedicated half of my preparation time to optional,” he adds.

3. Focus on short notes: Dongre says that one of the reasons he failed in the first attempt was that he did not prepare short notes initially. “I wanted to rectify this mistake. Short notes help you revise multiple times and remember crucial information. I started preparing short notes for every subject, be it mains or prelims,” he says.

“I write keywords for any topic that will help me remember the topic. Also, we should not make notes very bulky, because you won’t be able to quickly revise it. For any topic, I would prepare short notes of half or one [A4 sheet] page and 20-25 pages for each subject on average,” he adds.

Dongre suggests that aspirants should avoid making short notes while reading any subject for the first time. “One should prepare short notes only after one or two readings of the topic. This will help us understand what information is important and what isn’t. You could check [mobile app] Telegram to get insight on how toppers prepare shot notes,” he says.

4. What to study: Dongre kept sources very minimal, and revision maximum. He relied on only one standard book for every subject. For Indian Polity, he studied the publication by M Laxmikanth; for Modern India, Spectrum; for Ancient and Medieval, Tamil Nadu history textbook; for Geography, NCERT book of Class 11; for Economic, Mrunal handouts, for Science & Technology, handouts of current affair; and for Art & Culture, Nitin Singhania.

5. Focus more on revision: Instead of increasing sources, Dongre says to focus on regular revision more, as it helps ensure aspirants remember crucial information. “My focus was on revision rather than reading more new content. This helped me crack prelims in both attempts easily,” he says.

6. Do not prepare for the interview only after the mains: Dongre says that interview preparation should not start only after the mains examination. “It should be an integral part of our preparation from the beginning. Read the newspapers regularly and for every topic that you read, you must try to form an opinion on it,” he says.

“For example, for any development happening in the country, you must know what the project is, why it is important, what would be its implications, and how we can make the project better. Having one or two friends to discuss such topics helps to build conversational skills,” he adds.

Dongre informs that initially, he did not develop a habit of reading newspapers. “But it is a very important activity. Without reading newspapers, we can sail through prelims and mains but for the interview, we need to share our opinions, and that comes after getting information through newspapers,” says Dongre, who secured 146 marks out of 275 in the interview.

Other than that, aspirants should do thorough research on their college, academics, hometown, district, and culture. “Interviewers generally ask most of the questions about your background, research helps create a good impression,” he adds.

Edited by Divya Sethu

Among these cyclones, the 1999 Super Cyclone ranks among the worst natural disasters in the country. It took the lives of over 10,000 people in the state. Cut to 2022, no lives were claimed to be lost due to the latest cyclone Asani.

Among the key personnel behind this radical change is IAS officer Pradeep Kumar Jena, who has managed 10 cyclones, seven of which have been in the last four years.

“Odisha is a coastal state and is bound to have cyclones. But that does not mean thousands of people should die. It is our responsibility to ensure every life is safe. We adopted a zero-human casualty mission and it took us 20 years to achieve that,” he tells The Better India.

We sat down with the IAS officer to understand his handling of disaster response management, preparedness, and a model that other cyclone-vulnerable states could adopt with Odisha’s learnings.

20 years of learning

Born and raised in Balijhati village of Dhenkanal district, Jena has been in the service since 1989. 

During his tenure, he has been a collector, principal secretary of the Water Resource Department, special relief commissioner and principal secretary of the Rural Development Department, and managing director of Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA). Currently, he is serving as the Chief Secretary to the state government. Through these years, he has been intrinsic to the state disaster response.

The 1999 Super Cyclone marked a turning point in disaster preparedness and evacuation mechanism in the state. “Back then, we lost so many lives. The next cyclone that hit Odisha was in 2013. Nearly six lakh electricity poles and 34,000 kilometres of power line got damaged. For the first time in Indian history, we were able to mobilise 7,500 people to restore power in six weeks,” says the 59-year-old.

“Every cyclone is different. One cannot have a textbook solution to managing any cyclone response. After every cyclone, we analyse what went wrong and what went right. We discuss those to further prepare ourselves for disasters,” he says.

For instance, the year 2020 brought a double whammy when the state was battling COVID-19 and cyclone Amphan. “We did not have previous knowledge of managing a cyclone during a pandemic situation. There was nobody to learn from. During the period, on the one hand, we asked people to stay at home, a few months later, we were suddenly asking them to come out and stay in the common shelter,” he says.

According to OSDMA data accessed by The Better India, there are 879 dedicated multi-purpose cyclone shelters in the state. Jena says each shelter has a capacity to accommodate up to 3,000 people. 

“But we were very worried as there was a high chance of a rise in cases. In addition to these shelters, we converted school and college buildings and mobilised 2,400 odd shelters so that people are able to follow guidelines. We asked collectors to house only 20-30 people in a room. As a result, the infection did not spread and we managed the cyclone without any causality,” he adds.

Recalling an incident during Cyclone Fani, he says, “I was in Kendrapara district. At around 7 pm when it was pitch dark as the power supply was disconnected, we heard a woman crying and we learned that she had gone into labour. We couldn’t have a pregnant person in a village where a cyclone was about to hit. We did not want to be a mute spectator of the possible catastrophe, the child or the mother, or both could have died.”

“We immediately directed all collectors and Anganwadi workers to shift all pregnant women with an expected date of delivery within seven days to district and sub divisional hospitals. We shifted about 2,500 pregnant women in 11 districts within eight hours. On the day of the cyclone, 754 children were born, all healthy. It was such a big satisfaction. Now, it is standard practice,” he smiles.

Jena believes that Yaas was the most challenging cyclone. “The IMD was not sure where the cyclone would make landfall even 18 hours before it was estimated to hit Odisha. It was expected to be a storm surge of 2-3 metres. We tried to understand which villages have the chance of getting affected the most so that we could conduct the evacuation. As soon as the cyclone made landfall it brought heavy rainfall, so we immediately switched to flood action and dispatched boats from all units. The ease with which we shifted to water rescue was smooth,” he informs.

Kamal Mishra, the district magistrate of Nabarangpur, has worked closely with Jena since the 1999 Super Cyclone. In a conversation with The Better India, he recalls how Jena’s work has been something for everyone to look up to. 

“I have seen him as a disaster management officer from the core. He monitors even the finest activity, from regulatory frameworks to the food relief to be provided to citizens. We’ve seen him conduct meetings into the wee hours of the day. During the super cyclone when our food material was being looted, it was a very difficult time for us. He is an officer with a tender heart, I have seen him break down. We have immense respect for him.”

‘Cyclone saviour’

Jena says his work couldn’t have been possible with a collective effort of communities, district collectors, and under the leadership of the government. “We have been able to minimise lives lost as we reach all block headquarters within 24 hours, gram panchayats in 48 hours, and all villages in 72 hours during the emergency. This ensures that destruction is minimal,” he says.

“As a senior IAS officer of the state, I am expected to be responsible and this is the minimum of what is expected that I have done. This work also gives me personal satisfaction. At the end of the day, people admire you for your work,” he adds.

Mishra notes, “Over the years, he has prepared himself with man, machine, and material. He redefined disaster management with this combination. He worked on plans so that work can begin within 24 hours of the abetment of a cyclone. Of this, restoration is the first step. Nowadays, this is the standard operating procedure (SOP) of Odisha Disaster Management, thanks to him. He is still working like a collector on the ground. He truly is a cyclone saviour.” 

Learnings for other cyclone-prone states

Apart from Odisha, the coastal states of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and the union territory Puducherry are vulnerable to cyclone hazards. The IAS officer believes that although other states are also doing well, Odisha could be a little ahead with more experience in disaster management.

The IAS officer shares five suggestions for better disaster management and response in states vulnerable to cyclones. “We need to follow a response, recovery, and rehabilitation approach. There is a need to invest in physical and financial resources, build human capacity, and invest in communities like self-help groups. They need to be strengthened as the district collectors cannot do all the work alone,” he says.

Build a response capacity of the state: Although NDRF, Army, and Navy are doing a great job, every state should develop its own disaster response force, suggests Jena.

Build capacity of gram panchayats: At the village level, PIRs (Panchayati Raj Institutions) like gram panchayats must be empowered to manage a natural disaster. “During cyclones, we give certain powers of collectors, such as releasing some funds, to sarpanch in gram panchayats. This helps them in taking immediate action and do not have to wait for orders from higher officials,” he says.

Build the capacity of human communities. Create a vast network of volunteers. You won’t be able to make services available everywhere. These volunteers can be very helpful in such situations. We ourselves have a network of over one lakh volunteers across the state, informs the IAS officer.

Long-term planning is required: “Start mainstreaming disaster risk reduction in the governance, which is very slow in our country. When cyclone Phailan devastated the power supply in the state, we were able to set up six lakh poles within six weeks. You cannot get so much supply in the market suddenly, long-term planning is required,” he says.

Focus on disaster-resilient assets: The central and state governments should work together on having disaster-resilient assets to minimise impact post-cyclone. “With increasing risks due to climate change, cyclones and floods are going to be frequent and more intensive. We need to prepare ourselves to work on disaster resilience infrastructure,” he adds.

Recently, Odisha Disaster Management has also been selected for Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2023 for excellence in disaster management in the institutional category.

Edited by Divya Sethu

One of the first tasks he undertook was to restore a once-dilapidated pond called Yam Talaiya on the outskirts of the temple city Ujjain, located on the banks of the Kshipra River. Measuring 4.2 acres, it’s a secondary pond which flows from the primary Vishnu Sagar Talab and channels from nearby farm fields.

This was once a pond of great importance to farmers residing nearby and the Chitragupta Mandir, a Hindu temple associated with the birthplace of Lord Chitragupta — the deity entrusted with keeping records of deeds committed by human beings in their sojourn on Earth.

However, the pond suffered from years of negligence, resulting in excess deposition, which in turn reduced its water-holding capacity by a significant margin.

Making matters worse, invasive weeds began dominating native species, and encroachments from nearby farm fields choked the very life of this pond. In other words, what Commissioner Anshul Gupta found was a pond in desperate need of restoration.

“Upon visiting the main Vishnu Sagar Talab, I discovered a stark difference between primary and secondary ponds. I visited the temple as well, where the resident priest told me the significance of this temple from ancient times. In past excavations, ancient idols were found at the secondary pond, indicating the location’s rich historical value,” recalls Anshul Gupta, who was appointed commissioner in September 2021, speaking to The Better India.

“The Yam Talaiya pond was totally dry and filled with mud and silt. During my previous posting as a CEO, Zila Panchayat, Umaria district, I had the experience of restoring approximately 30 water bodies under a variety of government schemes. Given my experience, I thought I should do something for this important pond. Following this site visit, I reached out to the Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI), a non-profit environmental conservation group,” he adds.

He asked them whether they could study the site and come up with a plan. In December 2021, the EFI organised a series of surveys, followed by many rounds of discussions.

In close consultation with Commissioner Gupta, they came up with a “scientific, environment-friendly desilting and restoration plan”. To execute this plan, they invited other local non-profits, social organisations and even colleges through social media. Eventually, around 125 volunteers turned up. Together with the EFI and local administration, they began the restoration process.

What’s more, not a single rupee of government funds was used in the restoration process. The volunteers engaged in the pond restoration, wall painting, plantation and even a documentary screening drive to sensitise the public about the water body. Meanwhile, the total cost of restoring the pond, amounting to Rs 60 lakh, was raised through a variety of initiatives.

While Rs 10 lakh was raised through CSR (corporate social responsibility) funds, the rest came from a variety of private donations.

Process of restoration

It began with de-weeding and garbage removal. According to a January 2023 document that EFI shared with The Better India, “The pond’s periphery and bed were covered with invasive weed species, which were dominating the native plant. They were removed using excavators. Approximately 0.75 acres of the area were cleared,” it noted.

This was followed by desilting. “An average of 4 feet of silt was removed using excavators. Desilting of the pond further helps in increasing the storage capacity and improving the groundwater percolation rate,” the document noted.

What did they do with excess silt excavated from the pond’s surface? It was shifted to the periphery to strengthen the embankments, which were raised to an average of 12 feet. This would help in increasing the water-holding capacity and mitigate floods during heavy rainfalls.

“New embankments were constructed for a length of 540 metres, which will define the boundary of the water body and prevent encroachments,” the document noted. In addition, sedimentary wells for one acre were excavated to capture the silt from the runoff, so that the clean water will pass into the main pond. To help regularise the overflow, an earthen weir was constructed.

Meanwhile, according to the EFI document, “two recharge wells were [also] constructed with a narrow channel which helps in recharging the groundwater.”

Going further, nesting islands were also constructed to facilitate the habitation of flora and fauna of the pond like swans, ducks, fishes, turtles, peacocks, squirrels, etc. These islands act as a breeding ground for various insects, reptiles and birds in the pond.

But to ensure these restoration efforts don’t go in vain, a variety of civil works were also carried out — like repairs on the walkway, the existing ghat, and the construction of a wooden bridge to cross the inlet channel. Stone pitching on the road and side bund was also carried out to reduce soil erosion. To prevent encroachment and solid waste dumping, protective fencing was installed.

After restoration

In April 2022, the Government of India launched Mission Amrit Sarovar. This particular mission is aimed at developing and rejuvenating 75 water bodies in each district of the country.

In May, the Ujjain Municipal Corporation decided to use this pond as an example to build the first Amrit Sarovar of Madhya Pradesh. After eight months of effort, the restoration work helped raise the water-holding capacity of the pond by almost a third (additional 22,800,000 litres) from its original 67,989,600 litres, according to Commissioner Gupta.

“The Yam Talaiya (flowing from Vishnu Sagar) pond, which was once overtaken by weeds, excessive silt deposition and had weak structural integrity, is now restored to support the lifeforms that depend on it. The recent monsoons have brought the pond back to life with wildlife thriving. The pond now holds more water and wildlife than it did in the past,” he claims.

“The scrap desilting technique used by EFI has the unique benefit that only one-fourth of the pond will face siltation in the future. Overall, however, over 100 residents, including farmers residing near the pond, benefitted from the rising groundwater table, besides the influx of a variety of birds and reptiles, etc. Also, the number of pilgrims visiting this temple has risen to about 5,000 as well. This has already improved local tourism in the area,” he adds.

(Edited by Pranita Bhat)

(Images courtesy EFI and Anshul Gupta, IAS)

The 32-year-old grew up in Chittaranjan, West Bengal, and spent her schooling years in Jamtara, Jharkhand. 

“We barely have any resources in Jamtara. Due to financial constraints, I had to shift from a private to a government school after class 10. So, I completed class 12 boards from a government school in Jamtara. I was a good student throughout and performed well in medical school too. I worshipped medicine and was very clear about pursuing that path. I even enrolled in a medical school in Sikkim and completed two years,” says Taruni.

However, a series of health scares forced her to drop out after two years of MBBS.

“While I was in my second year of medical college, I faced a plethora of health issues. Nothing was chronic, but it was a line of acute infections. I had dengue, typhoid, and cerebral malaria. To add to all of this, I slipped from a hill slope and hurt myself,” she adds.

Starting from scratch

She says that she had to start from scratch after returning home. 

“I took some time to compose myself. My qualification then was just that of a class 12 pass. I pursued my Bachelor’s and Master’s in English Literature from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). After this, we were again faced with a tragedy. My brother-in-law, a CRPF commandant, was martyred in Srinagar in 2016,” adds Taruni. 

The death of her brother-in-law meant that she had to accompany her sister to various bureaucrats and politicians’ offices to talk about her job. Here, she found her second calling in life. 

“When I accompanied my sister to meet these bureaucrats, I saw the amount of good that they do. I met a very dynamic bureaucrat and he helped us. I realised how much good one person can do by being in the system. That day, I decided that I too want to become a civil servant, and help somebody’s family, the same way that gentleman helped mine,”

After that, Taruni was sure of what she wanted to do. She was all set to give her UPSC CSE in 2020, but could not attempt it as she contracted COVID four days before the exam. After that, she gave the exam in 2021, knowing well that it was her first and last attempt (as per the age criteria for general category students). 

“The first bout of COVID hit me really hard. I was hospitalised for almost four months. After that, I was left with just about six months to prepare for the exams. Also, while it was my first attempt, it was also my last, so I had a lot of pressure,” she adds. 

Clearing UPSC with no coaching

Taruni secured Rank 14 in the Consolidated Reserve List in the CSE mains 2021. What makes her victory even more special is that she did not attend any coaching classes. 

“Since childhood, I have never attended coaching classes, even for my board exams. I’ve always believed in self-study. Even when I gave the exam, I got COVID again. I wrote the exams with pneumonia,” adds Taruni.

She prepared notes herself and watched YouTube videos for the same. 

“I had to prepare for my prelims in just four months. I honestly believe that under normal circumstances, a person should prepare for UPSC for at least two years. Since I didn’t have a choice, I had to develop an ultra-smart strategy to clear the exam. I prepared my notes by watching YouTube videos. I didn’t read from the standard books as I simply didn’t have time,” adds Taruni.

She says she worked on a strategy to eliminate the wrong answers.

“The important thing is to mark the right answers and I studied accordingly. I kept on revising and re-revising the notes that I had prepared. I would keep a target of finishing X number of chapters per day, and I finished it, whether it took two or ten hours,” she says.

She says that for the mains, her class 1-10 education helped her greatly. 

“Since I have a science background, science and ecology were doable for me. Economics and Polity were tough, and I had to focus on them. Finally, my hard work and destiny played a role, and everything just fell into place,” says Taruni.

She now wishes to be a part of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and has a few tips to help other aspirants:

1. Be honest

“I found many people who qualified in the exams but didn’t clear the interview. Their motivating factors for joining included money, power, a big bungalow, etc. While these can be add-on factors, they shouldn’t be the main reasons to join the service. Please join only if you want to do good for society,” says Taruni. 

2. Don’t lose hope

“I have experienced a lot of challenges in life. The one thing that helped me is being perseverant. Even if you don’t clear on the first attempt, don’t lose hope. Keep going,” she says.

3. Look forward

She says, “People tend to keep hanging on to the past. Even if you have committed mistakes, don’t keep stressing about them. Don’t look in the rearview mirror of life and drive.” 

4. Coaching is not needed

She says, “There is a myth that coaching is compulsory for preparation, or that people can’t clear without coaching. We live in the digital age, with so many free resources at our disposal. Use them.”

5. English is not a barrier

“I hail from a small town. English is considered a barrier in many towns like mine. Trust me, it’s not. You can attempt the UPSC exam in 22 languages. You can even have a translator. English is not a marker of status or education. People need to get out of that mindset,” stresses Taruni.

Edited by Yoshita Rao

However, Divya Mittal is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer who persevered despite the odds. 

She secured an All Indian Rank (AIR) of 68 in the 2012 UPSC CSE and currently serves as the District Magistrate of Mirzapur. Being an IIM Bengaluru and IIT Delhi alumnus, she has proven her mettle in cracking some of the toughest examinations in the country. 

Recently, in a Twitter thread, she shared a few tips and tricks based on her experiences of cracking entrance examinations such as UPSC, IIT, IIM, and others.

In her tweet, she agrees that it wasn’t easy for her not to lose focus during her preparation but she overcame all of it by adopting a few strategies of her own.

I have cleared some of the toughest entrance tests in the country like that for IIT, IIM, IAS. It is not that I was not distracted during studies, but I overcame those distractions.

Small tips on how to overcome distractions and get great focus

A thread?

— Divya Mittal (@divyamittal_IAS) October 29, 2022

Here’s what she says in her thread, which has since gone viral garnering over 29,000 likes and around 6,000 retweets.

1. Reducing mobile usage by measuring time: She points out mobile usage as one of the main sources of distractions, adding that most of the time people don’t count the huge amount of time wasted using various mobile apps. Therefore to reduce mobile usage, she suggests keeping a tab on phone usage and the time spent on apps every week.

Reducing mobile usage

? Measure

Check your phone usage and apps u spent time on every week. Many times you dont even know how much time you are wasting on mobile apps. Android users can use free apps like

— Divya Mittal (@divyamittal_IAS) October 29, 2022

2. Reduce mobile usage by keeping a physical distance: Another option is to either switch off the internet or keep the phone away. She says, “Heavens will not fall while you are studying and if it is something urgent, you will get the message.”

Steps to reduce usage

? Physical distance
Keep the phone with the internet switched off and away from you while studying. You can also keep it locked and with a parent/ friend. Heavens will not fall while you are studying and if it is something urgent, you will get the message.

— Divya Mittal (@divyamittal_IAS) October 29, 2022

3. A technological solution to reduce mobile usage: Divya suggests the usage of certain apps like Blackout to block the internet at least for six hours a day. “Force yourself to study in that time. It is not a free app, but it is very effective,” she adds.

? Technological solution:

Use apps like Blackout to block internet for at least 6 hours every day. Force yourself to study in that time. It is not a free app, but it is very effective. Once it blacks out the phone, you can’t go back for the period

— Divya Mittal (@divyamittal_IAS) October 29, 2022

4. Early morning study: As a tip to wake up early in the morning, Divya suggests keeping the alarm at full volume but away from the bed to avoid switching off the alarm and going back to sleep. “Early morning study is the best these days, especially as it has fewer distractions,” she points out.

? Early morning study

Keep the alarm away from you, on loud volume. Most likely once you get up from the bed to switch off the alarm, you will decide to not go back to sleep and study. Early morning study is the best these days especially as it has lesser distractions

— Divya Mittal (@divyamittal_IAS) October 29, 2022

5. Tips to increase focus:

• Divya suggests short focussed sessions of study to maintain focus. After a 90-minute or two-hour-long study session, she advises taking a 15-minute break. She also notes, “You cannot maintain focus for longer than that at one go. Measure the session. Till the alarm goes off, don’t do anything else but study.”

To increase focus

?Keep short focused Sessions
– Do 90-minute/2 hr intensely focused sessions
– Take 15 min break after every session

You cannot maintain focus for longer than that at one go. Measure the session. Till the alarm goes off, dont do anything else but study

— Divya Mittal (@divyamittal_IAS) October 29, 2022

• The IAS officer advises practising ‘Tratak meditation’ by fixing eyes on one object like a flame of a candle, a pencil or even a spot on the wall, which can help increase focus.

?Practice Tratak meditation

This is known to increase focus
Fix your eyes on an object. This can be the flame of a candle, a pencil, a spot on the wall.

— Divya Mittal (@divyamittal_IAS) October 29, 2022

• Listening to sound vibrations of 40 Hz or binaural beats can help in enhancing focus and decreasing the amount of time taken to get into a focused state. She adds that these are available on YouTube.

? Binaural beats

Listening to Binaural beats which are sound vibrations of 40 Hz helps in
a) Enhances focus
b) Decreases amount of time it takes to get into a focused state

These can be obtained from youtube

— Divya Mittal (@divyamittal_IAS) October 29, 2022

• Exercising or spending time outside also helps in increasing focus. Divya says that going out for at least a 20 min walk, getting close to nature by visiting a park or spending some time there would help. Besides, she points out the importance of getting some sunlight for 5-10 mins every day.

? Exercise & Outdoor

– Exercise preferably outside, at least a 20 mins walk
– Get close to nature – go to a park and walk/sit
– Get some sunlight even if for 5-10 mins

— Divya Mittal (@divyamittal_IAS) October 29, 2022

• When it comes to increasing focus, nutrition also plays an essential role. Therefore, it is important to have a healthy and balanced diet. Divya also emphasizes reducing munching on snacks while taking care of one’s diet.

? Nutrition

While studying we forget to take care of nutrition. A balanced diet helps in increasing focus. Also reduces the need to munch on snacks.

— Divya Mittal (@divyamittal_IAS) October 29, 2022

Edited by Yoshita Rao

“NCERT textbooks must be used as your go-to resource book. Start with class 9 books and make your way up to class 12. While using these books, ensure that you have the syllabus in front of you, and keep ticking the portions you complete,” said IAS officer Tejasvi Rana. 

NCERT books offer you a snapshot of most of the topics that are covered in the UPSC syllabus. 

“NCERT textbooks are a very good source and introduction to topics in the IAS prelims,” wrote Vivek Kumar Srivastava, who qualified for the pre-CSE, in a Quora post.

Another Quora post by Parmar Nikhil noted, “NCERT books give you an idea and understanding about subjects or topics [in the exam]. NCERT simplifies the topics so you could understand them at the grassroots level.”

According to Career Launcher, an analysis of previous years’ UPSC CSE question papers emphasises the importance of NCERT for UPSC.

“It is clearly mentioned in the analysis that questions are consistently asked directly or indirectly from NCERT books. Moreover, NCERT books offer concise coverage of most of the topics which are mentioned in the UPSC Civil Services Syllabus,” says a Career Launcher report. 

Here are a few websites where you can download NCERT books for free:

1. https://ncert.nic.in/

Here you can get free e-books of all the textbooks that the council offers, from class 1 to class 12.

2. www.epathshala.nic.in

You can also get all textbooks for free on this website.

3. www.cbse.nic.in

Books published by NCERT are also available for free download on this website. 

Edited by Yoshita Rao

Sources

Career Launcher

Quora: Vivek Kumar Srivastava

Quora: Nikhil Parmar

Manjul Shashi Jindal, an Indian Administrative officer who secured an All Indian Rank (AIR) of 53 in the 2017 UPSC CSE and is currently posted as CEO Zilla Parishad, Jalna.

He often takes to Twitter to share tips and strategies for aspirants preparing for the examination.

A recent Twitter thread reinforces the importance of being well prepared in polity. He said that a large number of questions in both the prelims and mains paper are from polity. He also mentions that this is a scoring subject.

He breaks this down into four parts:

1. What, how much, when:

This covers what sources to study from, how much time to dedicate to this subject, how to change preparation strategy from prelims to mains, how much time to dedicate to this subject and the importance of mocks and previous year’s question papers.

He recommends studying the NCERT class 10 book called ‘Constitution at Work.’ Along with this, Indian Polity by Laxmikant and his own set of notes. He also says that polity as a subject should be among the first three that one tackles while preparing. As far as the time to be allotted to this subject, he recommends one spends two full months preparing for it.

1. Basics:

Sources, when to start, how much time to dedicate, how prelims Qs are different from Mains and what’s the importance of mocks and PYQs pic.twitter.com/XTrJPx6sUN

— Manuj Shashi Jindal (@manujjindalIAS) September 24, 2022

2. How to use resources:

While preparing for Laxmikant’s book, Manjul recommends not to go chronologically but follow his method of study instead. Following his method of study, he says will be more contextual and easier to even remember and understand in the long run.

While the book chapters deal with the history and making of the constitution feature, in the beginning, Manjul recommends only coming to these chapters towards the end of one’s preparation.

2. How to read and master Laxmikanth

Note: don’t read it chronologically but in this order I suggest.

It will be more contextual when you read like this, and easier to even remember and understand… pic.twitter.com/iX8WzPpgHw

— Manuj Shashi Jindal (@manujjindalIAS) September 24, 2022

3. Key areas of focus:

Some of the areas that aspirants must necessarily focus on include, understanding the structure of our political system, understanding constitutional dimensions, being well updated on important Supreme Court judgments, especially the landmark orders passed and a focus on the previous year’s papers.

This will give aspirants an idea of the kind of questions that UPSC expects the aspirants to be prepared for.

3. How to read Laxmikant continued.

Historical background, and making of the constitution which are the first chapters should be read last! pic.twitter.com/QRka1RADZv

— Manuj Shashi Jindal (@manujjindalIAS) September 24, 2022

4. Get your fundamentals right:

Reiterating the importance of NCERT’s Indian Constitution at Work, Manjul says that to ensure that one’s fundamentals on the subject are clear, this text must be used for preparation. Only after one has read this thoroughly should they venture into preparing from Laxmikanth’s textbook.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

Anupam Sharma, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) and AIR 2 holder in the 2017-18 IFS examination shared a Tweet detailing his strategy to crack language papers easily. He says that by following the method, a candidate can complete the exam easily in approximately 1-2 hours. 

He suggests attempting the questions in an order — grammar, passage, précis, and essay.

He says that under the grammar sections, ‘error correction’, ‘fill in the blanks’, ‘antonyms’ and ‘word meanings’ do not require too much of the candidate’s time. On the other hand, ‘homophones’, ‘verbs’, and ‘idioms/phrases’ will take some time. 

For the passage, glance through the content quickly and underline keywords in less than a minute. Take 10 minutes to read the passage again and find the answers. In another 25 minutes, write down the answers. 

For précis, remember to adhere to the word limit. “Do not give titles and write in your own words,” he suggests.

There will be four choices in the essay section. The word limit is 600 and takes approximately one hour to complete it. Attempt it towards the end, the IFS officer opines. 

He also shared tips for regional language papers. 

Even though the total marks for this paper are the same as English, it takes 4-5 hours to complete this section. 

“The order of attempting questions during the exam should be — grammar, passage, Hindi to English, précis, essay, and English to Hindi.”

Allot 40 minutes for essay, 30 minutes for passage, 40 minutes for précis, 50 minutes for both translations, and 30 minutes for grammar, he says. 

Out of all the sections, the translation from English to Hindi is the most time-consuming and one needs to take extra care here, says the officer. Thus, attempt this part towards the end.

Edited by Divya Sethu

On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated his birthday with the majestic predators, releasing eight cubs of the African species at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.

Another person who was perhaps even happier than the Prime Minister on Saturday was 83-year-old Dr M K Ranjitsinh. 

A former IAS officer of the 1961 batch of Madhya Pradesh cadre and among the masterminds of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, Ranjitsinh dreamt of bringing back cheetahs to the country even as a young boy. 

“…I had heard that the last cheetah had been shot and this must have been in either 1948 or 1949. I was an avid reader of wildlife literature and I thought why can’t we bring the cheetah back from somewhere. It was a dream and it’s now come true. I always say the most difficult thing to kill is a good idea,” Ranjitsinh, who belongs to the royal family of Wankaner, Gujarat, told The Indian Express.

While drafting the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the former director of Wildlife Preservation had included the cheetah as a protected species, even though it was extinct.  

The history of the cheetah in India 

While there was a time when the cheetah had a robust population across different corners of India, reports suggest that Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo of Koriya shot the last three surviving big cats in 1947. Over-hunting, loss of prey, and habitat loss led to the cheetah’s extinction, which the Government of India officially declared in 1952. 

India’s first attempt to bring back the carnivore was in the early 70s. It was Ranjitsingh who spoke to Iran even then, but the negotiations stalled after the declaration of Emergency in ‘75 and the deposition of the Shah of Iran in 1979.

Since then, Ranjitsinh and wildlife conservationist Divyabhanusinh Chavda have worked on the guidelines and policy to reintroduce cheetahs.

The ‘African Cheetah Introduction Project in India’ was born in 2009, but it was only in 2020 that the Supreme Court gave its final approval. The SC appointed Ranjitsinh to chair an expert committee set up for the relocation.

Why Kuno was chosen

Ranjitsinh told Village Square, “In 1981, I went to Kuno and I was struck by the similarity of the habitat. The ruler of Gwalior had selected it as a very suitable area for lions and cheetahs in the 1920s. I declared Kuno as a sanctuary in 1981.” 

He added, “When I became the director of Wildlife Institute of India in 1985, I tried again to reintroduce the cheetah, but the numbers had fallen and there was no focus on conservation in Iran.” 

Addressing concerns of cheetahs being grassland animals and problems of rehabilitation, the former IAS officer told Village Square that bringing in such predators helps in habitat protection.

“We have learned, not only from the cheetah project, but also from the tiger and snow leopard projects, that bringing in an apex predator has a large cascading effect. It leads to better protection of the habitat — this is most important. Bringing back cheetahs has led to building and protection of the habitat not only for cheetahs but also the prey species. Kuno National Park has seen a spectacular recovery due to the reintroduction of cheetahs,” said Ranjitsinh. 

What would this relocation look like? 

This is the first time in world history that a cheetah, or any large carnivore, is being relocated from a different continent. As per a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Project Cheetah is the “world’s first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project”.

Some experts and members of wildlife groups say this project will help increase the number of Asiatic cheetahs, which today only survive in a small population in Iran, wrote The National Geographic.

However, several have also raised several concerns, calling this a ‘vanity project’, premature, and risky.

Since Kuno has a leopard population, there is fear that the cheetahs may be attacked by them. There is also a fear that the cheetahs may stray outside and get killed either by animals or humans.

“It’s putting the cart before the horse. I’m not against the project, I’m against this very tunnel vision thing of just bringing cheetahs and dumping them in the middle of India where there are 360 people per square kilometer,” said Ullas Karanth, emeritus director for the nonprofit Center for Wildlife Studies and a specialist in large carnivores to National Geographic.

Another independent conservation scientist Arjun Gopalaswamy argued that there is no chance for a free-ranging cheetah population now.

“Cheetahs in India perished for a reason, which is human pressure. This has only gotten worse in the 70 years since the species disappeared. So the first question is, why is this attempt even being made?” questioned Gopalaswamy in the National Geographic report. 

Meanwhile, Ranjitsingh told Times of India, “I interpret the return of the cheetah as a resolve of both the Indian people and government to let no wildlife species go extinct in the country. If God forbid it does, no effort will be spared to restore it.” 

For this former IAS officer, seeing his lifelong dream coming true on Saturday was another feather in his cap. 

He earlier won the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014 for conservation of wildlife. He has also served as former secretary for forests & tourism in Madhya Pradesh; director of wildlife preservation; chairman of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI); director general of WWF Tiger Conservation Programme (TCP); and is presently the regional adviser in nature conservation (Asia & Pacific) for UNEP.

He has also been responsible for saving the central Indian Barasingha from extinction. Ransitsinh also established fourteen sanctuaries and eight national parks in Madhya Pradesh.

Sources

‘The Cheetah in the Forest: A Tribute to MK Ranjitsinh’ by Sanjeev Chopra for First India, Published on 19 September, 2022

‘Seeing the cheetah in Kuno National Park is a dream come true: MK Ranjitsinh’ by Devyani Onial for The Indian Express, Published on 18 September, 2022

‘How cheetahs went extinct in India, and how they are being brought back’ by Esha Roy for The Indian Express, Published on 18 September, 2022

‘Madhya Pradesh: A dream come true for India’s cheetah man’ by P Naveen for Times of India, Published on 17 September, 2022

‘Ambitious plans to reintroduce cheetahs to India’ Published on 22 August, 2022, Courtesy Village Square

‘Inside the controversial plan to reintroduce cheetahs to India’ by Rachel Nuwer for National Geographic, Published on 13 September, 2022

Edited by Divya Sethu, Feature Image Courtesy EarToTheWild/Twitter

She was filled with pride at having opened an account into which she diligently deposits money.

But a few months ago when she went to the bank to check on how much money she had collected she was in for a shock when she realised that her account had been wiped clean. All that remained was a few hundred rupees.

She was made to realise that due to her illiteracy, like many others, she too had fallen for a scam. The middlemen who assured help in setting up the account and handling it had siphoned off the money. She was not alone in this moment of woe – many others in the village had gone through the same.

It was to change this and much more that District Collector Harshika Singh launched a programme to ensure 100 per cent functional literacy in the district.

Speaking to The Better India, Harshika says, “These people work very hard to make ends meet. It is unfair that they are robbed of their money only because they are not literate. To right this wrong we introduced the adult literacy programmes.”

Freedom from illiteracy

A tribal district, which falls on the border of Chhattisgarh, Mandala is also a Naxal-affected district. “Unfortunately, a lot of funds from various government schemes that were meant for the betterment of these tribal communities, especially women, were getting siphoned off due to various bank forgeries. Many times because they were asked to put their thumb impression, they did not necessarily know what they were saying yes to,” she says.

This led to a lot of money getting lost, sometimes without any trace. Learning about this scam hit Harshika and that was when, along with her team, the idea of making the district inhabitants ‘functionally literate’ (able to write their name, count and read and write in Hindi) came about. “It became important for us to teach them the basics. Besides being able to sign their names the programme also educated them on handling money,” she says.

Explaining this further, she says, “If someone was making a withdrawal of Rs 1,000, we started telling them about the various note denominations that they might be given by the teller at the bank.”

“A 2011 survey revealed that the female literacy percentage in the district was at 56 per cent and the overall district literacy was at 68 per cent,” she says. With no extra resources at their disposal, Harshika decided to rope in the literate population. She attributes a lot of the success of the programme to this.

Within the district itself, the team was able to mobilise 25,000 literate volunteers to take this programme forward. 

Yet, the programmes weren’t without challenges and hiccups. “The terrain in this region is harsh and to organise a static school was difficult. To adapt to this, we organised these sessions close to their homes and even at the work site, where during their lunch break they would learn,” says Harshika.

There were special late-night classes that were organised for the men as well.

Bringing the community together

To ensure that this programme is successful, the team started by contacting the educated daughters and daughters-in-law from the panchayat. They were the ones who started the hand-holding programme and ensured maximum participation. “We wanted it to be a community-driven programme. We realised that getting someone from outside might not work since they would not understand these women and their dynamics,” she adds.

To further enhance this, she simultaneously launched an initiative called GyanDhan. This initiative focused on crowdsourcing resources like books, slates, writing instruments and all other tools that could be used to teach. This helped in setting up Mahila Gyanalays (Women Schools) across 490 Gram Panchayats in the district.

Devi Shivanshi (32) who got married and moved from Chhattisgarh to Mandla has completed her class 12 education and is now teaching others in the district. She says, “We conduct classes for two hours each day and sometimes three or four women come and on some days, many more turn up. Initially, they were also apprehensive about what we were trying to do, but now they understand and appreciate it.”

She continues, “I got the opportunity to study and it made a very big difference to the way I think. That is the change I want to bring to these women as well.”

Kanwaljit Marari (26) a postgraduate in English from Mandla, who teaches computer literacy and is associated with the teaching programme, says, “I come from a literate family and I have seen how much of a difference it makes to one’s thought process. I had the privilege of being educated and when I came to this district, which is where my paternal family resides, I was shocked to see the abysmal level of illiteracy.”

She goes on, “I found the women to be so gullible and naive – they considered themselves inferior even. I decided to attempt to change this mindset. I am doing this without any salary. It is completely voluntary.” 

On the experience of teaching these women, Kanwaljit says that while the initial few days were challenging and left her feeling very frustrated, the women were quick learners and continue to come to class with a burning desire to learn well. “I often heard men say that women, by nature, are ‘emotional fools’. I wanted to work on erasing that notion,” adds Kanwaljit.

Empowering women, one alphabet at a time

While the volunteers work hard to ensure that the programme is accessible and understood by all, students like Sunita Marco are the ones who are making it a success. The 40-year-old says that since she has never been to a school before this, she cannot even say with certainty if her age is actually 40. “I did not want to always put my thumbprint on important documents. I wanted to be able to sign my name just like I had seen others do,” she says.

Sunita keeps aside up to two hours each day to go to the centre and learn. She recalls the first day she stepped into the centre and says, “The first day I learnt the alphabet it felt like they were all dancing before me. It took me time but now when I am able to read I feel such a sense of accomplishment,” she adds. Sunita’s children, two girls and two boys, are also very proud of what their mother has achieved. “I am not an angutha chaap (illiterate) anymore,” she adds with a gleam in her eye.

To encourage more women to come out and learn, Harshika says that in the district whenever there was a formal function the most literate women from the village were called upon to be the chief guests.

“Whether it was a school level celebration or even celebrating independence and Republic Day, it was always these women who were invited to be the main person. This brought them a lot of social respect and encouraged others as well,” she adds.

For Harshika, there have been several moments of joy since the implementation of this programme. “I recall meeting an 80-year-old lady at the Gram Panchayat who took the time to write me a letter thanking me for initiating this programme. She was one of the beneficiaries of the programme and she said that even though she had heard her name being called out all her life, to be able to read and write it has empowered her.”

The biggest win for Harshika comes when she sees the number of reductions in the reported bank forgery cases in her district. “This was the very reason why we started this programme. To safeguard the hard-earned money of every individual in my district. This is our true reward,” she concludes.

All images courtesy: Harshika Singh

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

Of the four siblings, sisters Kshama and Madhavi wore dejected looks, as they had failed to clear the UPSC CSE exams, the results of which had come a day earlier. Their brother Yogesh was unable to see them sad and decided to help them out. 

As a Raksha Bandhan present, the then software engineer decided to appear for UPSC himself, find out what the problem was, and guide his sisters accordingly. 

He quit his job in 2013 and spent a year solely focused on UPSC. The following year, he cleared it in the first attempt and became an IAS officer. 

He coached his two sisters and younger brother with his understanding of the exams and notes. In 2015, Madhavi cleared the exam and became an IAS officer. The following year, both Kshama and Lokesh cleared the exam and are now IPS and IAS officers respectively.

In a conversation with The Better India, Lokesh, the youngest, says that for those growing up in Lalganj — which was a village in the 80s and 90s — in a lower middle class family, the UPSC was considered a dream government service. But while their parents always wanted them to give the exam, they never forced their dreams on their children. 

All four siblings studied till Class 12 in a Hindi-medium school. 

Yogesh went to Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology in Prayagraj for his engineering. He harboured no interest in UPSC and went on to work in a software company in Noida. But when his sisters, who aspired to clear the civil services exam. faced hurdles, he jumped into the fray himself. 

‘Understanding the syllabus key to cracking the exam.’

He says that the turning point for him was the change in the UPSC exam pattern in 2011. The CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) was introduced that year as a part of the UPSC CSE. 

“A change in exam pattern is always good for new entrants, as it creates a level playing field for everyone. When I decided to write the exam, the CSAT had been introduced just two years before. CSAT includes aptitude, reasoning, and analytical questions. I felt that it was the hurdle due to which my sisters weren’t able to clear the exams and decided to give it a shot myself,” he explains.

He pored over notifications given by the Examination Commission over the past few years to understand what they expected and why they changed the pattern.

“I also accessed all possible papers to understand the thinking of the Commission and expectations from students. I also had a level playing field as CSAT was new for everyone. I prepared my own notes and managed to clear the exam,” Yogesh, now a 2014-batch IAS officer posted in Shahjahanpur with the Ministry of Defence, says.

He then shared his notes and tricks with his sisters.

He says his sister Madhavi, who cleared the following year, scored better than him. Meanwhile, Lokesh scored an even better rank. 

Madhavi is posted as the Development Commissioner (DC) of Ramgarh in Jharkhand. Meanwhile, Lokesh is posted as the Deputy Development Commissioner (DDC) of Koderma in Jharkhand and Kshama is posted as a Commandant of the 3rd battalion of Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP).

“Each year, I was able to coach my siblings better as I gained a better understanding. I was able to fine-tune my notes and teaching methods. That’s why Lokesh secured an even better ranking,” says Yogesh. 

Lokesh explains, “I did my engineering from IIT-Delhi and worked for two years before attempting UPSC. Seeing my siblings clear the exam, I, too, wanted to give it a shot. Besides, I had the advantage of having a good teacher in my brother.” 

All four siblings have made their parents and village proud.

“Our children have always been very hard-working and honest. After writing an exam, they would tell us if it was good or not. They’ve been rewarded for their perseverance,” says Krishna Mishra, mother of the siblings.

Today, the siblings have set up a coaching centre called Glory IAS, where they guide students. Yogesh, who is leading the initiative, says he has helped more than 100 people clear their UPSC exams in the past 7-8 years. They offer personal one-to-one guidance.

“I think the most important thing needed for clearing the exam is practical guidance and genuine feedback from an expert. In my case, I had an expert at home. My brother would keep checking my papers and guiding me. He told me where I was going wrong, which helped me improve,” says Lokesh.

They have also launched a YouTube channel Glory IAS, where they post tips and tricks to help aspirants.

“In today’s world, resources are widely available, as is knowledge. However, personal guidance is very important to clear the UPSC. Understanding the syllabus is of paramount importance. Due to the paucity of time, we are able to teach a few candidates. To help more people, we’ve launched a YouTube channel,” says Yogesh.

His aim is to create more IAS and IPS officers from small towns and villages, like theirs.

You can visit Glory IAS’s YouTube Channel here.  

Edited by Divya Sethu, Images courtesy Yogesh Mishra

Namrata’s journey from Naxal-affected Dantewada to clearing the UPSC and securing a position within the IAS has been inspirational, to say the least. She shares her preparation process 30 days before the UPSC CSE prelims.

1. Make revision your best friend:

“Revise as much as you can a month before the UPSC CSE prelims. The more time you spend in revision the higher your chances of coming on top. Try and avoid delving into any new topic at this point. The last few weeks should ideally be kept aside for just revising all you have covered thus far,” says Namrata.

Along with the notes that you revise it would also be prudent to revise from some of the basic NCERT books that will help further strengthen your foundation.

2. Use mock papers also for revision:

“I used the mock papers as well as a base for revision. I would not sit down to solve every question in the paper but instead would tick mark the tricky questions and work on strengthening my hold on those topics. No matter what material you pick up before the examination, look at it from a revision standpoint alone,” she adds.

More than solving any mock paper just prior to the examination date, use it to revise topics well.

3. Maintain a balance in your attempts:

“Aspirants choose how many questions they will attempt depending on the difficulty level of the paper. So, take a few minutes to go through the entire paper and make that decision. If you find the paper easy, do not fall into the trap of over-attempting the questions. Similarly, if the paper is tough, refrain from under attempting,” she says.

Stay clear of random guesses when it comes to attempting the paper. This could impact your overall rank and marks in a significant manner.

4. Previous year papers will help understand a pattern:

“Previous years’ papers are not just useful from a preparation point of view but also to understand the flow and technique that the CSE papers follow. This will give aspirants a sense of what to expect in the paper and they can be prepared accordingly. Aspirants should spend time going through at least the last five years’ question papers,” says Namrata.

You can click here to access the previous year’s question papers.

5. Rely on the elimination method:

“When faced with a question which you are unsure about, always fall back on the elimination method. If there are four options before you, eliminate the ones you are certain do not fit the answer and then by logical deductions try and arrive at the answer. This can be done only when you are confused about the answer and not in cases where you have no idea about the question,” she says.

Follow this elimination method only in situations where you are unsure of the answer and not when you have no idea about the answer.

6. Reset your body clock:

“About 15 days before the prelims it is important for aspirants to reset their body clocks. Different aspirants have different study schedules, while some may stay up the entire night, others make a habit of getting in an afternoon nap. It is important for aspirants to reset their body clocks to be able to attempt the paper without any hiccups,” she says.

Make sure that you work on everything within your control prior to the examination.

7. Do not go into panic mode:

“Leave panic at the doorstep. Being worried either before or as you are approaching the examination will do you no good. Remember even while attempting the examination paper do not panic. If you find the question paper hard, it is likely that others also feel the same way,” she says.

If by nature you are someone who panics easily, she says, work on reducing that and focus on revision and staying calm.

8. Make dinner table conversations informative:

“You can consciously steer dinner table conversations to topics that you are studying about. This will help you look at a topic from various perspectives and also allow you to assimilate various opinions on it. This will also help you in the later stages when you might be preparing for the interview stage,” she adds.

Always look to gather as much information as possible on a topic.

Edited by Yoshita Rao

She qualified twice — securing an All India Rank (AIR) of 277 in 2018, and 234 in 2020.

“There should be no caps on pursuing your dreams. Marriage and children should also not be deterrents,” Dr Bushara tells The Better India.

In 2016, two years after marriage, Dr Bushara decided that she wanted to attempt the CSE. “We were in Saudi Arabia, where I was employed as an assistant professor. I took the decision to quit my job after a lot of deliberation. I was certain I wanted to come back to India and serve my own people,” she says.

Both Dr Bushara and her husband resigned from their lucrative jobs in Saudi and moved back to India the same year.

She appeared for the CSE for the first time in 2017. “I did not clear the prelims. However, that proved to be a great training ground for the exam in 2018. By this time, I had also delivered my first child, and was carrying my second when I appeared for the 2018 mains and interview round,” she says.

Juggling a full-time job, a baby, pregnancy and preparation

Born and brought up in Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj’s district, Dr Bushara describes her upbringing as ‘middle class’, where even her great grandfather was part of the Indian Police and served as an SP. “Those were some of the early influences. I nurtured that dream of wanting to be part of the administration system really early on in life,” she says.

Dr Bushara says that while life in Saudi was good, there was always an itch to return. “I did not want my academics and hard work to not benefit my own country. Despite being told by many people that we could live the ‘good life’ in Saudi Arabia, we chose to come back and work here.”

Talking about how she juggled a full-time job, a toddler at home, and a pregnancy while squeezing in time to study, she says, “It was difficult, there is no denying that. However, it helps in the long run if you plan your time and ensure you complete all set tasks for the day.”

Sometimes, despite all the hard work one puts in, the result is not favourable. This is what Dr Bushara experienced in her first attempt in 2017. “A day before the prelims, someone close to the family passed away. The news kept me up all night. It was not easy for me to process that and appear for the examination the very next morning. In spite of that. I lost out by only .75 marks.”

With double the hard work, she approached the next year’s paper.

‘Use your strengths to your advantage’

Dr Bushara says that she has never been one to put in 10 to 12 hours of study time. “I have always been a sharp learner and used that to my advantage. I would wake up and start studying at 6 am, spending almost three solid hours with my books each morning. I’d also study during my free time at work. After returning home, I would get done with daily chores, and sit again from 8 pm to 11 pm,” she says.

This routine allowed her to spend close to six to seven hours preparing, She says this is more than sufficient if the quality of preparation is good. “You must ensure you’re not wasting time during these six-seven hours. This time is crucial for the long run,” she adds.

“Staying focused and clear headed are important attributes for aspirants. Do not let anything or any situation bog you down — whether it is the paucity of time or the fact that you are not enrolled in a coaching class. Whatever you manage to study, do it thoroughly and well enough to attempt the paper. This should be applicable to every aspect of life, not just to those appearing for the UPSC,” she says.

“Do not allow your ambitions to be thwarted by the things that society tells you. You are your own master and should be able to write your own story as well. Marriage and children should never be treated as impediments to reach your goal. If your goal is set, then just focus on achieving it,” she says emphatically.

Dr Bushara’s tips for aspirants:

1. Be focused when looking for content online:

“The information available online is so vast that it’s very easy to get lost. While researching on a particular topic, always stay focused on what you need to learn and understand. Stay away from meandering online and get stuck in a situation of information overload,” she says.

2. Make notes that you can relate to:

“The notes you make must serve their purpose. Do not try and copy someone else’s technique while making notes. Write in a way that you can understand best, and use these to prepare and revise before the examination. Use NCERT’s well while preparing,” she adds.

3. Focus on quality not quantity:

“Rather than studying one topic from ten different resource materials, focus on using one or two materials, but studying them thoroughly. Spend time and energy on revising the topic. Focus on the syllabus while preparing,” she says.

 (Edited by Divya Sethu)

I finished my training and was posted at my home cadre Punjab. After working in Pathankot as Deputy DFO for a year and a half, I was posted as Regional Manager in Punjab State Forest Development Corporation.

In Pathankot, I got the opportunity to work as a nodal officer for the migrant movement on Shramik trains.

While all this was happening I also got married and now have a daughter who is almost two years old.

But after having seen the work done by the administration and police closely, I wanted to take the exam again to serve society more holistically. So, I spoke to my wife about taking the exam again and she fully supported me in this process which lasted for almost a year.

When reappearing after a gap of five years, I had to change my strategy. In 2016, I had Maths as my optional and I could never score well in the subject despite it being my post-graduation subject in BITS Pilani. So, I took a subject that I have a deep interest in — Sociology.

In a short time, I picked out the right strategy and managed to score 286 in my optional (one of the highest marks in Paper 1) with limited and content-rich resources.

Here’s how I cleared the UPSC CSE exam to become an IPS officer:

1) Find time within your job to study:

Luckily, for me, in my present posting I was relatively free as compared to a job of a DFO, so I could take out three hours from 9 am to 5 pm to study.

I would solve prelim questions between the time I dictated notes to the staff and the final printed draft. Due to the lockdowns, I would hold/attend meetings online or over a conference call.

I used to have lunch in the office itself and during holidays and weekends, I used to devote 14 hours a day to studying.

But for working aspirants who cannot take out the time it is advisable to take leave for at least one to two months, both before prelims and the mains.

2) Control emotions and be optimistic when things go out of your hands:

Having a positive attitude and emotional intelligence are the key elements that are needed in this journey.

Moreover, I was diagnosed with dengue and chikungunya one after the other during the mains and my entire strategy failed. However, I didn’t give up. I used to give myself positive affirmations now and then. I’d only focus on things that were in my control and leave the rest.

I reworked my strategy for the remaining time and made sure I finished the most important things before writing the final exam.

3) Delayed gratification without compromising on prime duties:

I never missed any vaccination or health check-ups for my daughter. I never missed taking her monthly photos on varied themes. I never avoided any work-related meetings or field visits that were crucial. I also brought my parents to Bathinda when they were ailing with COVID-19.

The things that I avoided were social media accounts, minimising office parties and friendly get-togethers.

As a couple, we couldn’t spend quality time going on dates as frequently as we used to earlier. I deliberately avoided meeting new people or making new friends as I was sure that I wanted to clear the exam without any distractions.

My wife’s role in supporting my journey is commendable. My parents were always there with me during my exams. My mother-in-law took care of our daughter most of the time. My brother-in-law (who is also preparing for the civil service examination) gave me all the notes and taught me all the important topics.

So whatever free time I had I used to spend with my family and my duties.

4) Reverse engineering helps:

Before starting any topic, referring to the previous year’s questions is important. For sociology, I prepared notes as per the trends of questions asked so far. For prelims, I solved more than 10,000 questions and then revised my static part. Having a problem-solving approach to studies, helps you narrow down the scope of what is to be studied. It should be a step-wise approach. First, see the questions to get an idea of the syllabus. Then move towards basic reading, then again start with questions from the test series and revise and update your already existing notes. It saves time and gives you rich content available to write in mains.

5) Revision is of utmost importance:

It is almost impossible to retain so much without at least revising it 2-3 times. The revision has to be systematic. No matter how one makes notes ( online/offline), while revising one needs to have a pen and a paper to jot down important keywords and stats and create mnemonics or stories out of it. Over time one will be able to retain a lot through multiple revisions and rough scribbling.

6) Writing tests for mains, irrespective of how much one is prepared, is a must:

Writing practice is a skill set that needs to be developed. One cannot just learn how to swim by reading about it.

Even if one has not completed the neverending syllabus one should write the test in a stipulated time. Not even a second extra!

It improves your writing skills and gives an idea of how to approach the answer holistically and new ideas come up on the spot during the final exam.

For instance, there was a question on reverse migration during the pandemic in my sociology paper.

Generally, one thinks of reverse migration in terms of people moving from urban areas to rural areas only but I also added sociological insights on urban to urban migration which strengthened the joint family.

Also, I added reverse migration from outside India and its dimensions. I had not prepared those topics but I still wrote about them. When we practice writing tests in time we can think of many angles on the spot and it is a skill that needs to be nurtured.

7) Don’t neglect interviews at any cost:

I believe interviews are harder to crack than the mains exam. One has to prepare a lot and develop balanced perspectives. One cannot ‘fake it’ during interviews and that confidence comes only after intense preparation. Mock interviews of respectable panel members must be taken in offline mode.

Reach out to Navdeep Aggarwal for a detailed paper-wise strategy on his Telegram, Facebook, Twitter (@ips_navdeep) and Instagram.

(Written by Navdeep Aggarwal; Edited by Yoshita Rao; Images source: Facebook)

T Prateek Rao, credited with securing 147 marks, the highest score in the essay paper so far, tells The Better India, “Most aspirants have an average to above-average hold on their essay writing skills. However, no matter how good you think you are, only repeated practice and regular third-party evaluation will help you get better.”

He also urges aspirants to stay away from self-correction and always refer to a third party for constructive feedback on the essay.

He also says that aspirants must try and make the essay as engaging and relatable as possible. “As far as possible, include anecdotes and real-life incidents in your essay. Making the essay relatable to the examiner is sure to fetch additional marks. Adding such anecdotes acts as a hook to keep the examiner interested in your essay. Make sure your distinctive writing style comes through in your essay.”

To be able to write better, one must read on a variety of topics. He adds, “To be able to write well, one must read. That is the first step in ensuring that your writing keeps getting better.”

Aspirants could pick up Yojana and read the first article in the magazine to get a sense of how governmental essays are written.

Alongside, Anudeep Durishetty, who secured an AIR of 1 in the 2017 examination, has written extensively on how best to write an essay. In his blog, he wrote, “Introduction to an essay is like an opening scene to a movie. It should start strong, give a brief idea of what’s coming ahead, and make your audience want for more. A well-crafted introduction creates that urgency and curiosity in the minds of the readers, captivating them into reading the rest of the write-up. A splendid introduction is, therefore, a prerequisite for a splendid essay.”

He urges aspirants to weave a story while writing the essay, while keeping three pointers in mind:

a. It must generate interest in the reader.
b. It must be relevant to the question.
c. It must be concise.

Embellishing your essay with statistics and facts is also a great way to grab the attention of the examiner.

On the importance of letting the examiner know your stance, he writes, “A thesis statement is a single sentence near the end of your introduction that presents your stand on the given topic. If your essay is fluid with each argument flowing into the next effortlessly, then there is no need to write a thesis statement. But if you are new to writing essays and want to make things clear upfront, without leaving anything to guesswork, then state it. As you write more essays and become better at flow and structure, focus on subheadings and coherence between paragraphs to make the thesis statement unnecessary.”

Meanwhile, in a Twitter thread, Krishna Tupe, founding member of an online UPSC training portal discusses five frameworks that may be used to expand UPSC essays. He urges aspirants to look at any given topic with the following acronym in mind:

PESTEL- EC
Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, Legal, Ethical, Cultural Health, Education and Employment.

While presenting arguments, one must be sure to include various perspectives — women, weaker sections, children, disabled, old aged, and LGBTQ. One must also include a micro and macro view of the topic. Furthermore, aspirants could also look at the topic from a historic point of view, current day scenario, and a futuristic approach as well. This will make the essay well rounded.

5 Frameworks to expand UPSC Essays – {Including Philosophical Essays}

(A thread!)

— Krishna Tupe (@krishna_tupe) July 10, 2022

Sources:

How I Secured One of the Highest Marks in UPSC CSE’s Essay Paper: IAS Officer by Vidya Raja
How to Write Essay Introductions in UPSC Exam by Anudeep Durishetty

But Sandeep GR, collector of Chhatarpur, and former commissioner of the municipal corporation in Jabalpur prefers travelling on his bicycle.

“The idea is to look at what the citizens go through in terms of the services we’re providing. The moment we travel in a car we’re not able to understand that,” he tells The Better India in a phone interview.

“There are two different worlds, in the office and out on the street,” he adds. Travelling on a bicycle allows him to understand the realities of lived experiences better and helps him get a clearer grasp of the place. “Being from the All India Services, we’re not from this particular place. So to understand it, you need to travel on foot or cycle.”

For instance, he noticed how in Jabalpur’s hospital multiple entry points were creating chaos, and how there wasn’t enough infrastructure to manage waiting areas, leading to people loitering around outside. They’re now working on rectifying the issue. He also saw a lot of women sitting outside in the parking lot right after their delivery, sunbathing their children. “We’re now developing a maternity wing in the hospital where each ward will have a balcony for sunbathing.”

Searching for sustainable solutions

Besides having his ear to the ground, Sandeep also births initiatives to tackle long-standing issues in the country. One such idea is the planting of a fruit forest to help with the concept of food security. “This was an idea that was sown way before I got into the services.” Such a forest, with fruits throughout the year, allows for the distribution of food among the less fortunate, he thought.

“Of course, we provide rations, but in urban areas, the moment we plant these trees there will be the elimination of any issues with food security.” Within the public distribution system (PDS) there’s a supply-chain mechanism, from procurement to distribution. “But this model we’re working on is more localised. So we are protected from the vagaries of any demand-supply issues of PDS. This is a local, self-sustainable, food security model.”

About 30,000 trees were planted in Jabalpur in October 2021, which are now giving fruits like bananas, lemons, mangoes, jackfruits, mulberries and more. These plants are now going through a two to three-year gestation period, after which they will start bearing fruits, which will be distributed among the less fortunate, he says.

“It will take some time to structuralise the process of redistributing this among the poor, that’s something we’re planning. But at least we’re getting initial good results. We’re also trying to link up with a few food processing agencies to see how these can be converted or utilised and distributed. We’re working on making it a sustainable model.”

He’s now also working on planting 40,000 trees across an 11-acre plot in Chhatarpur.

Besides food security, Sandeep is also concerned about issues like women’s safety and cleanliness. “For these two dimensions, we were breaking our heads to get new solutions. But we realised that light was the simple solution.” A place that’s well lit automatically ensures lesser criminal activity and discourages garbage dumping. So he’s been spearheading the initiative of installing LED lights throughout the city of Jabalpur.

Since Jabalpur has low luminescence lights, increasing it was significantly affecting their budget, and they chose LED lights instead. These also have the advantage of having a centrally controlled monitoring system (CCMS). “So the moment a light turns off we can spot it on our mobile, and we’ve kept a 48-hour response time and we’re able to repair it within a day.”

A lot of people also used to steal electricity, the burden of which fell on the local urban body. But the CCMS has also eliminated that issue. “We’re putting the lights up and that’s reduced our cost by a third.” They’re now in the process of installing 40,000 LED street lights across the city.

A passionate problem-solver, he has also devised solutions to problems of cleanliness and road safety. By ensuring garbage vehicles follow a route on time, he’s reduced the city’s garbage vulnerable points (GVPs).

Chhatarpur’s District Collector for just seven months now, Sandeep is in his element, and now considering the challenges unique to this city. They’re working on creating a city that’s entirely accessible, from roads to public points and toilets for persons with disabilities (PwDs).

Edited by Yoshita Rao

“I always wanted to appear for the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) CSE (Civil Service Examination). Completing the CA examination only strengthened that desire,” he tells The Better India.

Born and brought up in a place called Dhamtari in Chhattisgarh, he completed his education from there and then pursued his CA course in Nagpur.

In 2019, he appeared for the UPSC CSE. However, he missed clearing the main examination by a few marks. “I have always been a good student and until Class 12 I was always a class topper. Therefore, not being able to clear the UPSC mains in my first attempt came as a shock to me,” he says.

So much so that he started doubting his capabilities. He describes that period as a very “difficult one”. “I managed to get through that period because of the unflinching support that my family gave me. They were confident that I would clear the next time around,” he says.

He attempted the CSE once again and cleared it in 2021 with an AIR (All India Rank) of 81 while practising as a CA.

Since Ishu had already dedicated four years of his life to his CA study, he says that the thought of continuing to practise as a CA could be an option. “In hindsight, I am glad I decided to give UPSC one more try,” he says.

Here’s how he cleared while practising as a CA:

1. Figure out your efficiency meter:

The schedule followed by each aspirant will vary according to what works best for them. While some aspirants choose to use the early morning hours to get a majority of the new syllabus covered, some others might do so late at night. Ishu says, “Figuring out which part of the day I was most and least efficient at helped me plan my study much better. I would finish new portions of the syllabus during my high-efficiency periods and keep the revision for a time when I was not as proficient.”

2. Focus on solving previous years’ question papers:

“Even though this is a point that anyone who has cleared the UPSC CSE will reiterate, sometimes aspirants fail to comply. I cannot emphasise the importance of this. One can understand the question pattern, the importance of certain topics and even how much weightage to give a topic,” he says. In his first attempt, this is something that Ishu did not do very diligently and says that he rectified the same for the second attempt.

3. Make every second count:

While preparing for the examination it is easy to lose track of time and sometimes this causes more time wastage. Ishu says that keeping track of every second is important. To make this work, Ishu devised what he describes as the “Tracking Formula”. “I took the help of technology while studying. I made an excel sheet in which I would key in whatever syllabus I covered in an hour. This helped me understand how well I was progressing and also kept me away from wasting time,” he adds.

4. Take on only as much as you can handle:

Since Ishu was a practising CA while preparing for UPSC CSE, he says it was important to prioritise. “I would only take on assignments and projects that I knew I could easily complete. I prioritised my preparation over the work I was doing. Practising as a CA was also imperative to stay in touch with the market and stay updated about all the new developments,” he says.

5. Do not make unnecessary compromises:

Sleep is a very important aspect of the life of an aspirant. “I never compromised on my sleep. I would ensure that I got between seven to eight hours of sleep every night. I have seen how lack of sleep can impact one’s judgment and levels of concentration. A balanced schedule will help you prepare well without the need to make such compromises,” he adds.

6. Preparation is location agnostic:

An aspirant shouldn’t bother with where they are while preparing. There is easy access to various content and preparatory material online, which aspirants can make good use of. He says, “Do not let the place you are from restrict your dreams and aspirations. Do not harbour any thoughts of competing with aspirants from bigger cities. Once the question paper is before you all that matters is your preparation.”

7. Cut the guilt out:

“I would constantly battle with thoughts of guilt when I was not studying. However, when I was spending time with my family I was thinking about all the time I could have used up preparing. I worked hard on removing this feeling of guilt from my life and that helped. Also, quality of your preparation trumps the quantity you put in,” he says. Ensure that you schedule a time to be with your family and friends alongside the time you spend preparing.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

“From where I come, even dreaming about clearing this prestigious examination is unheard of,” Pooja tells The Better India.

To set her “expectations well within limits”, Pooja’s father always said to her, “You can become anything other than a Bollywood actor, astronomer and IAS officer.”

Pooja adds, “I am the fifth daughter and I have a younger brother as well. My family’s quest for a boy child ended when he was born. My father has been serving as an office help in a private firm in Gurgaon for about 40 years and my mother has been a homemaker.” Her growing up years was filled with hardships. Many of them stemmed from their economic standing while some were driven by societal pressures.

“The community I belong to places undue importance on producing a male child. The thought is so deep-rooted that it has taken me years to fight it and bring about a change in their thought process,” she says. Pooja says that growing up in an environment so steeped in inequality and yet having to call that place home was always something that felt jarring to her.

‘Quest to clear UPSC CSE was deeply personal.’

“To be able to assert my identity at home, cracking this examination and doing well became essential,” she says.

Even though her parents tried to love each child in a similar manner, she says that the community she grew up in always remained inclined towards meting out special treatment to boys. “For instance, in my community, the birth of a male child is always celebrated with so much grandeur. However, the same is not the case when a girl child is born. These are small biases but they leave such a deep impact,” she shares.

What this did was help the sisters forge a very strong bond with each other. “We would bond and discuss this inequality at great lengths. It was during these discussions I felt the need to bring about a change,” she says. What seemed to work in Pooja’s favour was her academic excellence. She says every time she would score well, the happiness and joy her parents felt pushed her to do better and maintain that standard of excellence. “Those were the days when I would be showered with more love than my brother. I waited for those moments,” she says.

With six children to educate, feed and nourish, there were many instances where Pooja’s brother’s priorities were looked at first. “Depending on the family’s economic condition we all moved from private schools to government schools and also spent a few years in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) schools of Delhi. The expectation to excel in academics from each one of us was very high,” she recalls.

‘My success and failures are my own.’

Pooja says that she is a self-made person. “While my mother had never been to school, my father also was only educated until Class 8,” she says.

When in Class 7, Pooja says that she had read about Dr Devi Shetty and the amazing work he has done in the field of medicine. “I aimed to be ‘the next Dr Devi Shetty’. In Class 10, I appeared for a scholarship test, which was organised by an NGO called Avanti Fellows. I was one amongst the two students selected and that offered me a complete scholarship to attending coaching classes to pursue my dream of becoming a doctor,” she says.

While Pooja lost out on clearing the NEET exam by a few marks, she qualified for Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) and pursued the same from Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi. “I topped all four years of my examination in college,” she adds with pride.

“However,” she goes on, “The purpose for which I wanted to be in public service would not be served by me pursuing dentistry and that was when I decided to appear for the CSE. While I would have been financially very secure, I knew I would not feel that satisfaction I was looking for. I wanted to make myself a role model for every girl in my locality.”

‘I taught myself English by becoming a voracious reader.’

“My parents did not understand my desire to give up dentistry and prepare for the UPSC, but never once stopped me from doing it. My determination was something that came through very strongly. After a point, they had no choice but to support me,” she says.

The struggles came at every stage in Pooja’s life. From spending hours in the school library pouring over books in a quest to learn English, to making conversation in English to strengthen her skills. “I remember picking up The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank and not being able to follow the entire book. That was when I decided to learn the language just to be able to read more. I didn’t have the means to attend any extra class and so started learning by myself,” she says.

When she topped Class 8 her school principal handed her the Wren and Martin, a high school grammar and composition book, which then became her ‘go-to’. Some of the authors that she has enjoyed reading include Agatha Christie, Roald Dahl, J K Rowling and Arthur Conan Doyle. “My all-time favourite book is Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach,” she adds.

Until Pooja cleared the mains, her parents remained sceptical. She says that there was almost no expectation from her to clear CSE. “When the mains result was announced, I saw a complete change in their attitude. In fact, my mother became my biggest supporter. She would wake up early with me, sleep only when I slept and ensured that I remained calm and well-nourished all through my interview preparation stage,” she says.

“More than the result, the change in my parents’ attitude is my prize. I worked so hard only for this acceptance,” she says with a wide smile.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

She appeared for the examination in 2015 for the first time, and while she cleared the prelims, she was unable to clear the mains. In conversation with The Better India, she says, “It would not be right to say that I made major changes to my strategy between the first and second attempt. What did change was my approach and understanding of the examination, as well as my presentation skills.”

In her second attempt in 2016, Tejasvi got an All India Rank (AIR) of 12. She shares the changes she implemented for this to happen.

1. Start with the basics:

“NCERT textbooks must be used as your go-to resource book. Start with Class 9 books and make your way up to Class 12. While using these books, ensure that you have the syllabus in front of you, and keep ticking the portions you complete,” she says. Aspirants must ensure that they go through the syllabus thoroughly before they start their preparation journey.

2. Do not be afraid of failure:

In 2015, when Tejasvi appeared for the examination for the first time, she was a novice. On the learnings that first attempt left her with, she says, “Use the attempt to understand what is expected of you. However, it is important to give it your best. Do not treat the examination just as a way to gauge your strengths and weaknesses.”

3. Understand the static and dynamic portions:

“In General Studies, Paper 1 consists of topics like history and geography, which remain static. The resource material needed to prepare for these is also readily available and is standard. However, Paper 2 consists of dynamic portions, for which one should refer to the newspaper and be updated with the current affairs as well,” she says. Furthermore, for aspirants from non-economics backgrounds, getting their basics cleared will be beneficial before they begin their preparation.

4. Make your presentation unique:

“One way to ensure that your answer sheet stands apart is by working on your presentation skills. Aspirants can use various diagrams, unique structure and even flow charts to pen down their answers. This is sure to give your answers an edge. Embellish your answers with examples and case studies as and where applicable,” she says.

5. Practise makes perfect:

The art of writing good answers must be worked upon consistently. She says, “This will only come with practice and once aspirants are clear on what their answer content will be like. To be able to write good answers, aspirants must ensure they practice answer writing on a regular basis before the examination,” she says.

5. Choose optional wisely:

“Pick a subject you have a basic working knowledge of and interest in. I chose Economics because I had a degree in it,” she adds. Aspirants must not look at trends and marks while picking their optional papers. What works for one aspirant might not for another. Tejasvi adds that it is not only the interest, but also the ability to put in hardwork in the subject that matters.

6. Consider time as money:

“It is important for aspirants to be very prudent with their time management. Considering that the syllabus is vast, one needs to be very good at time management to cover it all and do justice to it. Break down the syllabus into smaller portions and set achievable targets for yourself,” she says. While dividing your time in preparation, also ensure that you give yourself adequate breaks to rejuvenate and recharge.

7. Watch topper talks:

“Another thing that helped was watching other batch toppers share their strategies and tips on preparing well. While the strategy one picks has to be most conducive for the individual aspirant, these videos and talks help find new ways of preparing. Also, find seniors from different batches to discuss topics and bounce off ideas,” she adds.

“The experience you gain by attempting the examination outweighs what you get by preparing for a longer period of time. Go ahead and attempt the paper,” she says.

Click here to access Tejasvi’s notes on Economics for her optional paper. 

(Edited by Divya Sethu)

Having failed to clear the UPSC CSE prelims in his first attempt in 2018, Shubham made some changes to the preparation strategy in his next two attempts in 2019 and 2020, which changed things for him.

Hailing from Katihar, a district in Bihar, he went on to pursue an engineering degree from IIT Bombay. While at IIT, during a corporate internship, Shubham says that he was certain of not wanting to be a part of the corporate sector.

On why he chose to attempt the UPSC CSE, he mentions that societal influence to get into administrative service always played on his mind. Speaking to The Better India, Shubham says, “For me, it was also a means to improve my socio-economic standing in society. The fact that being part of the administrative service allows one to make ground up changes was also a motivating factor for me.”

“A concrete plan of attempting the UPSC CSE came to me only during my final year of engineering.”

Pay close attention to the static portion of the syllabus:

Shubham says, “The static part of the syllabus forms the core of the prelims. A minimum of 55-60 questions comes from the static portion. To have a good understanding of the static portion, one must cover the syllabus with the basic textbooks (NCERTs) or any other source. Ideally, aspirants should not have more than one source for a particular topic.”

He goes on to say that aspirants must develop the ability to read and understand a question conceptually. “While appearing for the examination one must think clearly and use their intellect to take an informed guess,” he adds.

Aspirants will also be rewarded if they pay attention to the trends and analyse the past year’s question papers well.

Current affairs preparation:

Another very important part of the prelims paper is the current affairs. Shubham says, “Current affairs has to be read in tandem with the statics portion. I used PT 365 along with Google and online sources while preparing.” He also adds for those who are preparing from a monthly magazine, there is no need to go to PT 365.

For current affairs preparation relying on one source is good enough. If one feels the need to gather more information on a particular topic, Shubham recommends using Google.

Practice makes perfect: Embrace mock tests

Attempting mock tests is of prime importance for any aspirant preparing for the UPSC CSE. Shubham says, “One should attempt both sectional as well as full-length mock tests. One can attempt the sectional tests from any one coaching institute and the full-length tests from three or four different institutes.”

Shubham recommends attempting a minimum of 40 mock tests before appearing for the prelims. “Doing this will significantly reduce the errors and blunders that one might make. It will also increase the aspirant’s efficiency and comfort in attempting the exam. These mock tests have the potential to raise your overall score by at least 20 marks,” he adds.

During the last month aspirants should attempt at least 20 tests and must avoid attempting the mocks one week before the prelims, he says. “If you intend to perform like ace cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, then keep practising,” he adds.

Make time for revision:

While making the study schedule, an aspirant must ensure they have adequate time for at least three revisions before the paper. Helping aspirants plan this, Shubham says, “The last revision should happen four days before the exam date. One should allocate at least 20 days for the second revision and one month for the first revision.”

While revising, aspirants must cover static portions in-depth, limit current affairs but revisit the older studied topics well and focus on making fewer blunders while attempting the paper. “Good revision will help boost the confidence of the aspirants and it is good to go into the exam feeling good,” says Shubham.

Choose your optional paper wisely:

In his first attempt, Shubham had chosen civil engineering as his optional paper but decided to opt for anthropology in the next attempt in 2019. “I did this after spending a fair amount of time researching the optional topics, speaking to a few seniors and looking at previous years’ question papers.”

He says, “While attempting the optional paper, aspirants must draw on everything they have learnt thus far. Linking the topic and creating a larger picture will help one score better. Working on making your answers unique will result in a better overall score.”

Click here – Mission 2022 Prelims Strategy to access Shubham’s strategy tips and BOOKLIST_SHUBHAM KUMAR_pdf to access the resource list.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

Anisha secured an All India Rank (AIR) of 66 in the 2020 examination.

Speaking to The Better India, Anisha says, “After completing my graduation from Sriram College of Commerce (SRCC) in Delhi, I worked for a while before taking time off to prepare for the UPSC CSE. However, in my first attempt, which was in 2019, I felt severely underprepared for it.”

She started preparing for her second attempt armed with all the knowledge she gathered from her first attempt. “I felt way more confident and had spent time working on every mistake I made the first time around. In hindsight, I am glad I had that first experience. It made me stronger.”

Here are some of the strategies that worked for her:

1. Practice Makes Perfect:

Preparing for any competitive examination makes one believe in this adage – practice makes perfect. For Anisha as well the experience has been the same. “When I was preparing for the second attempt I made sure I got in a lot of practice work. As and when I would finish one part of the syllabus, I would attempt questions based on that part. That would help quick assessment,” she says.

2. Past Papers as First Port of Call:

“Looking at past papers is like drawing a ring and studying from that point of view. For example, a topic like climate change is vast and has various aspects to it. Studying it by looking at past papers will put things in greater perspective for one,” says Anisha. Doing this will help aspirants manage their time better and study topics that are important from an examination point of view.

3. Analyse Past Papers:

Aspirants must also analyse past papers well while preparing. Anisha says, “There are certain topics from which questions are asked year after year. A good analysis of the past papers will help aspirants find those patterns. This is a useful hack for both the prelims and the mains paper.” Sometimes there are questions that an aspirant might not cover even after studying from different sources, so past papers analysis is a must.

4. Find Your Comfort:

Anisha says that while she referred to previous years’ papers she did not actively solve each one. She explains, “I would not sit down for three hours and solve the paper. What I did was go over the answer in my head to every question asked. I would make notes for questions that needed me to make them, else I would just glance through and make mental notes.” Anisha also adds here that she made notes of and revisited questions that needed her to find deeper answers.

5. Timed Work:

Concerning approaching the questions, Anisha shares a rather interesting tip. She says, “When attempting the past papers always time yourself. Give yourself seven minutes to complete a 10-marker question and 11 minutes if it is a 15-marker. You have to work towards writing your answer within this time frame to maximise your chance of doing well.” This is what worked for Anisha and it would be prudent to find and set a time limit for yourself.

6. Speak it Out:

Given the sheer volume of data and statistics that aspirants need to remember while preparing, finding a technique to retain it all is important. For Anisha, speaking it out loud helped her retain it. She says, “Often after studying a topic I would discuss it with my parents over dinner. This would help reiterate the points and remember them. This was also a great way to revise without feeling the pressure of revision.”

​​7. Develop Your Own Understanding:

Aspirants must have an understanding of topics. Do not try to learn from notes made by others. “This is an examination that requires your input. Whether it is the notes you make or your understanding of a particular topic. Customise it to suit your own needs. Opt for coaching for subjects you feel it is needed,” she adds.

In conclusion, she says, “Enjoy the process. You have chosen to give this examination almost one year of your life – so soak it in. No matter what, all your learnings will always hold you in good stead.”

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

It is perhaps prudent to applaud the relentless efforts of Dr Sundaram in ensuring that forced migration from the hills is curtailed. Projects worth more than Rs 3,632 crore have strengthened the rural economy by giving a boost to the cooperative, farm and allied sectors.

Speaking to The Better India, Dr Sundaram says, “I come from a village called Thiruppathisaram in Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu. I pursued a degree in veterinary sciences and then went on to complete my Master’s in animal genetics and breeding from Tamil Nadu University. In 2001, I joined the civil service and was allotted to the Uttarakhand cadre.”

Being part of the administrative service allows one to reach many more people and serve the nation well, he says. Having worked on implementing several schemes in the state, he narrates the impact of a few.

Success in Horticulture

Dr Sundaram says, “The apples produced in Uttarakhand are now regarded as among the best in the market. With apple cultivation in the state covering 25,785 hectares and an annual production of over 62,000 metric tonnes, the major apple crop comes from Uttarkashi and Dehradun districts. More than 60 per cent of the fruit in Uttarakhand is produced in these areas.”

Now that apple cultivation has been established, Dr Sundaram says that the government wants to double the area under apple cultivation and is also moving the state’s 4.5 lakh farmers towards crop diversification to increase their income.

Mushroom cultivation, trout farming, aromatic plants, medicinal herbs, off-season vegetables, pulses, spices – all these are areas of focus for the state, he says.

Farm To Fodder Assistance

In the last three years, the total organic farming area in Uttarakhand, he claims, has witnessed a 23 per cent rise. “Out of the total agriculture area, 8 per cent of land was being used for organic farming in 2017 and this figure went up to 21 per cent in 2020.”

Even the number of farmers who have shifted to organic farming, he says, has seen a steady increase. In 2017-18, a total of 585 clusters with 2,92,50 farmers were involved in organic farming on 11,700 hectares of land. While in 2020-21, organic farming was being done by 4.59 lakh farmers on 2.18 lakh hectares of land.

Dr Sundaram says, “We have promoted organic farming through dedicated schemes of the Government of India, namely the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY). The scheme provides end-to-end support to organic farmers. Farmers are provided handholding for all stages of production including certification and marketing. Farmers are also supported for post-harvest management including processing and packing.”

“In this way, highly comprehensive support has been provided to organic farmers.”

Speaking about the Uttarakhand’s Mukhyamantri Ghasyari Kalyan Yojna (MGKY), Dr Sundaram says, “I am particularly excited about the impact this scheme has had. The purpose of the initiative is to empower the rural women of the state by reducing their burden of fodder collection and venturing into other income opportunities.”

The scheme is tailored to address a particular issue that is widely prevalent in Uttarakhand. With a livestock population currently at 47.94 lakhs, more than 70 per cent of the state’s population earns its livelihood from farming and livestock. Adding to this, Dr Sundaram says, “Up in the hills, it is usually the women who undertake the work of animal husbandry. Close to 88 per cent of the farming population believes that it is their [women] burden to bear. This is not just physically taxing on the women but also an exhausting process.”

Anita Devi, from Mansuna in Uttarakhand who is one of the beneficiaries of the program, says, “Being a part of the scheme has resulted in our cattle getting better nutrition and that in turn means an increase in the milk output. Additionally, more milk to sell has resulted in better income for us. I have been speaking about the benefits and have also got many others into this scheme.”

Dr Sundaram also points to a study conducted in Almora according to which women engaged in collecting fodder often experienced extreme pain in their shoulders, upper back, lower back and knees.

The women involved in this job would travel up to 8-10 hours on foot in search of fuel and fodder.

Anita says, “Up until now, we had to undergo a lot of stress to go and collect fodder. Many times we have also been injured in the process. This has significantly reduced the dangers that came with having to go and collect the fodder.”

The MGKY policy implemented by Dr Sundaram reduces the need to collect fodder under difficult circumstances. An increase in the availability of fodder by using scientific resources and tools to preserve crop remains and forage has helped reduce environmental pollution caused by burning forage and increased the income of farmers by devising ways to improve their health and milk-producing abilities of cattle within the state.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

When faced with such stark facts, it may seem like the efforts of so many individuals are having no impact at all. However, the story of an IAS officer from Ambala in Haryana is that perfect example of the folk wisdom that claims – even a sparrow can try to douse a forest fire.

In June 2021, Vikram Yadav joined as a district collector in Ambala and, within months, mobilised government machinery to prevent stubble burning over hundreds of acres of land. His actions led to an 80 per cent reduction in incidents reported, compared to the number of reports from 2020. Most importantly – he achieved this without the use of excessive force.

So how did he achieve that?

Speaking with The Better India, Vikram explains, “Farmers burn the stubble residue from wheat and paddy after the harvest season concludes. This is inevitable for farmers as they need to clear and prepare the ground for planting the crop for the next season, which is Rabi.”

Vikram says stubble burning is the preferred method due to the short gap between the two seasons.

“Burning stubble or agriculture waste is one of the quickest methods as it clears ground overnight. The other methods require at least 20 to 30 days – which delays the sowing process for the Rabi season,” he says.

Vikram added, “Soon after taking charge, I decided to prioritise the issue. Information from the state agriculture department revealed 5,328 cases reported across the state in 2020.”

He decided to address the issue with multiple interventions.

“After studying the data, the causes of incidents and exploring possiblew solutions, I took steps at multiple levels. I realised that it was mandatory to approach the farmers for in-situ and ex-situ waste management,” he says.

“Farmers need solutions to get rid of their stubble, but one size doesn’t fit all. Hence, it was important to offer the best-suited solution to them. We began by analysing the severity of the issues and demarcated areas into red and yellow zones. The red highlighted areas with more than six farm fires in a year, while yellow indicated up to five incidents,” he says, adding, “The exercise narrowed down eight red zones and 89 yellow zones.”

The district administration organised awareness campaigns and training across villages with the help of agriculture officers, deputy district collectors and other officers from various subdivisions.

“Farmer events and rallies were held by school and college students to create awareness of the hazards of stubble burning. Besides, public places such as fuel stations, walls and hoardings were also used to send an effective message to the locals,” he says.

Offering feasible alternatives

Beyond awareness, the officer worked to provide viable solutions to the farmers.

“Our focus was to reduce cases of farm fires in the red zone down to zero. We introduced smart seeder machines, shredders and other equipment with a government subsidy to mitigate farm waste. Other technological solutions such as a straw baler with a rack, a rotary slasher, a hydraulic reversible plough and others that turned the residue into fertiliser, were introduced to the farmers,” he says.

The farmers received the option to hire the equipment from Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) facilitated by the government or to purchase them outright.

Besides addressing the waste at the source, the IAS officer says, “The farmers were offered other commercial alternatives such as selling stubble to power plants.”

“Some farmers connected with local packaging industries as well. The stubble can also be used in mushroom growing, but the solution did not prove successful,” he claims.

The overall exercise lasted for months and reaped positive results. 702 cases were registered between September 15 and October 30, 2020. The number of cases registered dropped to 146 for the same corresponding time frame in 2021.

“The farmers also chose the options as they received immediate cash payments or money transfers in the waste management process. It became a motivational factor for them,” he says.

“Also, no police cases were registered against the violators, but 41 farmers received fines for burning farm waste,” Vikram says.

Nirmal Singh, a farmer from Dhurala village, says, “I rented and later purchased equipment to convert the stubble into fine organic matter. I also mixed the shredded stubble with the soil, which decomposed after spraying with water. Now my 25-acre land has much softer soil, and I expect it to help increase productivity.”

He also actively participates in awareness programmes to help the administration. “I have realised the damage smoke causes to the local environment and joined the cause. I can say that about 90 per cent of farmers are aware and have taken significant steps to stop stubble burning,” Nirmal adds.

However, Vikram aims to bring the numbers down to zero.

“Meetings and awareness campaigns have already begun for the upcoming season. More solutions and industrial collaborations are under the anvil, to offer more profitable options for farmers to manage farm waste. Some of which are tie-ups with CNG plants or industrial energy pipelines,” he says in closing.

“I hope the success of the initiative remains consistent in coming years, and it serves as a model for other farmers to prevent stubble burning,” he adds.

Edited by Vinayak Hegde

Speaking to The Better India, Dr Tanu says, “I chose to prepare on my own without enrolling for any coaching classes. In 2012, I gave my first attempt and that is where this journey began.” In her first attempt, she cleared the prelims and that was a boost to her confidence. Dr Tanu attempted the examination six times and says that each time she cleared the prelims and even reached the interview stage four times.

“It felt like destiny was playing tambola with me. I would lose out on a very slight margin every time,” she says.

Having gone through the rigours of this competitive examination, Dr Tanu shares some of the strategies that worked for her, while preparing,

1. Prelims Is a Screening Test:

“This is an examination that will test the expanse of your knowledge. Your general knowledge will be tested in this examination. Aspirants must ensure that they stick to the syllabus and complete it all,” says Dr Tanu. While one must do an extensive reading for the prelims it need not be exhaustive. Do not restrict yourself to one or two sources and ensure that you have a good well-rounded understanding of the subject.

“Concentrate on increasing your depth and breadth of knowledge on any given subject. That will hold you in good stead during the examination,” she adds.

2. Do Not Bank on Just One Source:

Aspirants must pick multiple text sources for each subject. “Do not bank on only one resource or book while studying,” says Dr Tanu. While the preparation for the prelims is vast, one must indulge in smart studying. “Keep one book or your notes as your base and thereafter look for other books and notes for further information that is missing from your base. Either make notes of the additional information or find another way of storing the new information,” she adds.

“While studying, develop the art of looking at the resource before you from an examiner’s point of view. Think of ways in which a question from that topic may be asked. This will help you prepare better,” she says.

3. Tweak Your Circle:

“While preparing for the examination, try and look at the bigger picture before you. There might be small sacrifices that you will have to make to succeed,” says Dr Tanu. While preparing for the examination, Dr Tanu says that she did not completely cut herself off from family and friends. What she did instead made a circle of friends who were as invested in clearing the UPSC examination.

“Choose the friends you wish to hang out with. I would consciously discuss current affairs and topics of interest with family and friends. All these are small steps but help in the overall preparation,” she says. You become the person you most interact with, so choose your circle wisely.

4. Make a Schedule You Can Stick to:

“Drawing up a schedule is easy, sticking to it is what often causes problems,” says Dr Tanu. While making a schedule one must be realistic and not over-ambitious. “Break down your schedule and ensure that whatever you pick for a day is completed by the end of the day. Do not let it roll over to the next day,” she adds. As one goes along optimal utilisation of time will also happen to make it easier to schedule.

“Once you complete your task it gives you a sense of achievement. That in turn makes scheduling an enjoyable process. Set a goal and once completed do treat yourself for it, it will keep you motivated,” she adds.

5. Show Utmost Honesty Towards Preparation:

If you have chosen to attempt the UPSC CSE it must be for reasons personal to you. Dr Tanu says, “Having seen aspirants do this to impress others or because they have been asked to is of no use. Giving this examination has been associated with gaining prestige and that motivates many aspirants as well. Do it, only for yourself. Doing it for someone else might not motivate you the same way. So, be completely honest with your intentions.”

The hard work an aspirant puts in for the preparation should not be for someone else. It is something that an aspirant does for themselves alone. “Remember that the hard work you are putting in is for yourself, not to please anyone else,” she adds.

6. Be Smart with Time and Resource Management:

“There are ample resources in the market to choose from. Be smart in picking what works for you the best. Make schedules that work for you and not generic timetables,” says Dr Tanu. With the number of resources available, always take on only as much as you can chew. This will help you prepare in a focused manner. Aspirants must also remember that no matter how many resources they prepare, what matters is their performance in the examination.

“The examiner does not know whether you are knowledgeable or not. The only thing that matters is what you write on your examination sheet. So, ensure that you are cohesive in your examination. Evaluate yourself frequently to keep getting better,” she adds.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

So, here’s a list of 10 books that one could refer to while preparing for Indian History.

1. India’s Ancient Past by RS Sharma

This book presents a complete and accessible description of the history of early India. It starts by discussing the origins and growth of civilisations, empires and religions. It also deals with the geographical, ecological, and linguistic backgrounds, and looks at specific cultures of the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, and Vedic periods, as well as at the Harappan civilization.

In addition, the rise of Jainism and Buddhism, Magadha and the beginning of territorial states, the period of Mauryas, Central Asian countries, Satvahanas, Guptas, and Harshavardhana are also analysed. Next, it stresses the varna system, urbanisation, commerce and trade, developments in science and philosophy and cultural legacy.

Finally, the process of transition from ancient to medieval India and the origin of the Aryan culture has also been examined.

Click here to buy this book.

2. History of Medieval India by Satish Chandra

Satish Chandra’s History of Medieval India is a comprehensive overview of the history of the Indian subcontinent between the 8th and 18th centuries. It focuses on:

• The histories of the Chola, Bahmani and Vijayanagara kingdoms
• The influence exerted by the Surs, Lodis, the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughals
• The importance of the Rajput kings and the Marathas
• Religious movements, such as Sufism and the Bhakti movement
• The changing political, economic and agrarian scene.

Click here to buy this book.

3. History of Modern India by Bipan Chandra

History of Modern India presents what is arguably an authoritative overview of the historical period known as British India. It moves away from a largely political narrative to offer:

• An explanation of conditions in 18th-century India that helped the British East India Company establish its rule.
• Important insights into the primary aim of colonial rule:
• The economic exploitation of India through trade and investment
• A detailed account of the nationalist movement
• An introduction to significant freedom fighters.

Click here to buy this book.

4. India’s Struggle For Independence by Bipan Chandra

This book by Bipan Chandra is a go-to book for an in-depth and detailed overview of the Indian independence movement. The Indian freedom struggle is one of the most important parts of its history. A lot has been written and said about it, but there remains a gap. Rarely do we get to hear accounts of the independence from the entire country and not just one region at one place.

This book fits in perfectly in this gap and also provides a narration on the impact this movement had on the people. Bipin Chandra’s book is a well-documented history of India’s freedom struggle against British rule. It is one of the most accurate books which have been painstakingly written after thorough research based on legal and valid verbal and written sources.

It maps the first war of independence that started with Mangal Pandey’s mutiny and witnessed the gallant effort of Sri Rani Laxmi Bai. Many of the pages of this book are dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi’s non-cooperation and the civil disobedience movements. It contains a detailed description of Subash Chandra Bose’s weapon heavy tactics and his charisma. This book includes all the independence movements and fights, irrespective of their size and impact, covering India in its entirety.

It is a good read for the students of Indian modern history and especially for students who are preparing for the UPSC examination and have taken History as their subject.

Click here to buy this book.

5. Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania

The author has provided a wide-ranged knowledge base on Indian art, paintings, music and architecture with the help of several pictures and diagrams which he believes will help arouse the reader’s interest. The content is also supported with a plethora of questions that will help students to prepare for the examination.

Click here to buy this book.

6. India After Independence: Bipan Chandra

The story of the forging of India, the world’s largest democracy, is a rich and inspiring one. This volume, a sequel to the best-selling India’s Struggle for Independence, analyses the challenges India has faced and the successes it has achieved in the light of its colonial legacy and the century-long struggle for freedom.

It covers the framing of the Constitution and the evolution of the Nehruvian political and economic agenda and basics of foreign policy; the consolidation of the nation and contentious issues like party politics in the Centre and the states, the Punjab problem, and anti-caste politics and untouchability. These, along with objective assessments of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Jayaprakash Narayan, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Rajiv Gandhi, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, constitute a remarkable overview of a nation on the move.

Click here to order this book.

7. The Wonder That Was India: AL Basham

AL Basham’s The Wonder that was India is a brilliant early history of one of the oldest civilisations. When it was first published in the United Kingdom in 1954, it became an instant hit, as it would in the United States a few years later. Since then it has consistently found an avid readership all over the world. It’s been translated into many languages and has educated and entertained generations of general readers, serious students and travellers to India.

Click here to order this book.

8. India After Gandhi: Ramachandra Guha

Born against a background of privation and civil war, divided along lines of caste, class, language and religion, independent India emerged, somehow, as a united and democratic country. Ramachandra Guha’s hugely acclaimed book tells the full story – the pain and the struggle, the humiliations and the glories – of the world’s largest and least likely democracy.

Click here to buy this book.

9. Ancient and Medieval India: Poonam Dalal Dahiya

Combining storytelling and historical analysis, the book Ancient and Medieval India by Poonam Dalal Dahiya reveals a fascinating legacy covering all important aspects meant for the aspirants of the UPSC as well as various other State public service examinations.

This is the most popular credit-by-examination book that has helped many students target UPSC and State-level examinations. This book comes with exclusive chapter-wise practice questions. Additionally, the book is bicolour with highlighted important contents for the students to focus on and includes a detachable chart that gives a chance for complete revision at a glance.

Click here to buy this book.

10. From Plassey to Partition: A History of Modern India- Sekhar Bandyopadhyay

This is an eminently readable account of the emergence of India as a nation. It covers about 200 years of political and socio-economic turbulence. Of particular interest to the contemporary reader will be sections such as Early Nationalism: Discontent and Dissension, Many Voices of a Nation and Freedom with Partition. On the one hand, it converses with students of Indian history and on the other, it engages general and curious readers. Few books on this crucial period of history have captured the rhythms of India’s polyphonic nationalism as From Plassey to Partition.

Click here to buy this book.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

But what happens at this foundation course at LBSNAA? From the physical training (PT) sessions to the compulsory language course — three civil servants from different batches help us understand all this and more.

“One very interesting thing about LBSNAA is that you never get tired of the place even though it is situated in the mountains and needs daily mini treks from the hostel to classes,” writes Naveen Kumar Chandra, a civil servant from the 2017 batch.

Answering a question on Quora, Naveen says that an interesting fact about LBSNAA is that it is home to civil servants from Bhutan as well.

Officers from Maldives and Myanmar also visit LBSNAA for various training programs.

Manjul Jindal, an officer from the 2017 batch writes about life at LBSNAA in his Quora post. He says a day in the life of an officer trainee (OT) begins on the polo grounds, which in itself is a 2 km walk from the hostel. The training session is followed by a good scrumptious breakfast at the officer’s mess. This is also a good time for OTs to catch up with each other.

The structured class schedule begins at 9.30 am and gets done by 4.00 pm. He writes, “Professors from Indian Institute of Management’s (IIM), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi University (DU), etc. come to deliver subject-specific matters such as social marketing, environmental economics, etc. Officers of various services are invited to deliver lectures on their experiences tied with some things we need to know.”

What is interesting is the exposure that OTs get to various other sports and hobby building exercises.

From trekking, hiking, running to village visits – there are various activities that one can participate in. At the academy, OTs also have a chance to display their talents at various events like India Day. During these events, OTs practise dance, music and theatre performances.

Bhavesh Mishra, a 2015 batch officer shares how the foundation course is designed in such a way that it breaks the shackles of belonging to a particular service, region or cadre. It promotes intermingling between the OTs at every stage. “No two roommates can belong to the same service. A North Indian OT is paired with a South Indian OT,” he writes.

The ice-breaking sessions and the seating pattern in the lecture hall are also designed in such a way that each OT gets to know others. There is a lot of emphasis on group work as well. He further writes, “After three months of training, it’s usually the case that our best friends mostly belong to other services. And the final day of the foundation course is heart-wrenching. Everyone gets emotional.”

Many officers also recollect the time spent at Ganga Dhaba, a 90-year-old dhaba that has fed many OTs over the years in Mussoorie.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

Lakshay believes that ‘self-study is better than any coaching’. In his Twitter thread, he shares a list of suggested study material and key tips to help aspirants crack the exam.

1. Stick to A Schedule:

Lakshay urges aspirants to try and spend between 30 to 45 minutes every morning reading the newspaper. In his tweet, he specifically mentions that one should not spend over an hour reading the newspaper. This should be followed with aspirants spending between four to five hours studying. As the examination approaches, increase this time to six to seven hours and finally to nine to 10 hours of study time.

In their schedule, he says that aspirants must also carve out time for physical activities like jogging, running or even general games. He urges aspirants to get between seven to eight hours of sleep as well. It is important to stay connected with family and friends, he also urges aspirants to refrain from isolating themselves. Even on social media channels, he says to be mindful of the time they spend on it. But there is no need to cut oneself off it.

“Quality matters, not quantity,” he wrote.

2. Space Out Your Subjects:

Lakshay’s suggestion for aspirants is to begin preparation with Polity. He says one should spend 15 days on it and alongside this, one can also read through the Economics portion. During this first read, he says one need not go into the finer details. Read through to get a sense of what the subject entails. Once they have done this for 15 days, he says to spend a day revising and collating all they have read through.

Aspirants can follow this by attempting the prelims of Polity paper by Vision IAS. He emphasises that they also spend time looking through the answers. One does not need to enrol for a specific test series, these are available for access online and one should use them well. Target on completing Polity and Economics, along with answering test series in three months.

Once done, aspirants can move on to Modern History and Geography. The target to complete this should be between two and two and a half months. The next subjects could be Environment and Science, which one should aim at completing within one and a half months.

Aspirants should set aside 20 to 30 minutes every day for revising what they learnt the previous day. This way they will be able to strengthen their concepts well.

General Points:

· Solve test series. Do not invest in joining any online coaching for test series. One can access them online or purchase them for a nominal amount.
· Focus on revising everything that you learn.
· Do not refer to multiple sources or content material. Stick to the traditional book list.
· Discuss topics with friends and seniors to get a better understanding.
· Do not give more than 45 minutes to reading the daily newspaper.

To access the Twitter account, click here.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

Born in the tiny village of Ralegan in Maharashtra’s Ahmadnagar district to a father who worked as a tailor and a mother who worked as a daily wage worker on farms, Vijay grew up seeing his parents toil all day long to make both ends meet.

Earning just about Rs 200 a day, his parents were constantly worried about providing their children with two square meals a day. Money was always scarce, and even bare necessities were unimaginable.

The only thing Vijay had ever had in abundance during childhood was a burning desire to lessen his parents’ worries and to do them proud. And all through his life, he did just that.

“Despite living in such hardship, both my parents were firm in their shared belief that this situation would not determine how far their children would go in life. From a young age, my parents taught me the importance of education and how it could change our lives for the better. My sister and I may have never had any toys in our childhood, but we never lacked the stationery required to attend the local Zilla Parishad school. The school was always a priority”, Vijay tells The Better India.

A voracious reader, Vijay was always among the top performers at school — in the 10th board exams and his 12th board examinations. Having grown up in a drought-prone village with high poverty levels and very little development, he decided to become a doctor and serve the underprivileged. However, despite getting a college seat to pursue MBBS, he had to drop this dream due to the family’s financial circumstances.

“We were still living in poverty, and I needed to start earning as soon as possible. The 7-8 years needed to make a career in the medical profession was something I couldn’t afford. I had a younger sister, and as was common in those days, my parents were worried about her marriage. Plus, we would have needed to take a huge loan. Any failure would have meant disaster for the family”, says Vijay.

Vijay decided to do something that would lead to a job immediately.

Choosing a Diploma in Education (D.Ed) after careful consideration, he completed it and joined as a primary teacher at a government school in the nearby Nevasa taluka within six months. A steady salary from this job went a long way in assuaging his parents’ worries while also helping him do his graduation via distance education.

But Vijay always felt he could have achieved more. His father also sensed this constant thought in Vijay’s mind and encouraged him to prepare for the state civil service exam.

“My father would tell me that studying for an exam is never a loss. It is always a win-win. If I qualify and get a better job, it would be great. But even if I didn’t, I would have gained precious knowledge while still having my current job. He also pointed out that it would help me become a better teacher as well”, recalls Vijay.

These words would go on to help Vijay several times in his journey. Inspired by them, he decided to prepare for Maharashtra State Civil Service (MPSC) exam. Covering the vast syllabus wasn’t an easy task, but he persevered, sticking to a strict routine of working by day and studying by night.

In his first two attempts, Vijay failed to crack the exam. Naturally, he was disappointed, but his parents never let his spirits drop. On the contrary, they constantly bolstered up his belief in himself, so Vijay decided to quit his job and dedicate all his time to a final attempt.

The decision paid off when he cracked the MPSC exam on his third attempt and became a Sales Tax Inspector in Ahmadnagar. In the following year, he also cleared the exam for the post of Tehsildar.

“With every success in these exams, my confidence kept increasing. Also, during this time, I met the then-District Collector of Ahmadnagar, IAS officer Sanjeev Kumar, who encouraged me to attempt the UPSC Civil Service Examination. I took up his suggestion – despite getting very little study leave for preparations”, says Vijay.

Vijay decided not to take any coaching and would study hard in the little time he would get before and after his duty hours. Since he still struggled with English, he chose to give the exam in Marathi, which made preparation more challenging since little study material was available in the language. But, as they say, fortune favours the brave. In 2012, he cracked UPSC CSE in his first attempt and earned the rank of an IAS officer.

When asked what was crucial in his success, Vijay says, “It was the confidence lent by my father’s words and the safety net of my job that let me attempt UPSC CSE with very little fear or pressure. I wasn’t worried about not qualifying. I just wanted to give my best. What also held me in good stead were five years of making notes for the state civil service exam.”

Vijay’s first posting as an IAS officer was in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district. He has since penned a Marathi book ‘Aajcha Diwas Maza’, where he described his struggles, journey, and the sacrifices his parents had made to raise their children. Today, he lives with his proud parents and continues to work proactively towards transforming Odisha.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vijay earned much public acclaim for kickstarting a slew of popular initiatives as the collector of Ganjam. This district has been hit by Cyclones Fani, Yaas and Amphan.

“A large number of migrant workers from this district work in Surat and Mumbai. During the first wave of the pandemic in India, four lakh of them returned home at once, making it a massive task to trace, quarantine, test and treat the positive cases. We began providing food packets, sanitisers and transportation to Temporary Medical Camps (TMC) for a mandatory quarantine stay to each of these returnees. An incentive of Rs 15,000 (to be given post-quarantine) was also announced. And since most of these TMCs had been set up in schools, we used the skills of the migrant labourers to beautify and repair all the school campuses – as employment under MGNREGS “, shares Vijay,

Ganjam was among India’s first districts to promulgate Section 144 of CrPc to restrict gatherings of five or more people. In addition, all Tahsildars of the district were declared as ‘Incident Commanders’ under the Epidemic Diseases Act to enforce the prevention guidelines. A fine enforced wearing a mask, and special squads ensured that shopkeepers followed social distancing norms in their stores.

Even though these measures helped the district stay Covid-free for almost two months, Vijay boosted the district’s health infrastructure to handle an increased load. A 200 bed COVID hospital with 50 ICU beds was prepared in 15 days by Vijay and his team, who worked round-the-clock to make this happen. Three other COVID hospitals, eight COVID Care Centres, and a 20KL Liquid Medical Oxygen plant was set up. Door-to-door screening was also conducted in the district that has a population of over thirty-five lakh, with Rs 50 lakh offered to the family of every frontline worker who lost their lives while doing their duty.

Even when the cyclonic storm Yaas hit Ganjam in May 2021, Vijay managed to keep the district running with timely evacuations and the equipping cyclone shelters with an adequate supply of medical oxygen, hospital beds and doctors for Covid-19 patients.

All this was done when most of the country was struggling to meet the logistical challenges that a deadly second wave posed.

Vijay also launched an initiative under which anybody who provided a tip-off about an upcoming child marriage would get a cash reward of Rs 5,000. The informer’s identity would be kept a secret. Unsurprisingly, the idea was a resounding success – 38 child marriages were prevented in a few months!

“Though many people know about such child marriages being organised, they rarely inform the administration, fearing backlash from the families and the village leaders. The anonymity and cash award we offered motivated these people to come forward and flag cases, thus saving many young girls,” says Vijay.

Vijay followed this by revamping 60 government schools — sanitation and hygiene were improved, staff requirements were filled, smart labs and libraries were installed, and their functioning was monitored. He also launched the ‘Jala Ghanti’ (Water Bell) initiative to help students stay hydrated and make drinking water frequently a habit.

You can identify me?Standing with my students. It’s trip to Konjai Hill nearby the Dattawadi School, where I was working as a primary teacher. We use to go for trip in month of Shravan. Just was going with old album. pic.twitter.com/YvgyQuh5Ju

— Vijay IAS (@Vijaykulange) August 13, 2021

Having had personally witnessed the difficulties of farmers and farm workers back in his village, Vijay has also launched the TARA scheme to increase farm incomes through crop diversification and training in techniques such as mulching, moisture conservation, micro-irrigation and more.

In fact, during the pandemic, the Ganjam district used MGNREGS funds worth over Rs 50 Crore to help marginalised farmers improve their earnings.

The best example of this stunning impact is the story of B Chakradhara Reddy, a poor farmer who makes a living by selling milk from his four cows. Due to a scarcity of fodder and the lack of a shed to shelter his cows, milk production fell drastically during the pandemic, leaving him struggling to make ends meet till he applied for the TARA scheme.

“Without spending any of my savings or taking any loans, I got a cattle shed, a compost pit, a soak pit, a fodder production unit and a farm pond – all through MGNREGS funds released through the TARA scheme. As a result, my cows are much healthier and producing double the milk they would give earlier. I am also using their dung to grow vegetables and fodder. As for the pond, I have learnt the basics of pisciculture, and I will start practising it soon”, says B Chakradhara, relief and gratitude evident in his voice.

Schools in Ganjam, Odisha. Now school transformation is becoming campaign in Odisha pic.twitter.com/fm3J0pIxOQ

— Vijay IAS (@Vijaykulange) November 17, 2021

The list of IAS Vijay Kulange’s initiatives is a very, very long one – he is also the brain behind ‘Rajaswa Rath’, an innovative idea that takes revenue services such as updation of land records and issuing of certificates to the doorsteps of people. All district collectors in Odisha have now been told to emulate Ganjam’s example and implement this idea.

While this infectious passion for public service has fetched him widespread respect in the official circles, his instinctive thoughtfulness has endeared him deeply to the people of Odisha. Even apart from his work, his journey of chasing his dream with a single-minded focus is nothing short of inspirational.

However, he wears this praise lightly. “It wasn’t easy, but I was willing to work hard for it and was determined to succeed. That is what got me through,” concludes the IAS officer.

(Edited by Vinayak Hegde)

Having cleared the exam in his fifth attempt, in this conversation with The Better India, he explains how he made a few changes in the way he attempted the paper to boost his score by almost 80 marks.

One of the reasons he kept going was his wish to fulfil his mother’s dream.

“My mother had expressed her desire to see me become an administrative officer. That was the driving force. I am glad I have been able to achieve this,” he says.

Having grown up in Andhra Pradesh, Sai moved to Vellore where he was enrolled at Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) in Tamil Nadu. Here, he pursued his engineering degree and subsequently worked in Pune and Bengaluru before he resigned and started preparing for the UPSC CSE.

While Sai did not refer to any new material for his subsequent methods, he learnt how to study better and also how to approach the examination.

Here’s what he did differently the fifth time around.

1. Focus On Execution

There are times when aspirants are well versed with the topics in the exam but are unable to put forth their points well. This leads to scoring fewer marks. Sai says, “I used to write only limited points in each answer. Those would be the ones that I felt were most important. However, this time I made sure to focus on the quality of content I was putting out and not just quantity.”

Every half mark or one mark earned additionally in a question will add up and in the end, be almost 180 marks. “This was one way by which I increased my overall score by almost 90 marks,” he adds.

2. Every Topic; Small or Big is Important

Aspirants sometimes tend to neglect certain topics in their general studies (GS) paper. For example, while preparing for GS2, aspirants might not give enough importance to governance. “In the GS 3, most aspirants tend to focus on economics and place less emphasis on science and technology and internal security. While in my first few attempts I also made that mistake, I rectified it by giving these topics equal time and weightage while preparing,” he says.

In doing this, Sai feels that he was able to attempt more questions with confidence and that also helped boost his overall score.

3. Divide Your Time Equally

“At the time of attempting the paper, aspirants end up spending more time on questions they are sure about while giving less time to the ones they are unsure of. Irrespective of the knowledge I had about a particular topic, I ensured that I gave equal time to all the questions this time,” he says. He urges aspirants to look at the paper with clinical eyes and not get carried away with emotions on seeing topics they know very well.

“The marginal utility in spending more time on topics you know well is very low. So, refrain from it,” he adds.

4. Seek Help When Needed

Preparing for UPSC CSE can be a long and taxing process. There are many instances when aspirants might feel like giving up and to that, Sai says, “Be clear about why you have chosen to write the exam. As and when the need arises please seek help from other officers or seniors who can offer help and assistance. Do not at any point hold yourself back when it comes to seeking help.”

Speaking from experience, he says, “Initially, I had to rely on my self-correcting methods. It was only later that I reached out to seniors who had cracked the UPSC CSE.”

5. Analyse Every Small Mistake

With every failed attempt Sai urges aspirants to spend time analysing the mistakes. “There is no better way to learn. This also ensures that the same mistakes are not repeated. Work on strengthening your plusses and work harder on your flaws. Even when you attempt mocks, spend time on analysing the mistakes,” he says.

6. Do Not Undermine Competition

“In my first attempt, I felt that I undermined the competition that this examination attracts. While it is important to assess your strengths and weaknesses before you attempt this examination, one must also understand that your performance will be seen in comparison to others,” he says. Therefore, being aware is extremely critical to succeed in this exam.

7. Practice For The Interview

This was the third time that Sai was appearing for the interview and he says that the difference this time was in the practice he put in. “My brother was also preparing for the UPSC CSE along with me. This helped since we spent time quizzing each other and discussing topics. It is beneficial to find someone whom you can discuss topics with while preparing for the interview,” he says.

Appearing for mock interviews is also another way to help you prepare. Aspirants must ensure that they are constantly trying to better their understanding of current affairs.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

In the context of answering the essay paper in the Union Public Service Commission’s (UPSC) Civil Service Examination (CSE), googlies can throw an aspirant off track.

The essay paper, for instance, is for a total of 250 marks with each essay carrying 125 marks. A score above 125 is considered good, while most aspirants score an average of 110 to 125 in the essay paper.

We speak to Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers who have cleared the CSE to find out the best strategy to adopt for such unexpected questions. We ask five officers their approach while answering the essay paper when the topics are abstract and philosophical.

T Prateek Rao who secured one of the highest marks (147) in his essay section in 2020 says, “Remember that the essay question is the same for everyone and the distinction you can bring about in your essay is how you showcase your personality in it. For example, I had written a poem about women and if I had the opportunity I would incorporate the poem in my essay.”

“Embellishing the essay with relevant quotes that you have read will also help in ensuring your essay gets more marks.”

Making the essay relatable to the examiner is also an important aspect. “Starting the essay with an anecdote, story or an incident will help grab the examiner’s interest immediately.” Adding to this, Prateek says, “Showcasing your creative side is also a sure-shot way of breaking the monotony and boredom that the examiner might be going through reading so many essays.”

Satyam Gandhi who secured an All India Rank (AIR) of 10 in CSE 2020, says, “UPSC CSE essays are getting philosophical and not all aspirants will be able to attempt it without some sort of prior understanding of the topic. For this, reading non-fiction books and expanding your understanding of the world around you will help.” He also urges aspirants to spend up to an hour each day just on reflection.

“The conventional approach of having a knowledge bank ready to attempt the essay question is also a good practice to follow. The numerous examples in your knowledge bank will help add value to your work.”

“To tackle unexpected questions in the essay paper, use your imagination to come up with an interesting essay,” he adds.

Sonalika Jiwani who secured an AIR of 192 in 2016 says, “There are two kinds of essay questions — topical and abstract. The approach for both these is different. The topical essay question requires an understanding of all major subjects like environment, governance and a familiarity with the ideologies of scholars.”

Concerning abstract questions, she says, “A style where thoughts ascend logically with proper justification, provoking the examiner’s thoughts and leaving them with something to think about would be a good approach.” So, while writing an essay, especially for abstract topics, always make a rough sketch of the essay first. This will help you stay with the topic and not get carried away with your thoughts.

She suggests framing four to five different perspectives that you will address through the essay before you begin writing it.

Nishant Jain who secured an AIR of 13 in 2015 says, “As much effort and time aspirants give other topics while preparing, one must allot the same to essay preparation. Attempting one essay every 15 days during the time you are preparing will push an average score to good and a good score to excellent.” From the options that are provided, picking two essay topics to attempt is also an art, which one can develop over time, he says.

“Pick a topic that you feel familiar with – whether you have read something on the topic or have some knowledge about it. Half the battle is won if you choose the right topic.”

“While attempting the essay always bring the attention back to the topic, do not deviate too much from the central theme,” he adds.

Devyani Yadav who secured an AIR of 11 in 2020 says, “The essay paper would, until last year, contain philosophical and a regular essay. Aspirants must ensure that they attempt the philosophical questions when working on the mock papers. Along with that, while the essay question might be abstract, one can base the essay on facts. Ensure that you cohesively present your points.”

“Even in an abstract question aspirants can find ways to bring out all the elements of essay writing that they have worked on. Try and write real-life anecdotes and examples even in such abstract questions.”

“The structure for the abstract and general questions is also the same, so concentrate on all these points,” she adds.

In an interview with The New Indian Express, Shubhra Ranjan, a UPSC exam expert, said, “UPSC just does not want information gatherers. Rather the focus is on creative thinking. Overall, the approach was to make an aspirant think, deconstruct and then express, rather than just some assortment of facts. One needs a deeper understanding and reading of standard texts around broad socio-political issues.”

A common point that all officers mention is the need to read. To be able to write well, one must read. That is the first step in ensuring that your writing keeps getting better. Aspirants must develop the habit of reading and must also try and read on a range of topics and genres. Non-fiction reading will help aspirants develop their thinking and might also help when it comes to attempting the essay paper.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

After giving this exam five years of her life, Devyani shares her learnings with other aspirants. In 2014, Devyani graduated in Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering from the Goa Campus of BITS Pilani. Thereafter she took up a job with the private sector. “During my stint, I realised my aptitude was most suited for government service and I started preparing for the UPSC CSE,” Devyani tells The Better India.

Devyani’s father, Vinay Singh, has also been part of the administrative services as Hisar’s Divisional Commissioner. “A lot of my understanding of the services stems from having seen him work. Being able to make a difference at ground level was one of the major reasons I chose to appear for the exam,” she adds.

Devyani attempted the UPSC CSE for the first time in 2015 and again in 2016, however in both these attempts she was unable to clear the prelims.

In 2017, she made progress and reached the interview stage but did not find her name in the final list. In 2018, her fourth attempt, she secured an AIR of 222 and was allotted to the Central Audit Department.

She was undergoing probation when she appeared for the exam again in 2019.

Devyani shares her learnings with future aspirants:

1. Focus on your weakness:

While aspirants work hard on topics they are well-versed with, Devyani says equal, if not more, attention must be given to your weaker subjects. “Prioritise the topics that you feel are your weaker links. Make sure you stick to standard books and do not spend time on new content. Even while attempting mocks and analysing the answers, make sure you spend time on understanding the mistakes you have made,” she says.

Adding to this, she says, “Focus on limited resources while ensuring that you spend maximum time in revision.”

2. Quality trumps quantity:

An aspirant can spend all their time in preparation and still not get the desired results. Therefore, it is important to spend productive and quality time in preparation. “When I attempted the exam for the fifth time I was on probation. My work took up a lot of time throughout the week. However, I ensured that I put in double the effort during the weekends. Planning the schedule also helped in covering the syllabus efficiently.”

Approaching the exam with a concerted plan, she says, is what helped her secure a good rank in her fifth attempt.

3. Mock tests as self-evaluation tools:

Mock tests are a great way of self-evaluation. Devyani recommends solving a minimum of 40 tests before attempting the exam. “With each passing year, the UPSC CSE paper is getting more unpredictable. The more mocks you attempt the better your understanding will be. While attempting the mocks it is important not to get bogged down or overly confident with the mock scores. Use it only as a tool for analysis,” she says.

Spending an equal amount of time in the mock paper analysis will be beneficial to aspirants.

4. Sharpen your reading skills:

In an attempt to complete the paper quickly, aspirants might sometimes misread the question.
Devyani says, “Being able to read and understand exactly what is being asked of you is crucial to doing well in the exam. For example, a simple true or false question might be misread leading to loss of marks. While the question might ask aspirants to mark the ‘not true’ statements, not reading it correctly, might lead to the wrong answer in itself. So, learn to read with a critical eye.”

Given the negative marking that the paper carries, stay away from making these small errors.

5. Strike a good balance:

Since the paper carries negative marks for wrong answers, aspirants must be confident of marking their answers. “Striking a good balance between answering questions you are unsure about and completely unaware of is an important aspect. It is preferable to answer a few extra questions so that even if you get a few wrong, the average is high. I would attempt between 85 to 90 questions.”

6. Bring honesty to your preparation:

“Being 100 per cent honest with yourself while preparing is very important. No matter how many attempts you have given, approach each exam with a clear mindset. Overconfidence and underconfidence should both be kept away from you,” says Devyani. At every stage of preparation, aspirants must continue to be optimistic about it. That frame of mind also helps approach the exam better.

Stay as positive as you can to be able to tackle the vagaries of the UPSC CSE.

7. Devise your note-making strategy:

Structure your notes by the time you have to prepare. “Notes should not be a reproduction of what you have read in the book. It must be put down in your own words. The notes should only have details that need to be revised at a later stage. Optional paper requires extensive reading and making notes for that is prudent. However, content for general studies is readily available in note format, so you can skip it,” says Devyani.

Use technology to your advantage while making notes – there are plenty of applications that make it easy to store details.

8. Find online content that works:

Various online portals are useful for aspirants. Devyani shares the name of a few – Study IQ, which is a portal that does topic wise analysis of different issues. This helps in forming opinions on a wide range of topics. Mrunal and Insights on India are two other portals that Devyani found useful during her preparatory journey. “A lot of my answer writing skills were bettered by reading some of the answers that would be put out on these portals. It gave me a good understanding of how answers can be best structured,” she says.

Watching videos of toppers talking about their journey is also inspirational and has many takeaways for aspirants.

9. Go through previous prelim papers:

Pick the last 10 years’ prelims paper and ensure that you go through them with a fine-tooth comb. “Not just the questions but also spend time on looking at the options provided in the paper. There are times when an option can be asked as a full-fledged question the next year. Therefore, going through the prelims papers with this in mind will help you prepare better.”

Once you solve the prelims papers, set time aside to analyse and work on your mistakes as well.

10. Focus on presentation:

As much as content is important, remember that presentation is also a key aspect. With the examiner having to mark several answer sheets a day, making your answers stand out will hold you in good stead. “A few small tweaks while answering the paper can help. Underline the part that you want to draw attention to. If you are mentioning some statistic or a quote, draw attention to it by either writing it in bold or by highlighting it. You can also use visual content, like diagrams, maps or flowcharts to accentuate your answers.”

Do what you can within the time frame you are given. Do not spend extra time on making visual content or highlighting important points.

In conclusion, she says, “There is no alternative to hard work. This exam demands your respect and if successful, the gains are very high. So just stay focussed.”

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

At the centre of this chaos were many IAS officers who went out of their way to meet the surging healthcare demand. Among them was IAS officer Guruprasad Mohapatra, Gujarat-cadre officer from Odisha.

As Secretary of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), he was instrumental in providing oxygen and medication to several hospitals, thus giving many a fighting chance.

“In mid-April, I got an SOS call from a hospital [that was] fast running out of oxygen… There was not much I could have done as a deputy secretary, disengaged from the field. Grasping at straws, I forwarded the message to Mohapatra. An ‘OK’ followed. Within four hours, the hospital had oxygen. It was only much later that I realised that he himself was unwell,” Rai Mahimapat Ray, an IAS officer serving in the Ministry of Finance, wrote for Livemint.

“For him, this was the most important thing [to ensure oxygen supply], because everyday was a difficult situation. I remember him working throughout Sunday (April 19, 2021), the day he was hospitalised. And, when he was taken to the ICU, he continued to coordinate efforts from there. To him, work was worship,” recalled Anjali Mohapatra, his wife, to The Hindu.

On 19 June, exactly two months later, Mohapatra succumbed to COVID-19, leaving a void among his friends, family, and the civil service fraternity.

In Dr. Guru Prasad Mohapatra’s untimely death,India has lost an able administrator. A pioneer, he made unparalleled contributions in reforming the urban development landscape in Gujarat, led many public enterprises with distinction and also steered the commerce & aviation sector. pic.twitter.com/CL6tyj4PQD

— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) June 19, 2021

For his bravery of indirectly saving so many lives despite his ill-health, he is being honoured with Padma Shri this year.

In an episode of Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Guruprasadji was diagnosed with coronavirus. He was admitted to the hospital, and at the same time, was performing his official duties. He toiled day and night to increase the oxygen producing capacities of the country, and to ensure that oxygen reached far flung areas.”

But Mohapatra’s contribution as a civil servant was beyond the coronavirus-induced pandemic. As an administrative officer, he made several infrastructural developments for people’s welfare, and went on to inspire many, including civil service aspirants.

To celebrate him being felicitated with India’s fourth-highest civilian honour, and the legacy he left behind, we look at his extraordinary efforts since he took charge in 1987.

Of growth and development

Mohapatra was born in Bhubaneshwar to famous Odia writer and Sahitya Akademi award winner, Mohapatra Nilamani Sahu. He studied in Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, where he also met his wife Anjali.

He cleared the UPSC in 1986 and joined Gujarat’s administrative service.

As Surat’s Municipal Commissioner, Mohapatra brought in investments to finance infrastructure projects including solid waste management. He is also known for promoting heritage conservation as the Municipal Commissioner of Ahmedabad. During his tenure, the Sabarmati and Kankaria lakefront projects were beautified and developed.

As the chairman of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), he led the privatisation of six airports and expansion of aviation infrastructure in tier-III cities under the Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik scheme.

As part of DPIIT, he worked to facilitate the ease of doing business and helped India move up 14 positions on the global chart.

It was due to his impeccable trading acumen that he was able to take India from being an importer to an exporter of PPE kits, masks and ventilators, along with his colleagues Ravi Capoor (then Secretary of Textiles Ministry) and P D Vaghela, (then Secretary of Pharmaceuticals), according to Rajiv Gauba, the Cabinet Secretary of India.

Mohapatra dedicated nearly three and half decades of his life to developing the country through various sectors. Even in his final days, he embodied the true spirit of a civil servant by arranging medical equipment.

SOURCES

The Hindu 

Livemint

Edited by Divya Sethu 

“The joy of finding my name as 10th on the list was a relief and a huge personal accomplishment,” says Satyam, who is a graduate in Political Science from Dyal Singh College affiliated to Delhi University and secured this rank in his very first attempt.

Born and brought up in Dighra, which is Samastipur district in Bihar, Satyam completed his school education and then moved to Delhi for his graduation. “Being in Delhi helped shape my personality to a great extent,” he says. Satyam describes himself as a good student who grew up in an environment that encouraged students to take up the UPSC CSE. “It’s almost as though the DNA of every student in Bihar has a bit of UPSC in it,” he adds.

In his third year of college, Satyam started preparing for the CSE. “While in college, in my first year, I took up an internship, where I was attached to a Block officer in Ranchi in the field of rural development. I saw first-hand how much of a change I could bring about and that experience cemented my desire to study for UPSC.”

Speaking about his preparation period, Satyam says that while the pandemic posed a unique challenge, it did not deter him from his schedule. “During the second wave, I also tested positive for COVID-19 but worked through all the challenges,” he says, adding, “I kept thinking that I was running a marathon and not playing in a T-20 match.”

Here are Satyam’s pointers for aspirants attempting CSE during the pandemic:

1. Create A Sustainable Study Schedule:

“While COVID-19 posed several challenges for aspirants, it also gave aspirants a lot of time. Ensure that you structure your time well and make the most of it. While I say this, it is also important for students to use the time in college to develop their personalities. This will come in handy while appearing for the interview. Work on internships and participate in co-curricular activities while in college for an all-rounded development,” he says.

Starting the UPSC preparation in the third year gave Satyam ample time to explore his other interests in college. He urges aspirants to give themselves time in college before diving into the preparation. He continues, “Use the pre-preparation time to work on your personality. This should reflect in the Detailed Application Form (DAF) that you fill out. UPSC looks for well-rounded personalities and not just those who are studious.”

2. Give it your all:

Satyam explains, “Cut yourself off from everything that is non-related to your preparation. I ensured that other than feeding myself and taking care of my health I did not worry or think about anything other than studying.” Satyam spent the initial few months focussing on cementing his understanding of the basic concepts and then divided his time between studying for the prelims and mains.

Initially, He employed a 70/30 division when it came to studying for prelims and mains. Later, from November-December, he started spending equal time on both prelims and mains preparation.

Thereafter from February, a few months before the prelims, he shifted to spending all his time on prelims preparation alone. He adds, “Before I embarked on my journey I spent time watching several topper videos to get an idea of how they prepared. This gave me a fair idea and helped me form my strategy and plan.”

Satyam relied on the standard set of books while preparing and says that it is better to be well versed with the standard texts rather than spend time on many different content sources. “Quality trumps quantity,” he says. For this exam, aspirants must learn to manage time and reduce time wastage as much as possible.

3. Stick To The Syllabus:

“While many aspirants say that the syllabus for the CSE is vast, it is diverse yet limited,” says Satyam. Before one begins the preparatory journey, sitting with the syllabus and understanding what it entails will help. Pick the books that are prescribed and stick to studying from those. Aspirants can look at other sources once they have mastered the given book list and available content material.

“I would suggest that aspirants revise one text at least 10 to 15 times before they can even look at other study material,” says Satyam. Take some time to plan your study based on the syllabus. “I would divide the syllabus topics into smaller chunks that I could work on during the month. Further, these topics would be divided into weekly and daily plans as well. This is an integrated way of approaching the syllabus and preparation planning,” he adds.

Alongside sticking to the syllabus, aspirants must also solve as many mock papers as possible. “I had solved close to 120 mock papers and spent equal amounts of time analysing the solutions,” he says. Satyam says that staying focussed and revising the same topic several times helps in strengthening one’s grasp over it.

4. Work on Weakness:

The more mocks you solve the better your understanding of the topic. This will also help you understand what your strengths and weaknesses are. Satyam says, “While you must continue to work on strengthening your stronghold over topics it is equally important to spend time on your weak subjects.” While analysing each mock paper take note of what you do not know and work on that.

“I was weak in history and made a small factbook. This book would contain all the important points that I needed to remember. Every morning, I spent some time revising these facts to ensure that I remembered them at the time of the exam. This was my way of improving in history and aspirants could devise their method as well,” he says.

Even while attempting the mocks, make sure you aim to get above 100 in all sections, says Satyam. Further, he adds, “In the topics you are unable to do so, spend more time to strengthen your understanding of it.”

5. Form A Small Friend Circle and Cultivate a Hobby:

While Satyam chose not to spend time on social media platforms he says that he formed a small but very close-knit group of friends. “These friends were not just those whom I spent my free time with but also called upon when in doubt. These were friends added value to what I was learning,” he says. He mentions here that friendships should be such that you learn from each other’s strengths and weaknesses but never become an obstacle for the other.

In terms of cultivating a hobby, Satyam says that he was always keen on photography. Even though his preparation period he ensured that he kept in touch with the art form. “On days I felt low on motivation I would pick up my camera and walk the streets of Delhi. This helped me come out of that slump. I believe that aspirants must pursue a hobby or passion. It helps in looking at things from a different perspective,” he adds.

6. Use Notes As A Weapon:

“Notes are like weapons during the CSE preparation stage. If you do not have good notes you are going to lose. While for the prelims one does not require to make notes for mains one must have comprehensive notes to fall back on,” he says. For the general studies and optional paper Satyam says he made exhaustive notes. Before the mains, Satyam only revised using the notes he had.

“Fore prelims revise from the books and for mains revise only from the comprehensive notes that you make,” he says.

Satyam adds here the importance of reading the newspaper. He read two newspapers daily – Hindu in the morning and The Indian Express before going to bed. “I would devote 45 minutes to each paper,” he says.

Make reading the newspaper a habit, says Satyam but he also urges aspirants to not spend time making notes of news articles they read. He adds here that reading the newspaper should be done to build a general temperament and not from an exam point of view.

“Read to stay updated and be aware [of current events],” he concludes.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

As an India Today report stated, “This book is…a Bible to study Indian Polity subject in detail. It is one of the most popular and comprehensive books on the subject and has been a consistent bestseller for many years. A UPSC aspirant must go through this book thoroughly to get maximum marks in UPSC Mains exam 2021.”

Quora user Nikhil Agarwal, who cleared his UPSC prelims in 2016, 2017, and 2018, shares six tips to crack the subject using the book:

1. Use charts

“You can use charts for many small chapters of polity. Charts can help you in fast and repeated revisions,” wrote Nikhil. He explained it using an image where he has made a chart of three Parliamentary Financial Committees. This helps in better understanding without turning pages every now and then.

2. Tricks/Mnemonics

This idea can be applied not only for studying polity, but other subjects as well, Nikhil noted. Making acronyms to remember important points is always an effective way to study. Using certain keywords will also make studies easier.

3. Underline

“For some lengthy chapters like ‘Parliament or Fundamental Rights’, I don’t find Charts or making notes as useful because every line of such chapters in Laxmikanth is important,” he wrote. Underlining or highlighting vital words/parts will help in detecting them easily.

4. Note-making

“You should make your own notes of the chapters which you find more lengthy and which contain irrelevant data,” shared Nikhil. Without one’s own notes, remembering significant facts from irrelevant data will be difficult.

5. Newspaper

Newspaper reading is inevitable for a UPSC aspirant. When any news regarding polity comes up, look for the subject in the book and study accordingly. Thereby, a revision of covered parts is also possible.

6. Revision

According to Nikhil, to make all the above tips work, revision is a must. “Revision is the backbone of your preparation for the civil services exam, which most of the students ignore and after prelims, they start blaming the question paper,” he opined.

This Quora post has received over 1,200 upvotes and many comments thanking Nikhil. The Nagpur-native is an educationist and musician by profession. He engages his followers with UPSC related content and has over 796k total content views.

Offering more tips on how to make the best of this book, Dhruva Kumar Hiremath, an administrative officer and a polity teacher, is of the opinion that, “Laxmikanth’s Polity is a very interesting book to study, if you can arrange the chapters in their logical order.” He suggests switching up the order of reading the text to break monotony. More details can be found about how he teaches his students this book under ‘Quora 2’ below.

Meanwhile, Adil Iqbal, a post-graduate in Sociology and an active Quora user suggests, “Read this book three-four times without expecting anything. In the first reading, please don’t try to memorise anything. Use a pencil and underline what you find important in the second reading. Use a pen and underline only those parts which need to be memorised during the third reading. In the fourth reading, use a highlighter, and now onwards, you need to read the highlighted areas only.”

Providing a timeline, he states that the first reading should take about 20-25 days, the second should take about 20 days, the third about 15-20 days, and the fourth and final reading should take about 10-15 days.

Quora users also suggest that aspirants must not feel intimidated by the bulkiness of the book, and instead take their time to understand what strategy works for them best.

You can purchase the book on Amazon, here.

(Edited by Divya Sethu)

Sources:

India Today

Quora 1

Quora 2

Quora 3

Whether it was to ensure that medical aid, oxygen supply and hospital beds were available or in reviving water bodies and generating employment during COVID-19, here’s a list of 12 officers across various districts whose work is truly praiseworthy.

1. Dr Rajendra Bharud, IAS

Dr Rajendra Bharud holds the distinction of cutting Nandurbar’s single-day COVID-19 spike by 75 per cent and also making the district self-sufficient in its oxygen requirement. During the second wave of COVID-19, when there was an acute shortage of hospital beds, medicines and even oxygen supply, Dr Rajendra managed the impossible.

Even with a population of over 16 lakh people in Maharastra’s Nandurbar district, it had 150 vacant beds and two oxygen plants that have a combined capacity to produce 2,400 litres per minute.

In an interview with The Better India, Dr Rajendra said, “We didn’t want our doctors to be under any kind of pressure, and provided them with everything they needed, even if that meant spending Rs 85,00,000 per oxygen plant. Oxygen cylinders are manufactured only in certain states, so by the time they arrive, several lives are at risk. Our plants directly extract air and provide oxygen through pipes to the patients. We also made sure that oxygen pipes were given as soon as saturation levels started dropping, instead of waiting for the critical stage. This way, patients use only 30 per cent of oxygen, as against 90 per cent in the latter situation. When oxygen starts dropping, it directly affects the brain and kidneys, which makes it harder for patients to recover fast. Hence, oxygen levels need to be managed and taken care of in the early stages itself.”

2. Rajendra Bhatt, IAS

Widely known for the Bhilwara Model, which is a multi-level plan that successfully curbed the community spread of COVID-19 in the hotspot district, it was IAS Officer Rajendra Bhatt who conceptualised and executed this. With the first COVID-19 case reported on 19 March 2020 in the district, no time was lost in figuring out a plan to curb the spread, Rajendra Bhatt and his team were ready with a plan of action which they swiftly implemented.

Creating medical emergency centres in various hotels and resorts in the district, imposing very strict curfew rules, setting up teams to monitor patients under home isolation, door to door supply of milk, groceries and screening, and tying up with Akshaya Patra to provide nutritious food to those in isolation were just a few steps that this district administration put in place.

Rajendra Bhatt in an interview to The Week said, “It is encouraging to learn that the Bhilwara model is being looked at by other states as a format that can be emulated. However, I would like to stress that what we did was specific to the scenario in Bhilwara, where a hospital had become an epicentre of infection, and the measures took into account the demographics. It is not a one-size-fits-all strategy. The Bhilwara model can be emulated in a district with an urban population of around five to 10 lakh, and a rural population of 25 to 35 lakh. But you cannot implement it in big cities like Delhi and Mumbai, where the population density is high.”

3. Dr T Arun, IAS

While the online ecosystem is flooded with apps, this one created by Dr T Arun, Puducherry District Collector, is a first-of-its-kind app, which has been used to revive 198 water bodies in Puducherry including ponds, lakes and a 206 km stretch of canals. Called ‘Neer Padhivu’, the app helps digitalise water bodies with geotagging, unique ID numbers, GIS on ponds, tanks with latitudes and longitudes coordinates. Each water body is updated with the status of groundwater levels, moisture content of soil and size via remote sensing satellites.

Speaking to The Better India, Dr Arun said, “The application, developed by the CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) – National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, has not only helped streamline the rejuvenation process but is also ensuring that people don’t dirty or encroach the water bodies. The digital world can surprise you in many ways, and we are glad to bring a modern solution to the district’s severe water crisis.” To ensure the success of this initiative, Dr Arun also roped in the community members and made them equal stakeholders in ensuring its success.

Corporates, NGOs, schools and local community members came together to see this initiative through. “If people participate in the cleaning process, they learn about the benefits of water bodies and will be mindful of dirtying them in the future. Some communities have pledged to monitor water bodies for life. Another reason was to save the Government Exchequer — the entire project is funded through CSR activities. Participation by schools was a surprise element. They learnt about our project through our awareness programmes and wanted to involve their students,” said Dr Arun.

4. T Bhoobalan, IAS

At a time when the country was reeling under COVID-19 and its rapid spread, T Bhoobalan, Zilla Parishad CEO of Bagalkot district in Karnataka had the issue of child marriage to tackle. Between April and July 2020 alone, Karnataka reported 107 cases of child marriage. Bhoobalan adopted a multi-pronged approach to tackle the sharp rise in child marriages in Bagalkot amid the pandemic and rescued 176 kids from being married off underage in one year.

Working on understanding the severity of the issue, Bhoobalan created a task force comprising government officials and school teachers. Speaking to The Better India, he said, “While talking to the locals, we realised that the lockdown has also affected them psychologically. Elders in the family believe they will die from coronavirus and won’t get to see the wedding. So, many underage children are obligated to fulfil their family’s last wishes. Our team mitigated the panic. Another issue was the youth having to migrate back to the villages due to lack of work. They were being forced to marry. So, we gave them jobs through MGNREGA.’”

These steps helped in bringing down the number of complaints and also resulted in stopping close to 176 child marriages. Ten girls whose marriages had already taken place were directed to go back home and return to their in-laws’ home only after they turned 18. Ensuring the well-being of the child, after the marriage is stopped the Child Welfare Committee members counsel the child and depending on the child’s mental health and financial situation, they are sent back home or kept under the custody of a child welfare home.

5. S Seeram Sambasiva Rao, IAS

District Collector S Seeram Sambasiva Rao set up the Udayam Charitable Society to establish and run four shelter homes in East Hill, Mankavu, Vellimadukunnu and Chevayur. Having been posted to the district two years ago, one of his goals was to provide shelter homes to the street dwellers under the state’s ‘Nammude Kozhikode’ project for development. Through this initiative, close to 1,500 homeless were taken off the streets and transferred to various shelter homes in the last 18 months. Additionally, the district administration also took the responsibility of reuniting the homeless with their families, giving them skill training and employment opportunities.

Speaking to The Better India, Seeram said, “Way before COVID-19 hit India, we conducted multiple visits at railway stations, bus stands, public parks and more to analyse the situation of the homeless. The majority of them were migrant workers from North India who were working as wage labourers and domestic help. We told them about giving them a shelter home but they refused. It was hard for them to believe that the government was going to take efforts for them. After that attempt failed, during the lockdown we got another opportunity, and this time the situation was different.”

While this initiative was launched pre-COVID, the pandemic only pushed those in charge of this project to work harder. Since many of the homeless had co-morbidities and were susceptible to contracting the virus, finding them proper shelter became imperative. Close to 1,000 inmates were provided meals and were groomed for their well-being through haircuts, surgeries, counselling, medical check-ups, etc. The ones who did not have ID cards were given new ones and a literacy programme, ‘Jnanodayam’ and certification exams were also conducted to help them earn a steady income.

6. Shalini Agarwal, IAS

To tackle the issue of acute water shortage in Vadodara, Shalini Agarwal, District Collector came up with an ingenious solution of setting up rainwater harvesting in 963 schools in the state, which in turn helped 1.8 lakh students by saving 10 crore litres of water every year. Varsha Kal Nidhi was launched by Shalini in 2020 and through this initiative, rainwater is collected from the terrace and channelised through pipes towards a chamber in the ground. The chamber then filters and percolates the water in the bore wells, ensuring direct groundwater recharge.

Speaking to The Better India, Shalini emphasised the need to involve communities in making this work and says that children became the biggest ambassadors of the initiative. She said, “Various workshops, competitions and events were held across Vadodara where children became our brand ambassadors and people were sensitised about the importance of conservation. Such initiatives help us realise the importance of water and motivate others. Everyone consumes water and it is a valuable resource passed on by generations. We must conserve and make it available for future generations.”

7. Dr Adarsh Singh, IAS

Dr Adarsh Singh, District Magistrate, Barabanki, used the lockdown to revive a dying river in the district by giving employment to 800 people who had lost their livelihoods due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At a time when people were losing their jobs and getting impacted by severe pay cuts, Dr Adarsh used the time to generate employment and also tackle an environmental crisis.

In an interview with The Better India, Dr Adarsh said, “Lockdown was, in a way, a boon in disguise for us. We had to stop in February due to movement restrictions. When we learnt about the plight of daily wage earners and how their livelihoods were in danger, we thought of employing them to solve the two problems.” IAS officer, Deputy Commissioner, MNREGA-Barabanki, N D Dwivedi and Block Development officer Hemanth Kumar Yadav were two other officers who provided all the support for this initiative. They adopted measures such as sensitising villagers, eliminating encroachments, reducing garbage dumping, and open defecation on the river bank.

The district authorities also sensitised people about open defecation and dumping garbage in the river, “It wasn’t difficult to get people’s cooperation after we told them they could use the river water for farming,” added Dr Adarsh.

8. Anupam Sharma, IFS

An annual tree-planting drive with 4.7 lakh saplings in the Maihar district of Madhya Pradesh left sub-divisional officer Anupam Sharma aghast. Speaking to The Better India, he said, “The forest department had planted about five lakh saplings, and each of them came wrapped with a plastic bag. On one hand, we were working towards the cause of the environment, while on the other, about 5,000 kilos of plastic waste had accumulated because of us, with no legitimate way of managing it.” This was what led to utilising the 5000 kg of plastic waste to generate sustainable employment opportunities for three villages in Maihar.

With the help of Bhavna, a solid waste management expert and also the wife of Anupam Sharma, a biogas plant was set up at an old-age home, installing an oil presser machine and a spice grinder unit. The aim was to help create employment opportunities for the villagers while also managing the plastic waste generated efficiently.

The biogas plant helps serve some needs of the Maa Sharada Devi Temple Management Committee’s Old-Age Home where the biogas plant helps generate enough gas supply to prepare morning and evening tea for the residents and also helps mitigate wet waste generated on the premises. “There are millions of trees planted across the country every year, and the cumulative effect of the untreated plastic from tree plantation drives can have vast detrimental effects on the environment. Such waste management models can make tree plantation drives environment friendly in the true sense,” said Anupam.

9. Dharam Singh Meena, IFS

The disappearance of natural springs in the Uttarakhand and Himalayan sub-continent is a cause for concern. The disappearance of these precious water sources can be attributed to erratic rainfall, mainly due to climate change. The water shortage is also because of the change in land use patterns owing to rampant development. Divisional forest officer Dharam Singh Meena noticed this and decided to rectify the issue.

Dharam Singh and his team managed to revive 66 Himalayan springs in Tehri Garhwal to provide a sustainable water supply that now helps over one lakh people across 23 villages. Speaking to The Better India, he said that all the springs have been GIS mapped to maintain transparency and monitored in real-time. “Preserving and protecting each stream is a challenge and crucial for the coming decades.”

The timely intervention by the authorities has helped not only revive the springs but also generate employment and livelihood opportunities.

10. Vikas Ujjwal, IFS

Vikas Ujjwal is a Divisional Forest Officer from Jharkhand who worked towards transforming a 5,000-hectare forest in just four years by curbing illegal felling of trees and also bringing forest fires under control. In doing this he also helped villagers in Jharkhand’s Lohardhaga convert dry leaves into briquettes, which in turn added to their income.

The concerted effort of this officer and his team has helped restore the rich biodiversity of the forest. This in turn has led to the return of wildlife like sloth bears, fox, hyena, deer and porcupine and natural water streams. Not just this, but new income-generating activities like beekeeping, bamboo craft and ecotourism has also helped in supplementing the income of the local communities. Some villagers have also been employed by the forest department as fire watchers.

Speaking to The Better India, Vikas said, “This forest landscape is crucial for water security of Jharkhand as three important rivers i.e. Damodar, Sankh and Auranga originate from here. With better protection of forests, we have improved the water retention ability of the forest floor. Additionally, due to the better vigilance of Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMC), we have reduced incidents of illicit felling. No major forest fires have occurred in the last four years.”

11. Damodar Gautam Sawang, IPS

Chosen as India’s best Director General of Police (DGP), Damodar Gautam Sawang has introduced several technological reforms in Andhra Police that makes filing FIRs, complaints and SOS requests easier and faster.

Emphasising the need to merge technology and governance, in an interview with The Better India, Damodar said, “Technology is a tool to bring about change. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic led to our world becoming virtual, people were hooked to their mobile phones and other gadgets. Several people prefer to do everyday tasks with the click of a button, and I thought this could hold true for legal services too.”

The technological changes that were introduced helped in bringing about transparency and also accountability amongst the departments. A new file management system that was introduced by the officer helped in speedy investigations and also to the completion of 85 per cent of cases.

A mobile application called AP Police Seva was launched and within five months, 2,64,000 FIR downloads were seen. Additionally, the Disha Mobile app for women was also launched which saw 12.57 lakh downloads within five months.

12. Dr Sangram Singh Patil, IPS

It was the initiative launched by Superintendent of Police Dr Sangram Sigh Patil that has helped over 5000 members of the Gotti Koya tribal community gain better access to healthcare. Dr Sangram left his medical career to join the civil service in 2015. Since 2019, Dr Sangram has helped over 5,000 tribals from 100-odd hamlets in the district, address various complaints including those of nutrition deficiency, haemoglobin, skin, and other related ailments. With the help of this officer, medical help worth Rs 7 lakh has reached the tribal community members.

Speaking to The Better India, he said, “As a part of routine patrolling, police officials are required to move around these remote parts of the district. The agency areas where these vulnerable communities live are non-accessible by vehicles and sometimes require walking for miles.” With the help of doctors from the Indian Medical Association, Warangal and health officers from the government district hospital and health centre over 20 doctors joined hands to systematically reach out to the community members.

This initiative has also helped in building a sense of trust between the police department and the tribal community members.

The campaign calls for a return to the age-old custom of Tamilians carrying around a cloth bag (typically yellow in colour) wherever they went.

It aims to make the manjapai ‘retro-cool’ and bring in a sense of nostalgia, thereby inspiring people to discard single-use plastic carry bags.

In 2019, a total of 14 plastic items, including one-time use of plastic bags and polythene covers, were banned in Tamil Nadu. The state’s environment department had also issued orders for surprise checks to be conducted to ensure that the ban was being followed through.

Speaking to The Better India, Supriya Sahu, Environment and Forest Department Secretary says, “While the ban has been in place, we did find errant manufacturers and vendors falling back to using polythene covers. In order to put an end to that, the idea of returning to our roots and using that cloth bag was revived.”

While regulations and laws help to some extent, at the end of the day, real success for any cause comes only because the people make it their own. Supriya mentions this in an example of how in the Nilgiris, plastics have all but been banned successfully for over 20 years now, not because of legislation, but because it was a people’s campaign. “You need two hands to clap – both the people as well as the regulations have to support each other and be in sync to achieve transformational change,” she notes.

She adds, “The whole idea of this campaign is to motivate people to take up this cause willingly, consciously, and voluntarily – as only this would ensure the success of the campaign.”

Supriya says she has always been a fan of the manjapai, and saw it being used by her grandparents. Over time, this has been replaced with the convenience that plastic offered, which made the erstwhile ubiquitous manjapai almost extinct from society.

“At the launch of this campaign, we had so many people telling us about their memories of the manjapai (yellow bag). They recalled their grandparents diligently reaching for it every time they stepped out of the house. They would return, fold it and keep it away, and use it again and again. This would continue until that manjapai was tattered and ready to be retired.”

It is rather interesting to note how Manjapai got its name. Named after their yellow colour, these cloth bags were dipped in turmeric, which was used as a disinfectant.

“What is also heartening is that this campaign has been approved by the Chief Minister, who is also keen to see the transformation succeed,” she adds. While regulations and legislations are in place, Supriya has now put in motion a plan to bring this to fruition.

They have set up a 30-member team which works with various agencies to aggregate plastic wastes. Over the past 12 months, over 1,700 tons of disposable plastic waste has been collected, she says. But she notes, “While we have succeeded in collecting the waste, the key issue is that the plastics are still being sourced from somewhere.”

She says she aims to fight this at the district, panchayat and village levels to increase awareness, so that there is no demand for plastics in the state – which she believes will naturally take care of the supply problem.

Supriya is also working very closely with school children, with whom about 3,000 eco-clubs have been established. “We see them as the torchbearers for the future,” she says.

In conclusion, Supriya says, “The responsibility is upon us today. We don’t want to leave behind a polluted planet for future generations, and we should do everything in our power to tackle this issue.”

Manjapai is, at the end of the day, a visual and powerful metaphor that establishes an instant connection with the audience. It is about going back to our roots, and to sustainable practices.

(Edited by Divya Sethu)

“What is the gender of the baby?” they asked instead of inquiring about its health.

Despite growing up in the rural setting of Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur, Arti was never subjected to gender discrimination so hearing such comments in a fairly progressive city of Varanasi was shocking.

This was an everyday phenomenon and something that she desperately wanted to change.

Two years later in 2006, Dr Arti cleared the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Service Exam (CSE) and got into the Indian Police Service (IPS) to change the fate of newborn girls.

“A major reason why families prefer a male child is because he does not need to be protected. Most conservative parents think society is dangerous for girls and the only way to ensure their safety is marriage which inevitably brings in the issue of dowry and child marriage. To eradicate these problems from the grassroots I joined UPSC. I wanted to be a part of the solution,” Dr Arti, India’s only woman Commissioner of Police (at present), tells The Better India.

A mother of two daughters, Dr Arti was not afraid to change her career so when she got the opportunity to work in the Naxal-affected Gadhciroli district in Maharashtra, she grabbed it. Years later, when she was asked to shift her base to the state’s coronavirus hotbed region of Malegaon, she did not bat an eyelid.

A daredevil in every sense, Dr Arti broke glass ceilings at every point, proving that gender differences are only a concept that exists in people’s minds.

‘Challenges don’t scare me.’

When neighbours and relatives questioned Arti’s parents on why they were ‘allowing her’ to study so much and even opt for a career switch instead of finding a suitable match, her parents shut them down.

“My father always had faith in me and wanted me to do what he couldn’t. This support is probably what gave me the confidence to take risks, whether it was moving away for studies, switching careers without any guarantees or reappearing for UPSC twice despite getting into railways. So when I was told that female officers and some males too refused to go to the Naxal-affected region, I didn’t get scared. I was ready to break another notion,” says Dr Arti, a 2006 batch officer.

Whether it was her subordinates or seniors, everyone was shocked to see Dr Arti in the Red Corridor, an area where police-Naxal encounters are common.

However, the timing of her posting made the situation tougher for her. The year was 2009 when state and central elections were about to be conducted. The Naxals had warned the villagers against voting and they had already killed 17 cops when she arrived.

Taking the challenge head-on, she not only ensured smooth execution of the elections but also recovered arms and ammunition.

“I was posted in the remotest region of Gadchiroli where there was only one road that led to the police station. During monsoons, the bridge would shut, making the outside world, telephones, electricity and even newspapers inaccessible. Working in such conditions while getting constant threats and maintaining law and order was hard,” she recalls.

She stayed in the region for three years and exercised her duties efficiently. She was felicitated by both, the State and Central government for her services. The Director General’s office gave her the prestigious DG Insignia award that is generally given to the policemen after 15 years of service.

Dr Arti has been posted across four districts of Maharashtra and at present, she is posted in Amravati as the city Police Commissioner.

Her recent stint in controlling the spiralling coronavirus in 2020 also won her accolades and recognition from the government.

Malegaon, a highly sensitive area due to communal tensions, recorded over one lakh COVID-19 cases in July last year. The textile town with a population of over 7.5 lakhs even saw instances of people falling into the trap of a religion-led virus.

Dr Arti moved to the town for two months to curb the coronavirus situation while maintaining law and order.

“Everyone, including my force, was demoralised after the police were infected with the virus. We made sure people stayed indoors and I tried explaining the grim reality as a doctor rather than an IPS officer. We also had to curb the menace of Whatsapp forwards and TikTok videos that indulged in threatening religious harmony,” says Dr Arti.

Dr Arti was quick to speak to religious leaders to dispel myths. She even arrested those who were spreading rumours. Another notable work she did was to restart power looms on which jobs of the majority of Malegaon people depended.

“Raw materials come from the South and finished goods are exported to Gujarat and Rajasthan. We spoke to the two Chief Ministers and ensured the movement began again,” she adds.

As per a report by India Today, Malegaon’s recovery rate was 82 per cent and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) asked the state government to study the ‘Malegaon model’.

‘What makes my job satisfying…’

Dr Arti Singh often has to stay away from her two daughters, aged 4 and 10, due to her demanding job. She has faced enough biases at the workplace and is often reminded that a female officer is not as good as her male counterpart.

When she was posted as the SP, a journalist even told her that he did not have ‘much expectation’ from her. The deep-rooted misogyny, even in 2020, that Dr Arti faced was appalling.

But despite the hardships and risks that her job entails, Dr Arti declares she loves her job. It is the small but significant milestones that keep her going.

“That same journalist visited me post-pandemic and said that no one else would have been able to curb the virus the way I did. This change in mindset is what I had originally set out to achieve. As for gaining trust from my colleagues, I give it a month. I let my actions and expertise speak for themselves,” says Dr Arti, adding, “Staying away from my kids is never going to get easy but that is something I just have to deal with.”

Of the many instances, she distinctly remembers the time when she was able to solve a cybercrime and return the stolen money to a family. The family was moved to tears and everyone in the neighbourhood felicitated her.

“In another instance, we reunited a kidnapped 3-year-old with his parents within two days, and the next day we saw people marching into the police station to thank us. Such instances go a long way in building the image of the police and I couldn’t be happier to be a part of it,” she adds.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

Recently, I was talking to a senior IAS officer from Bihar who prepared for CSE from Delhi 25 years ago. When she decided that she wanted to write the exam, she had a vague idea about it. No guidance, material or details about the exam were available to her. She had no other option but to visit Delhi and start preparing in a full-fledged manner.

Her daughter cleared the UPSC exam in her second attempt this year and she took no coaching for the exam either. She prepared from home and spoke with confidence about how it was unnecessary to go to Delhi when everything we required for the exam was available online.

It was quite fascinating to see her fortitude and it intrigued me further. I wanted to understand what is the secret here which most of the aspirants are missing and they spend lakhs every year just for preparing for this exam.

She told me it is only in the initial stage of preparation that one feels underconfident and clueless about how to approach the exam. Her mother helped her but exam patterns and strategies have changed a lot in the last 25 years. So, she had to prepare as per the demand of the current times. The initial hurdle was overcome with the support of online articles and videos of selected candidates. She invested a lot of time in the initial months to understand the basic nuances of the exam and the approach as well as the strategy of the candidates who got selected. This helped her in selecting reading materials and other online platforms where information is available for free. So, her formula was, if most of the selected candidates are referring to some book or website then there must be something about it.

Initially, she followed such recommendations blindly and later when she got a better understanding of the exam she picked her own materials and online platforms which suited her preparation. When I asked if she doubted herself while preparing, she replied, “A coaching institute will teach me the same material and content which I can study on my own. So, what is the need to pay a hefty amount for something that I can already do myself sitting at home?”

She specifically mentioned how free material available online helped her a lot in her preparation. Wherever she faced difficulties, she used to read and watch videos online to ensure that topic is well understood. Not all topics are explained properly in books, so where understanding was an issue, she took help from online sources. At the end of the conversation, she said, “All we need is a good internet connection these days. The rest is available at our fingertips.” I got goosebumps!

My Preparatory Journey

I started just like any other aspirant with a bit of underconfidence and having doubts about each and everything I was doing. But I knew I wasn’t alone.

I worked for three years after college before starting preparation for the UPSC exam. I took coaching and paid Rs 60,000 back in 2012.

I joined the coaching institute in Karol Bagh assuming that it would help me a lot. But unfortunately, my hard-earned money was spent in vain. I discontinued coaching after a month when I realised this is something I can do on my own.

I found discussions with friends who were preparing for the same exam far better than attending those lectures where a faculty would teach me from the same material that I could study on my own in half the time they were taking.

I utilised the remaining time in preparing notes and making my preparation better.

Within a couple of months, everything started making sense. I had a better understanding of the exam, I gained a bit more confidence and that could be seen in my preparation also.

As they say, you have to be a jack of all trades in this exam — I ensured to cover my weaknesses and started converting them into my strengths by focusing more on topics where I lacked clarity. This made my preparation much stronger as I was improving day by day.

I relied on the risk to reward principle, where risk is the amount of time one invests in a topic and reward is the number of questions being asked from it. I ensured this principle was followed in revisions also.

Once I had clarity, I knew I was inching closer towards the exam and just kept on studying continuously. These efforts are what gave me my desired results.

Being Self Reliant

Coaching institutes flourished during the times when aspirants had no access to material and guidance on the exam. There was no social media, online platforms and guidance available from where they could get access to material and information. Even today, the reliability and dependency of these coaching institutes have only further increased to the extent that aspirants feel it is necessary to take coaching to clear the exam. But they seldom realise that the times have changed, and we are living in the era of the digital age where everything is available in the online world.

In recent times, I have talked to many junior officers, especially the ones who cleared the exam without coaching, and certain things were common in their preparation. They all were confident and had a growth mindset, this helped them in realising that almost everyone starts with a bit of underconfidence when they prepare for this exam and slowly this converted to confidence when they drowned themselves fully into the preparation. Everyone thought that not joining coaching not only helped them save some bucks but also gave them more time as compared to others.

So, the time is right for the aspirants to change this mindset of dependency and be self-reliant when it comes to preparation. They can start with the basic NCERTs, then move on to the main sources and finally do multiple revisions as per time availability. The strategy should be whatever they study has to be revised properly in the last two three weeks before the exam so that they would be able to retain as much as possible. It should be clear what not to study rather than what to study. So, the best approach is to select reading materials wisely, make proper use of online resources and ensure discipline is maintained during preparation time. Understanding one’s learning styles, memory functioning and how to manage to study various topics in the given time is the key here.

Times have changed in the last decade, especially due to the online presence of vast information that can boost the preparation levels. This mindset of reliance on coaching institutes has to change with the current times. The change can come when selected candidates who qualified without coaching will come in front to ensure that the exam can be cleared without coaching also with the right approach. But in reality, we only see the marketing of institutes on social and print media which lures aspirants towards them.

I have experienced this at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy Of Administration (LBSNAA), where all selected candidates were a product of their merit and not of someone else.

So, it is just the mindset that is stopping candidates from achieving their goals. They are fully capable of achieving this without the support of institutes.

Believe in yourself and see how that works wonders for you.

(Written by Jitin Yadav, an IAS officer of 2016 batch, West Bengal Cadre; Edited by Yoshita Rao)

Prima facie, this decision feels like a step in the right direction, but experts have deemed that it only addresses the symptoms rather than the underlying causes of why young girls and women are married off at such an early age. They argue that there are a host of factors that contribute to the incidence of early and forced marriages from deep-rooted gender equality, financial insecurity, regressive social norms to lack of quality education and employment opportunities.

In a recent statement issued by the Population Foundation of India, a non-profit, they said:

Increasing the legal age at marriage without a shift in communities’ perceptions around the practice can have several negative consequences. Increasing the legal age will mean a large number of married persons will be deemed underage, thereby putting a question mark around the legality of their marriages. Despite laws mandating minimum age and criminalising sexual intercourse with a minor, child marriages are very prevalent in the country, with almost one-fourth of women (aged 20-24 years) being married before the legal age of 18, according to the fifth National Family Health Survey (2019-21). In most cases, girls who get married early do not have the agency to move the Court and ask for the marriage to be rendered void despite ill-treatment. Increasing the legal age at marriage would perhaps accomplish little more than pushing more marriages underground as has been the practice in the past.

Instead of raising the minimum age, a better approach to reduce the incidence of early marriage is stricter enforcement of existing laws, investing in the education of girls, empowering women economically and socially and targeted social and behaviour change within communities that encourage these practices.

Here are four initiatives covered by The Better India, which show how members of the civil services and civil society successfully addressed this issue.

1) T Bhoobalan, Zila Parishad CEO in Karnataka’s Bagalkot district (2020-21)

Sometime in July 2020, as COVID-19 was raging in his district, the Zila Parishad CEO, T Bhoobalan, began receiving a disturbing number of calls reporting child marriages. The lockdown, subsequent loss of livelihoods and the ensuing poverty had seen many families give up their girls below the age of 18 to marriage because they couldn’t afford to feed them.

Although child marriage was a problem that predated the pandemic, it exacerbated the problem. Spending around a month, he soon understood that child marriage was closely interlinked with issues of malnutrition, school dropouts, anaemia and eventually maternal mortality. To address the rampant practice of child marriage, in July 2020, he devise a multi-pronged approach, and alongside a team consisting of members of the gram panchayats, Anganwadi workers, police officers, school teachers and revenue officers, prevented more than 170 child marriages.

Besides filing FIRs against some parents, he also did the hard work of raising awareness and educating the people about The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, alongside a committee of local government officials and school teachers, while also forming committees at the gram sabha level to do the same and educate people about the dangers of child marriage.

This committee also encouraged more reporting of child marriages by guaranteeing complainants that their names will be kept anonymous. After all, many child brides fear reprisal from parents or other family members if they file a complaint with the authorities. Complainants could either call the 1098 helpline or contact their designated local official directly, and if none of these avenues worked out, Bhoobalan offered his mobile number as well.

Another issue was many young people having to migrate back to the villages due to lack of work. They were being forced to marry. They were given jobs through MGNREGA.

Once rescued from child marriage, the girl/boy were sent before a Child Welfare Committee for counselling, and depending on a variety of factors, sent back home or kept under the custody of a child welfare home. Although the priority is to send a child home to prevent the least disruption of their life and education, there are instances when the child suffers from abuse and harassment.

Therefore, they are kept at a child welfare home. More importantly, the process of rehabilitation, particularly for young girls, involves engaging them in skill development programmes like dairy and poultry farming, tailoring, embroidery, and also computer science. In fact, when the girl turns 18, she is employed as a data operator in the administration’s office. Meanwhile, for a few girls, the administration has helped sponsor their high school education.

For those sent home, the administration also runs an online portal called ‘Surakshini’ which keeps track of the child’s status, and all concerned department officials must log into it regularly. Aiding this process is regular weekly visits to the child’s home.

2) Athar Aamir Khan, SDM of Bhilwara District, Rajasthan (2018-19)

As a sub-divisional magistrate in Bhilwara district, Athar Aamir Khan adopted a two-fold method to enforce the law against rising cases of child marriage in the district.

On the one hand, he appointed local informers to raise alarms against cases of child marriage, while keeping the police in the loop to enforce the law. All this was coordinated through a special control room, which was set up to exclusively address cases of child marriages. On the ground, enforcement was organised through a flying squad consisting of local station house officers (SHOs), tehsildars, panchayat committee members and other government employees.

Besides strict enforcement, however, Khan also organised a massive awareness campaign at a community level, alongside local Anganwadi workers, self-help groups and rural Gram Vikas committees, who were also trained extensively on preventing this practice. Following their training, they would hold regular public meetings with villagers across the gram sabhas that fell under Khan’s jurisdiction. They would also accompany Khan to other sites like schools, social gatherings and community halls to raise awareness against the evils of this practice.

In schools, teachers were directed to create safe spaces for minor girls who could be forced into marriage, allowing them to report cases without any hassles. Children in schools were asked to participate in a quiz about the Child Marriage Act, 2006, which not only informed them about their rights but also educate them on what would happen to their parents and family members if they violated the law. Khan’s emphasis on education was a game-changer.

To ensure children stayed in schools, he took the effort of rebuilding the dilapidated infrastructure of government schools under his jurisdiction working closely alongside villagers, encouraging them to donate as well in any capacity. Once he transformed the dilapidated structures into ‘model schools’, influential persons from the region were invited to visit them.

What stands out about the process is the degree of community engagement showing village heads, teachers, parents and other stakeholders the fruits of their labour, time and money in transforming 70-odd schools in the area. Some of the village heads had even adopted the schools. Taking things further, for secondary school students, Khan started a counselling cell, which would give them study materials and insight into different career options.

“There is less opposition and resistance when people are on your side. Only a little push was needed to make them realise the effects of practices like child marriage and the importance of education. We still have a long way to go in bringing about a real change, but the fact that it has started is motivating enough for me to continue this movement,” Khan said.

3) Documentation in Thianal Village, Odisha (2021) & Civil Society Action in Shivali village, Maharashtra (2017)

At the entrance of Thianal village in Deogarh district, Odisha, there is a primary school and its wall is a poster that highlights its status as the ‘First Child Marriage Free Village’ of the district. According to this report (TBI link), what played a pivotal role in addressing the evil of child marriage is simple documentation and community-level awareness. No marriage in the village is solemnised without proper verification of documents like Aadhar card verification.

“Most people in our villages didn’t know that there was a legal age in marriage. Almost all marriages in our parent’s generation happened when both the bride and groom were minors. Though the cases dropped after some years, early marriage was still common as there was no means of verification. So, now we have made Aadhar card verification mandatory before finalising any marriage,” said Ajit Pradhan (32), a resident of the village, who was among the first ones to take this initiative. If the family cannot furnish Aadhar cards, the village accepts other government-mandated documents for age proof.

In February 2020, a village-level task force was set up consisting largely of village elders, which then prepared a database of all adolescents. No marriage is allowed in a village without a comprehensive age verification of the bride and groom by this village committee.

If a marriage has been organised between a member of this village and a member of another, the committee has access to a directory created by the State government with contact numbers of members from other village committees. “If a boy of our village is getting married to a girl in Kantapalli panchayat in our district, we directly dial the Sarpanch or Anganwadi or Asha worker and ask them to ascertain the girl’s age through document verification,” added Ajit.

The village also has a ‘Counselling room,’ where ASHA and Anganwadi workers hold regular sessions on adolescent-related issues. But then again this isn’t enough as most girls end up quitting their studies once they turn 18 and are married. This is but one step in the process.

Taking things further is Aroehan, a non-profit based out of Mokhada taluka in Palghar district, Maharashtra, which convinced 175 families of Shivali village to not just stop child marriages through various community engagement measures, but also pursue further education and vocational training. Shivali is home to members of the Warli scheduled tribe, where the once long-held tradition was to marry off girls once they reach the age of 15.

Besides passing a resolution against early marriage in 2014, which in itself wasn’t an easy task, the non-profit also worked with the local community to encourage young girls in the village to finish high school and learn vocational skills like tailoring and nursing.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

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Speaking to The Better India, Prateek says, “Attempting the UPSC CSE and thereafter being a part of the administrative services is one that requires an aspirant to put a lot of thought into it. Before one embarks on this journey, having a very clear-cut reason for wanting to be a part of the services will help keep the motivation levels high.”

He continues, “This examination tests your strategy, not necessarily only your knowledge.”

For Prateek, his role model was his father, who was also part of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). “To follow in his footsteps was a dream that I nurtured for a very long time. Unfortunately, when I was just 21, I lost both my parents in an accident and life as I knew it had changed. What remained was my determination to succeed in the UPSC CSE and make my parents proud.”

Prateek attempted the CSE four times, beginning in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. In CSE 2019 he got a rank of 724 and got allotted to Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) and in CSE 2020 he secured a rank of 459 with a high score of 147 in the essay paper.

Prateek’s tips to approach the essay:

1. Do not be overconfident in your method:

“Most aspirants have an average to above-average hold on their essay writing skills. However, no matter how good you think you are, it is only repeated practice and regular third-party evaluation that will help you get better,” says Prateek. He reiterates the importance of getting an external person to evaluate and give you feedback on your essay. He also asks aspirants to steer clear of self-evaluation and go to friends to check the essay.

2. Showcase your personality in your writing:

“Remember that the essay question is the same for everyone and the distinction you can bring about in your essay is how you showcase your personality in it. For example, I had written a poem about women and if I had the opportunity I would incorporate the poem in my essay. Embellishing the essay with relevant quotes that you have read will also help in ensuring your essay gets more marks,” says Prateek.

3. Test of flow not of knowledge:

“Ensure that you grab the attention of the examiner right at the beginning. Your arguments must be put forward succinctly. Also, keep in mind that the examiner is reading multiple essays throughout the day and therefore to impress the examiner you must have a great flow to the essay. Give them a ‘wow’ moment just as they start reading your essay,” he says.

4. Make the essay relatable:

“As much as possible include anecdotes and real-life incidents in your essay. Making the essay relatable to the examiner is sure to fetch additional marks. Adding such anecdotes acts as a hook to keep the examiner interested in your essay,” adds Prateek. Adding to this he says that after a few paragraphs, the examiner must be used to the aspirant’s style of writing and that will make it stand apart.

5. Manage your time:

It is easy for an aspirant to lose track of time while attempting the essay and it is important to keep a close eye on that. In the three hours you have, Prateek says that spending between 5 to 10 minutes on choosing both topics you wish to attempt is the first step. He says, “Once you have chosen the topics, spend between 20 to 25 minutes brainstorming and making rough notes that you can use.” He says keeping aside an hour to attempt the essay is good.

He continues,” Go on to brainstorm for the second essay only after you have attempted the first one. The sense of completion after the first essay is done is a great motivator.”

6. Be creative:

The essay paper is the only one that allows aspirants to show their creative side. “Showcasing your creative side is also a sure-shot way of breaking the monotony and boredom that the examiner might be going through reading so many essays,” he says. Having said that, he also urges aspirants to stay away from using flowcharts and diagrams in the essay. “If you feel compelled to use it do not add more than one flowchart/diagram in your essay,” he adds.

7. Work on presentation skills:

“Work on ensuring that the essay is presentable – this means having a proper structure, adding sub-heads as and when needed and also a strong conclusion. You can also be as creative as possible in your writing the sub-heads. Your conclusion can also be solution-oriented and futuristic,” he says. Make sure it is easy for the examiner to read your essay, which will play a major role in determining the marks allotted to it.

8. Read to write better:

“To be able to write well, one must read. That is the first step in ensuring that your writing keeps getting better,” says Prateek. He urges aspirants to pick up Yojana and read the first article in the magazine to get a sense of how governmental essays are written. “Use plain and easy-to-understand language in such a way that it encompasses all the points. Reading of any nature will be beneficial in writing the essay. Keep compiling these points to be used later,” he says.

In conclusion, he says, “Most people know what to do, but fail to do it. So while all aspirants know what to read and how to make notes, only a handful do it diligently and those aspirants manage to clear the UPSC CSE. With respect to this examination, cut the clutter and you’ll see how well it works for you.”

Click here to access the blog that Prateek maintains on preparation strategy and tips.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

Speaking to The Better India, he says, “It was only after I completed my Class 12 examination that the thought of appearing for the UPSC CSE struck me. Having spent 16 years of my growing up in Uttarakhand, my father was involved in daily wage work, while my mother spent her time managing the home and me and my siblings.” There was a brief period during which Himanshu’s father also ran a tea stall and he says, “I have on several occasions also worked there and helped him.”

Given the condition the family was in, Himanshu says that there was always a huge financial burden on them. “I never saw my father much because he was in different places trying to find jobs. It was very difficult for us financially and this was also one of the reasons why my family moved to Shivpuri in Bareilly where my maternal grandparents lived. So, I was enrolled at the local government school there.”

In 2006, they moved to Sirauli in district Bareilly, where his father opened up his general store. “To this date, my father is managing the same store,” says Himanshu. During their stay here, Himanshu says that the nearest English medium school was 35 km away and he would travel 70 km each day just for basic education. While all this was happening, Himanshu says that he was oblivious to the UPSC and what it has to offer. It was only once he got into Hindu College at Delhi University (DU) that the idea of appearing for the examination struck.

‘Getting into DU was life-altering.’

Until he enrolled in Hindu college, Himanshu described himself as a rather timid young boy who was satisfied with all that life had to offer him. His exposure to others in Delhi was what gave him the idea to appear for the CSE. “Hindu college was almost like a training ground for me – whatever I learnt was thanks to my peers there,” he says. After completing his Bachelor’s, Himanshu enrolled for a Master’s degree in Environmental Science from DU and says, “I worked hard and also topped the university. This also led me to get admission to pursue my PhD from a foreign university.”

Himanshu says that he chose to stay back in India and turn to UPSC in 2016. “I spent three months trying to figure out what I wanted to do in life. The fact that UPSC allowed aspirants to dabble in various fields and helped bring about direct change drew me in. This was how I landed up thinking of entering the field of bureaucracy.”

In 2018, Himanshu gave his first attempt and managed to get into Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS). He attempted the examination again in 2019 and managed to get into the Indian Police Service (IPS) and in his third attempt in 2020 he got into Indian Administrative Service (IAS). “I wanted to get into IAS because it is not domain-specific and allows one to explore so many different aspects of bureaucracy,” he adds.

‘Becoming an IAS Officer was not a childhood dream.’

While for Himanshu becoming an IAS officer was not a childhood dream, he says that it has given him a sense of identity and purpose. “I knew I wanted to work with grassroots organisations and bring about a direct change. Being a part of the administrative services helps in doing just that,” he adds.

For him, the shift from a small town to Delhi was also an overwhelming one.

“I came from a very chilled out town and landed in Delhi where everyone is busy,” he says. It was his curiosity that led him to learn and he says, “I spent the first few months just taking in all the new sights and sounds. From the language to how each person behaved everything was new to me. College life for me can best be described as a period of self-discovery. Only then did I feel comfortable there.”

“Getting to know people and understanding their interests helped me shape my likes and dislikes,” says Himanshu. He spent considerable time while in DU travelling and gathering practical experiences.

Today, Himanshu’s parents are known because of him and he says, “There can be no greater joy for parents than that. While they do not understand the magnitude of my job (IAS), they know it is a big deal and that makes them proud. The biggest reason why I managed to succeed is that I had zero pressure from my parents and their immense trust in my ability to succeed. That empowered me to achieve whatever I have so far.”

Tips for aspirants:

1. Read less, revise more:

Himanshu says that unless one revises enough times, any sort of preparation for the UPSC CSE is pointless. “Keep your sources fixed and ensure you follow a simple technique of read-revise-rectify-repeat. This will ensure you are well prepared to tackle the examination,” he says.

2. Use digital resources efficiently:

Different aspirants find different techniques for retaining whatever they have studied. Himanshu says, “For me, using a combination of audio, video and textbooks for better retention helped. Find what works best for you and stick to that. Do not get swayed by what your peers are doing.”

3. Preparing yourself well:

“There are two aspects of preparation – while all aspirants work on preparing for the exam they fail to prepare themselves. This is a tough examination and one that tests your physical, mental and emotional well-being. Managing all this and also ensuring that you do well needs you to prepare yourself for it,” he says.

4. Believe in yourself:

“UPSC is a tough examination that can leave the aspirant mentally and physically fatigued. It is therefore very important that one has utmost belief in their capabilities. You must believe that you can achieve anything and work towards that goal. Ensure that you channelize your energy into achieving that,” he says.

5. Make the most of what you have:

“You have got this incredible opportunity to know about the world around you. To immerse yourself completely into knowing everything. You only get to do it once. Make the most of it. Be that knowledgeable person you always imagined yourself to be. Fear none, except fear itself,” he concludes.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

UPSC interviewees have shared some of the most unconventional questions they encountered during the session, which is cracking up the readers on Quora.

Tanya Agarwal from New Delhi who had her interview in 2020, was asked, “Tell me a good thing about ‘snooping’.” She skillfully began answering the question, “Back in school, my mother would snoop [on] me to check whether I am studying well. I believe her intentions behind snooping were only for my good!” and tied this answer with discourse on state surveillance and the balance between national security and individual privacy.

UPSC expert and educationist Atul Roy, who appeared for the interview in 2013, was asked, “I see that your hobby is rock climbing. So when you go to a rock, what do you see in it?” Atul went on to say that he looks at the folds first and explained them one by one. He feels such questions are asked not to get a perfect answer, but to test the presence of mind, application and ability to think on one’s feet.

Akash Patel, an IPS officer from Delhi, was asked if he knew anything about the origin of ties, as he was wearing one at the time. He admitted he knew nothing about them. “Right after this, I was asked, ‘About that, why are you wearing a tie? It’s so hot outside.’ I couldn’t control my smile again and explained that as today was an important and formal occasion for me, I wanted to dress accordingly. [The interviewer] seemed satisfied,” wrote Akash on Quora.

In 2018, Akash appeared for the interview again for the role of an IRS officer. He said that this time, he was underprepared and didn’t even feel like wearing a tie. “Why are you not wearing a tie? [The] whole world except you is wearing one,” he was asked. Akash went on to say that he is not very comfortable about wearing one, as his attention would keep going back to his throat, where the tie has been knotted. Akash passed the interview with 201/300 marks. “Don’t fret. Be calm and composed. Tie or no tie, suit or no suit, sky blue or any other color shirt- these things don’t matter at all,” is his advice to UPSC aspirants.

Some of the other commonly shared trick UPSC interview questions are sampled below:

• What will you do if I run away with your sister?
• What if one morning you woke up and found that you were pregnant?
• Twins (Adarsh and Anupam) were born in May, but their birthday is in June. How’s this possible?
• Jamie looked at his reflection on the window mirror of the 45th floor. Driven by an irrational impulse, he made a leap through the window on the other side. Yet, Jamie did not encounter even a single bruise. How can this be possible if he neither landed on a soft surface nor used a parachute?
• The peacock is a bird that does not lay eggs. How do they get baby peacocks?
• How can you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without cracking it?

Aspirants opine that the point of these questions is to see how one stays vigilant and comfortable with answering lighter questions. Staying cool and focused attracts the interviewer, whether in UPSC or any other field, they add.

In this video, he points out six common mistakes that UPSC CSE aspirants make and offers constructive suggestions on ways to improve on them.

1. Lack of content:

If an aspirant pens a very generic response to a question, it will not carry much weight and the marks awarded to such content will also be average, at best. Abhijeet says, “Giving a generic answer will only earn you generic marks, and in some cases even below average marks. Every answer in your mains should be supported with relevant examples to make the answer better.”

Examples help in adding value to the answers. It also helps the examiner understand your grasp on the subject and showcases your clarity of thought. “Work on building your own content to be used while writing your answers,” he adds. Abhijeet also urges aspirants to spend time doing the following – read, understand, organise and then make notes.

2. Lack of writing practice:

Having knowledge about a particular topic and being able to put it down in the form of an answer are two very different skills. Abhijeet says, “In order to be able to write a good answer you must have enough writing practice. It is a skill that needs to be worked on, no matter how strong your hold on a particular topic.” Attempting the same question multiple times will also help improve your answer writing skills. It will also allow the aspirant a chance to explore various ways to present the answer.

He adds, “Aspirants must ensure that the context that they have in mind is captured in their answer well and that will only happen with constant writing practice. Use various ways to present the answer – tabular form, pros and cons, and even using mind maps when needed.”

3. Lack of perspectives:

As mentioned by several UPSC CSE toppers, the examination tests the breadth of your knowledge and not the depth of it. Given the limitation on the number of words you can use for an answer, aspirants need to showcase their understanding of that subject and are not required to do a deep dive on the topic. Abhijeet says, “When writing your answer, always include multiple perspectives. An answer is bound to have both positives and negatives and it is imperative that you mention both.”

Presenting the examiner with multiple points of view is sure to fetch you more marks. Citing an example, Abhijeet says, “If the question is about Indo-US relations, make sure you present as many facets of the question as possible. Also, bring in some of the negatives, way forward and possible solutions to problems into your answer.”

4. Not answering the question:

In one’s rush to answer the question, aspirants sometimes completely miss the question that is asked. Abhijeet says, “There are times when aspirants pick on a key word mentioned in the question and base their entire answer on that. That is not the right way to approach the question at all. Ensure you read and understand the question asked before you start writing the answer.”

Given the time constraint while attempting the question paper it becomes even more important for aspirants to find exactly what is being asked of them before writing the answer. “Work at directly answering the question asked of you,” he says. He continues, “Your answer must have a clear introduction followed by answering the how in the question, interlinking with other topics and then the way forward.” Mentioning the way forward points to the aspirant being a solution-oriented candidate.

5. Lack of structure:

Aspirants while writing the answer may sometimes forget the importance of a good structure. It is not just important to mention all the relevant points in an answer but how you structure your answer also plays a significant role. Abhijeet says, “You must begin your answer with the most important point. Doing this creates a good impression in the examiner’s mind as well. Deciding on what constitutes the most important point is also important and must be done before you attempt the answer during the mains.”

To be able to write a good structured answer one must get into the habit of making good notes. Prioritising important points will become a habit with practice. Your thinking must be sorted out before you attempt the paper and not during the examination. This goes back to your note-making skills and therefore it is important to pay attention to it.

6. Lack of introspection:

Do not focus only on attempting mock papers but also spend time analysing your answers and mistakes. It is important for aspirants to keep learning from mistakes. Abhijeet says, “Organising information, adding value to the answer by making diagrams, including data points, etc. will also help, and finally writing your answer in a concise manner are points to remember.” These pointers must be incorporated into your study plan from the very beginning to ensure that they become a habit.

“Introspection is a key element to your success in the UPSC CSE, so spend time on it,” he concludes.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

Having studied in Delhi all through, Prateek says that he completed his engineering course from Netaji Subhas University of Technology (NSUT), Delhi University and thereafter did his MBA from Faculty of Management Studies (FMS). “I worked with a retail bank for a few years and it was during my stint here that the thought of appearing for the UPSC CSE struck,” he says.

He also mentions that up until he was almost 24 years of age there was no knowledge about the CSE and what it offers. “My father was always encouraging me to appear for the CSE by saying that the knowledge I gathered just by preparing for it would do me good.” So, Prateek decided to appear for the CSE for the first time in 2013.

He attempted the exam again in 2014 while working full-time and in 2015 he decided to quit and concentrate on solely preparing for the examination.

In 2015, he appeared for the exam again and while he cleared the prelims and the mains, he missed the final list by a mere seven marks. He was 28 at the time. Even though he says he was sitting at home unemployed and not earning a penny, his father continued to encourage him to prepare and reappear for the CSE.

Finally in 2016, he cleared the examination and got through to the Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS), with a rank of 488. “I had no idea about what this service entailed and decided to try and attempt the examination again to better my rank,” he says. Having appeared for the examination multiple times, he says that there were many ups and downs as well as important learnings along the way.

Prateek’s tips for aspirants:

1. Play to your strengths:

Each aspirant will have to figure out what their strengths are and work on that. Prateek says, “For me, linguistic skills, especially writing, was my strong point and all through the preparation period I worked on enhancing that. This was very helpful when I attempted the General Studies (GS) and while writing the essay in the mains. So, use your inherent strength to your best advantage.”

2. Work on your weakness:

This is a personal assessment that each aspirant must do in order to find out what their weakness is. Prateek says that retaining points that he read is what he found difficult. “That was my vulnerable spot and what I learnt was to continuously keep revising whatever I was reading. I would study from Monday through Saturday and ensure that I spent close to two hours every day just revising whatever I had studied. That helped in cementing the points.”

3. Reserve Sundays for mocks:

Studying through the week and keeping aside the entire Sunday to attempt a mock paper, whether for prelims or mains, is something that Prateek found beneficial. “I would use my Sundays as a day to consolidate the week’s learning and also to recuperate and get ready for the week ahead. On Sundays I would attempt a mock paper without fail and spend ample time analysing the answers and learning the ones I got wrong or could not answer,” he says.

4. Write to learn:

“I have noticed that many aspirants would write down the pointers that they wanted to remember. Writing vis-à-vis just reading helps one retain more,” says Prateek. Reading out loud while studying could also help retain information for a longer period of time. Aspirants can practice writing answers and solving previous papers to train their brain to retrieve information efficiently. Some aspirants also use mind maps to help retain and recollect information faster. He adds, “You will not be able to clear the mains without being able to write effortlessly. So, keep writing – that is the key.”

5. Find technology that works for you:

Prateek says that he used an app called OneNote by Microsoft that helped him collate all information in one place. “This app would help me collate all my notes in one place and was also accessible to me at all times. I would spend my time from 6 am to 9 am revising using the notes made on this app. I would also make lists (rivers of India, wildlife reserves in India, etc.) of important things I had to remember on this app and would go through it whenever I had the time.”

6. Always analyse the mocks:

As much as attempting mocks is important, analysing the mistakes one makes is equally important. Prateek says, “When attempting preliminary mock papers it will take an aspirant more time to analyse the paper than it takes to attempt it, while the mains will take equal time to write and analyse the paper. Spend at least two hours analysing the mocks. For questions you are unhappy with, try and write it again. That way you will be forced to relearn the concept.”

In conclusion, he goes back to something his father told him, and shares, “He would often say – be scholarly rather than aiming to be rich. The UPSC and its preparation will most certainly leave you enriched and knowledgeable.”

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

Nikhil Agrawal who cleared the UPSC CSE thrice in 2016, 2017 and 2018, shares these tips on his Quora post.

1. Charts

Nikhil writes, “I have seen many rank holders using chart making techniques in their exam preparation. Charts help you to write a huge amount of data in one single page. It is very useful for repeated revision.”

He continues, “Another benefit of chart making is that you can paste that chart anywhere such as your cupboard, near your bed or even in your bathroom.”

2. Revision

With respect to revision, Nikhil writes, “This is the most crucial preparation part for a serious UPSC aspirant which non-serious students often ignore. We never accept the fact that our brain forgets things easily. But successful aspirants know this fact very well. They don’t bring ego in between their studies. They read the same book repeatedly. You can revise properly if you have made charts and notes of your own.”

3. Connecting the dots

“This technique helps in remembering a lot of what you have studied. By interlinking the topics with each other, you can remember many points for your answer. This technique is more useful for the mains. Connecting the dots will surely fetch you additional marks in every answer. For example: If a question on economy is asked then you must relate it with environment/education/women as well,” he writes.
He adds, “Connecting the dots also helps in developing your thought process, which is very useful in prelims examination.”

4. Taking notes

Nikhil shares, “Making notes, especially from newspaper content, is of utmost importance. It is important because you cannot revise a newspaper but you can revise from your notes. You cannot keep one year’s worth of newspapers either. Newspaper reading without revision every one month or so is of no use, so make effectives notes.”

5. Mnemonics

This is a technique that various successful aspirants have used over the years to remember important points like dates, years, details about countries, etc. Having used this technique, Nikhil writes, “Remember that mnemonic acts as a supplement to your core preparation which should include extensive reading and hardwork.”

Examples of a few mnemonics that Nikhil used are as follows:

SAAB– Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bengal (Bhutan and Indian state border),

PATNA– Prithvi, Akash, Trishul, Nag, Agni (All five missiles developed under IGMD program India).

To be successful in the CSE one needs to adopt a combination of various techniques and not just stick to one of them. You can read our coverage of various civil servants cracking the UPSC CSE and sharing tips here.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

They studied in a Hindi medium school and made their way up to securing government jobs. Today, Santosh is a secretary at Arunachal Pradesh Staff Selection (APSSB), while Ranjan holds the post of the assistant commandant at Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and Vijay is an officer at the Indian Railway Traffic Services (IRTS).

But achieving bureaucratic positions by studying from a government school was never easy.

“We know the inferior quality education in Bihar and the poor method of teaching by contractual teachers. The government schools are in poor shape in terms of offering academic education,” Santosh admits.

Bridging The Gap

Santosh says, “Students studying from government schools find it challenging to pursue civil services given their poor exposure [to the field]. They are underprivileged and cannot compete with privileged students who study in private schools.”

The IAS officer says there are a few who can access education at school and seek private coaching. “The students from government schools become the poorest and weakest link. The situation becomes a hindrance to coping with academics at par with other privileged students. On many occasions, the students cannot afford books or educational equipment,” he tells The Better India.

However, the three officers are working to change this bleak picture for good.

In 2019, the officers started Ambedkar Initiative for the Marginalised (AIM) Pathshala that is providing hundreds of underprivileged students with free education and study material. The initiative works in tandem with the government schools where additional coaching is provided to students in the institute premises in Gopalganj, Aurangabad and Samastipur districts.

Vijay Kumar explains that the lessons are held from Classes 1 to 10 between 7 am and 9 am. “Quality teachers and experts in each subject are invited to help the students with queries, doubts and polishing their skills. Weekly tests are held to monitor the student progress,” he says, adding, “There are no fees charged to the students. Instead, uniforms, books and other educational material are provided by us.”

Vijay says over 450 students are studying across the three centres. “The additional classes have helped the students score better marks,” he claims.

Ranjan Kumar, a Class 12 student, says his performance has improved phenomenally since he began taking sessions at the AIM Pathshala. “I came to know about the classes through friends. They have helped me clear concepts, understand important chapters and prepare accordingly for my examinations,” he says.

Ranjan says that he scored 70 per cent in his mid-terms compared to his average score of 50-55 per cent before he started taking coaching. “I was impressed with the benefits and also recommended eight other friends who have improved on their academic scores as well,” he adds.

Officer Ranjan Pradhan says the plans are to rope in more IAS officers who can contribute to their cause. “We want officers who wish to contribute towards society. We also plan to streamline the curriculum modules and add extra-curricular activities to help students prepare for placement interviews and other examinations,” he says.

Santosh says that they wish to continue the cause and extend the initiative across India. “Education is the best tool of empowerment, and it will help build a better generation,” he adds.

Edited by Yoshita Rao

Sumit was preparing for the CSE along with managing a full-time job. In his fifth attempt in 2018, he managed to clear the examination with an All India Rank (AIR) of 54 and landed a position with the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).

Speaking to The Better India, he says, “While I was doing well and also earning well in my job, I wasn’t satisfied. The job was monotonous and I knew that I had the potential to do more and serve the country better. That was my sole motivation for attempting the CSE five times.” The flipside of attempting the exam so many times is the frustration that accompanies it and learning to deal with it is imperative, says Sumit.

“Every serious UPSC aspirant must understand that the CSE is a test of your mental strength. There are three stages to this examination, namely prelims, mains and the interview stage. Each time you appear for the exam you may or may not clear one or more stages. However, ensure that each time you learn something new, it helps you grow.”

The first few days after you get the result and do not see your name is always painful. But Sumit says it is important to look at the larger picture.

Sumit shares tips that worked for him of appearing for CSE while juggling a full-time job.

1. CSE – an exam that tests your ability to express:

Sumit says that the examination is a test of how well one expresses themselves. “Even if you do not read too many books but have keen observational skills, use those skills to weave a good answer. In your writing, you should be able to convince the examiner of what you are trying to convey. Be selective in what you read and what information you choose to retain from the exam point of view,” he says.

In short, one needs to do smart studying to ensure that the syllabus is completed without spending too much time on each topic.

2. Customise the strategy to suit your needs:

“Each officer will have their own strategy that they follow. It is important that you read and learn about it all to make your own strategy. Customise with the best points from everyone’s plans. Do not try and cover everything mentioned in the syllabus. Try ‘studying smart’ by looking at previous year question papers and analysing the important topics,” says Sumit. For the purpose of this examination, being smart in the preparation will help you do well.

3. Plan your day ahead:

This is especially true for aspirants who are working full-time and preparing for CSE. “Make good use of all the time on hand. I would wake up and spend at least three hours studying before I headed out to work. Even during the commute, I would either read the newspaper or listen to some audio that was related to a topic I was studying,” says Sumit. Each evening, depending on the workload of the day Sumit says that he would put in another few hours of studying. On an average, Sumit would clock close to five to six hours of studying each day.

4. Give mock tests their due:

“Very often aspirants continue to prepare without stopping to assess how well they have grasped the topic. Attempting mock tests becomes important for self-evaluation. It is a tool that will help you recollect all you have been studying and also test your knowledge and recollection,” says Sumit. This becomes necessary when attempting the mains.

This will also help aspirants manage their time better and also in structuring their answers in a cohesive manner. “Attempting the mock tests from an examiner’s point of view is also essential. It gives you a feel of things to come,” he adds.

5. Technology as an aid:

Sumit says that he used apps like Evernote to make notes and go back and revise. He was also part of a few Telegram channels and says that it helped him revise on the go. “There are various Telegram groups, which one can join to help prepare better. One must ensure that they do not get lost in all the content that is posted. Sifting through and only utilising what you need is important.” Every morning you can consider downloading the newspaper The Hindu from the Telegram group as it saves on time, he adds.

6. Learn to think on your feet:

One of the ‘googly’ questions that came his way during the interview stage was about why he kept attempting the CSE despite holding a good lucrative corporate job. Sumit says, “I told them about how when posted in Rajasthan there was a 12 hour shift we were part of. I would study whenever I had the chance and even after my shift when I would be in my bunk, I would use the time to study. I never missed an opportunity to pick up the books and prepare.” Sumit attributes his ability to think on his feet that helped him during the interview.

7. Make changes to your mindset:

Since Sumit was preparing while working he shares some mindset changes that helped him. He says, “Treat your job as a temporary phenomenon. Remember that you have a small role to play in the organisation. Do your part, be happy and keep working on your larger goals. Don’t run after appraisals or becoming the best at the workplace.”

He further adds, “Avoid confrontation or ego-clashes at the workplace. This will help in keeping you focused on your UPSC preparation.” He urges aspirants to be sincere in their work and ensure that they give their 100 per cent.
“Whenever there is a sliver of doubt or a sense of hopelessness that crosses your mind, always remind yourself of why you want to be in the service, that will help you sail through,” he concludes.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

In 2017, Ashish graduated in Economics and post that in 2018 he decided on appearing for the CSE. Speaking to The Better India he says, “Since I was clear about wanting to appear for the CSE I chose not to take up any job or assignment post my graduation. However, the first attempt in 2018 did not end well for me. I did not make it past the prelims stage. Not clearing the examination, in hindsight, was good because it allowed me to focus more on my preparation.”

The cut-off mark for the 2018 CSE was 98 and Ashish says that he missed it by just a few points. He scored 97.67 that year.

“While I was sad I knew my preparation for the mains in 2018 was not up to the mark and therefore I welcomed the result and planned my time to prepare for my second attempt.”

In his second attempt in 2019, Ashish cleared the exam and tells us about what changed and how others can do the same.

1. Give your preparation a clear direction:

“In my first attempt, I did not have a clear direction. I would pick up various resource materials and start studying from it. I failed to refer to the syllabus while preparing and that was a huge mistake I made,” he says. Ashish urges aspirants to study from a limited source of materials and says that wherever possible stick to the tried and tested textbooks alone. As and when one is studying they must cross-check with the syllabus to ensure that they are covering everything in it.

2. Adopt previous years’ toppers’ strategies:

While each aspirant finds their own method of preparation it would be beneficial to talk to peers and see what strategy they have chosen to study, says Ashish, “Do not try and adopt the same strategy since that might not work for you. However, you can use certain elements from their study pattern that might be helpful. Speaking to your peers might also help in clearing some of your doubts.” Closely understanding the strategy, he says, adopted by previous years’ toppers will also help strengthen your own study pattern.

3. Make notes that work for you:

Yet another mistake that Ashish made the first time was not making notes. He says this proved to be a costly mistake and he learnt from it for the second attempt. “I made notes for the GS paper as well as my optional paper the second time. Aspirants must have a ready reckoner they can keep going back to. During the revision stages, it would be prudent to only go through the notes and not go back to the source materials,” he says. Having to recall points from different sources while attempting the paper is not advisable and having all the notes collated in one place is always helpful in answer writing.

4. Rote learning is not the key to success in UPSC CSE:

“Do not go down the path of mugging up everything that is written in the resource material. Use reference points to create mind maps that will help you recollect everything you need from an exam point of view,” says Ashish. Doing this will help you visualise where you need to start thinking from – ensure that you have a mental framework for all major portions covered in the syllabus. Remembering your notes by-heart is not what is expected of you.

5. Attempt as many mock tests as possible:

Ashish says that during his first attempt he only solved a few mock tests, which in hindsight was a mistake. He says, “Try to solve questions which you don’t know or which you aren’t completely certain about. This will also help you develop the knack of elimination during the exam. Do not approach the examination with a fixed mind-set, be open to connecting various topics while attempting the paper. The more mocks you attempt the more confident you will become.”

6. Approach the examination with a clear mind:

Ashish shares that he approached the examination with a very clear mind and says that he had given himself three attempts and was sure that if he did not clear the UPSC CSE within these attempts, he would opt to find a job. “Focus on the exam on hand and do not think of ‘what if’ scenarios. The examination requires you to be completely invested in the preparation and not have a wavering mind,” he adds.

In conclusion he says, “Calm your nerves while attempting the prelims. Remember, if a question is difficult for you, it is probably difficult for everyone else attempting the paper as well.”

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

Dr Divyakirti is the organisation’s founder and managing director, who has developed a “star status” over the past two decades.

Born to a middle-class family in Haryana, Dr Divyakirti cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) in 1996 in his first attempt and was assigned to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. He resigned after a year and established Drishti IAS coaching classes in 1999, headquartered in Mukherjee Nagar, Delhi, and with branches in Prayagraj and Jaipur. His wife, Dr Taruna Verma, is also a director at the coaching institute.

With over seven million subscribers on Drishti IAS’s YouTube channel and 51,900 followers on his Instagram account, Dr Vikas Divyakirti is known for breaking down complicated subjects on current affairs in colloquial Hindi.

He is regarded as one of the most revered teachers in India’s civil services community. Quora users discuss why:

‘He fought for Hindi-medium students against CSAT’

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Dr. Vikas Divyakirti (@drvikasdivyakirti)

According to a report by The Wire, model answers for the CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) are available exclusively in English. Civil aspirants opting for the exam in their local languages have, for long, alleged a language bias in the evaluation process, in addition to inadequate translations of questions.

Machine learning engineer Nishant Kumar, who refers to Dr Divyakirti as “the Harshad Mehta of the 21st century”, said that the teacher has always come forward for his students and is a strong advocate for their issues. “He fought for Hindi-medium students against the CSAT (pattern). When I watch his videos, I feel motivated and wish to learn (more about) every subject, but he is well-known for Hindi literature,” wrote Nishant.

Divyakirti has opined that aspirants will remain apprehensive about their preparation until the results reflect equal representation. “Social and linguistic diversity plays a key role in shaping the future of this country. The UPSC must think about these concerns and formulate a plan of action to encourage diversity and inclusion in the bureaucracy. Otherwise, it will remain the colonial-era administrative system where nobles and affluent individuals ruled the people,” he was quoted as saying.

Notably, the former civil servant has completed an MA, an MPhil, and a PhD in Hindi literature from Delhi University, where both his parents were also professors of Hindi literature. Additionally, he has received a postgraduate degree in English-to-Hindi translation from Delhi University and Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan.

‘Incredible teaching style, great sense of humour’

Synergy Marine Group employee Avanish Kumar said that he has watched all of Vikas Divyakirti’s videos and especially recommends the concept talks. “He is famous for his incredible teaching style. Some qualities that I have noticed include his unique method of clearing concepts of complex topics, a great sense of humour (you will never get bored of his teaching), a simple living, his humble nature and love and support for Hindi-medium civil service aspirants,” he wrote.

Alok Kumar, a 19-year-old student from West Bengal, wrote, “I started watching Vikas sir’s concept talk on Uniform Civil Code…and watched all of them within a month. You will be surprised to know that I switched from the science stream to law. The way he teaches is really great…He starts from zero and finishes as an expert on that topic.”

Another Quora user, a software engineer by profession, shared that Dr Vidyakirti has a “charismatic personality”. “UPSC aspirants from the Hindi background treat him as a father figure. His way of teaching is so relaxing and mind-engulfing that…a few minutes of conversation can make you feel more energised and focused towards your goal,” he wrote.

Takeaways for non-civil aspirants, too

Despite not being a civil services aspirant, BTech student Abhinav Singh said he watches Divyakirti’s videos on a regular basis. “I advise everyone to watch his general lectures, such as those on essay writing and how to prepare for interviews, because it can help in any domain. If anyone wants to hear unbiased opinions on any topic, he is the person for it,” he wrote.

Abhinav, whose sister is a civil services aspirant from the Hindi-medium background, also enjoys reading ‘Drishti Current Affairs Today’, a monthly magazine on contemporary news for whom Divyakirti is the principal editor.

Some tips for UPSC preparation:

According to Dr Divyakirti, aspirants must see the UPSC Civil Services IAS Prelims only as a qualifying exam in order to appear for the mains. He has recommended setting an idealised score to select a target segment and following a time-table during preparations.

For writing good answers, he has suggested including both positive and negative aspects of a given situation and highlighting the most important sections. He has also recommended solving previous years’ papers thoroughly and reading success stories of IAS officers to keep oneself motivated.

Simi Karan was all of 22 when she managed to clear the examination in her very first attempt, clinching an All India Rank (AIR) of 31.

Originally from Odisha, Simi spent her childhood in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, where she studied at Delhi Public School. She speaks to The Better India about how to manage your study schedule and divide and conquer the vast UPSC syllabus.

1. Make good use of available resources and technology:

Simi speaks about a free online platform called Mrunal.org that she used extensively while preparing for the examination. “The website is very well designed and each topic is mentioned clearly and further divided into sub-topics as well. For example, if one were to start with history there are sub-topics like ancient, medieval, modern and world history. Each of these sub-topics is explained according to the syllabus and makes studying that much more methodical.”

2. Map the resources you have with the syllabus:

“It is most important for aspirants to be well-versed with the syllabus,” says Simi. The first exercise an aspirant must take time out for is to map the resources/content one has with the entire syllabus. Once done, Simi says that even while studying she would keep the syllabus before her. Explaining this, she says, “If I were studying climatology from Geography, I would have the official syllabus before me and also have the previous year’s question paper handy to have a fair understanding of what is likely to be asked.”

3. Use Google search effectively:

A simple Google search can usually throw up several resources and one can get confused about which one to pick. Simi has an easy solution to this and says, “Whenever you are searching for a topic specifically from the exam point of view, add the topic and UPSC in the search bar. So, if I were to look for some international treaty, I would add the name plus ‘UPSC’ while searching. I would then make my own notes from the top three resources that would show up.”

4. Divide the syllabus in proportion to the time you have:

“Dividing the syllabus for effective study is a personal choice. Having said that, one way to tackle the syllabus effectively is to work in tandem with the time you have until the prelims. If you started preparation nine months before the prelims, it would be advisable to spend six months preparing and three months in revision. So, divide the topics accordingly and prioritise according to your strengths and weaknesses.”

5. Revision also needs to be planned:

“Do not assume that your preparation ends when you complete the syllabus. Even revision requires meticulous planning,” says Simi. While revising make a mental note of all the often-asked questions and topics. Some examples are Articles of the Constitution and important and landmark judgements. “Making a list of such important topics is also beneficial for aspirants,” she adds.

6. Simi’s list of books and resources:

You can go through Simi’s blog where she lists out all the resources she used while preparing for the CSE. Click here to access the same.

Simi ends with a disclaimer in which she says, “When people ask how did you clear the exam? I can only tell them what worked for me and hence may work for you. But you must understand that every person is in a different situation and has different strengths. So, you can hear out everybody but finally come up with your own strategy.”

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

So naturally, if you’re about to appear for the UPSC, you’d be asking yourself what subject to go for, or how you can go about picking the “right” one. 

Thankfully, a few civil servants have offered some help to guide you. 

“No optional is good or bad.” – Nikhil Srivas, Deputy Controller — Delhi, UPSC CSE 2016 

Nikhil Srivas, deputy controller with the Government of India, said the answer lies in what you find most interesting. “There is neither a good nor a bad optional [subject]. Your optional subject is one that you love studying and want deeper insight into. Yes! That’s it. That’s all,” he said in this post. 

He advised candidates to look beyond “popular market rumours” or “interest-driven suggestions from coaching institutes”, and not “fall for the results of a particular year”. The only factor that matters is if you find the subject interesting, he noted, because it will drive you to immerse yourself in the topic and study it well. 

Nikhil has a detailed post on how you can go about choosing the “best” optional subject. Some things he pointed out include that candidates should consider if they can choose their graduation subject as their subject. “Do not fall for talks that ‘your graduation subject is not scoring’ — if you have interest and knowledge of it, you will make it happen,” he opined.

For those whose graduation subject is not available, or those who would like to pick something else, Nikhil advised, “Read general studies, explore your interests. Try to find which subject attracts you more or you have a good understanding of. Once you find it, read about the subject a bit, its syllabus, and [take] a cursory glance of the previous year papers. This would help you understand if it suits your interest. Once you find it suitable, go for it wholeheartedly.”

You can read his entire post on the subject here. 

“Choose what you love.” — Ira Singhal, IAS Officer

IAS Officer Ira Singhal, who was also the first person with disability to top the UPSC exams, said, “[Choose] the subject that you can fall in love with! You have to study that subject again and again, and have to do a very in-depth coverage of all its topics! So it should be a subject that you enjoy studying. If you don’t…then you won’t be able to do justice to it.” 

“The rule of thumb is that you find it interesting.” — Debotosh Chatterjee, IRS (C&IT), 2016

Debotosh was of the same opinion as Ira when he said, “There is no such ‘best subject’. It’s a myth. The thumb rule of choosing an optional subject for UPSC CSE, accepted by most successful and aspiring candidates, is that you must be interested in it.”

Debotosh said that while he is a graduate in chemical engineering, he chose political science and international relations as his optional subject, and despite people calling him “crazy” for this choice, he got through his first attempt with five to six months of preparation. 

Some points Debotosh discussed about what to keep in mind before settling on a particular subject are: 

1. Divide your attention between science and humanities, and ask yourself which line of thought you are more “comfortable” with. 
2. Look at the list of optional subjects in UPSC CSE notification, and discard what you don’t like right away. “There are 25 such subjects, excluding the regional languages, and you can easily make out which ones just don’t appeal to you,” he said. 
3. Once the list has been narrowed down, you should not be left with more than eight to 10 subjects after the first first steps, Debotosh noted. For the remaining subjects, check the syllabus, previous years’ question papers, and availability of material for self study. 
4. If you’re still left with two to three options and can’t decide, Debotosh advised that you pick up the most basic book — ideally a Class 11 or 12 NCERT— for each of the remaining subjects and go through each in two to three days. “You will yourself know the option that you will be going ahead with now,” he explained. 

Debotosh also noted that while science subjects are more scoring than their humanities counterparts, they require much more prep time. Meanwhile, humanities subjects are difficult to score in but take less time to complete, and find more relevance in essays, ethics, interviews and general studies. 

For more UPSC-related material, you can check out our Civil Servants section here.

Image credit: LinkedIn

Edited by Yoshita Rao

Having launched this platform in March 2020, Abhijeet says that one of the reasons was the imposition of the lockdown.

“I realised that access to study material would be hampered with the imposition of the lockdown. I knew of several aspirants who would spend hours in the library, and I wanted to find a way to help them. PRAM IAS came into being to bridge that gap and help aspirants.”

Abhijeet says, “While each civil service aspirant wishes to go to Delhi, enrol in some good coaching institute and prepare, it is not feasible for everyone to achieve. Moreover, the financial strain this puts on the families is very hard.”

He says that on average, accommodation in Delhi itself will cost an aspirant between Rs 10,000 to 15,000 and then the cost of the coaching centre, which is no less than Rs 1.5 Lakh.

He adds, “Over and above this, there is also the living expenditure and cost of study material that is additional.”

PRAM IAS launched with state services officers of the Bihar cadre. But soon, more than 50 officers from different State services and the central service have joined hands to provide the necessary guidance to the aspirants. Today over 80 officers from different batches are part of the initiative. The core committee consists of 11 officers – Mohit Raj, Rushda Rehman, Ujjawal Kumar, Divya Prakash Asthana, Manoranjan Kumar, Shruti Raj, Ravi Ranjan, Abhiram Kumar and Ashutosh Narayan.

They are already having an impact. The 65th Bihar Public Service Commission results saw one of PRAM’s candidates, Gaurav Singh, secure the top rank in the examination.

“These are the small victories for us to keep going. It is validation that we are on the right path doing the right things,” says Abhijeet.

‘For the Officers, By the Officers.’

“All we require from our subscribers is an internet connection with a minimum of 1 GB data available to be able to open up YouTube and access the study material. This way, we can reach aspirants from any part of the country. One does not necessarily have to travel to the metros to seek guidance,” he says.

“We are most active on Telegram and have multiple channels on the platform. Each channel has over 2,000 subscribers, and it is on this platform that officers can directly interact with aspirants and clear their doubts in real-time,” says Abhijeet.

“Since affordability is such a big thing for us, we have ensured that a majority of the material we provide is free of cost. For example, the test series is charged at Rs 300, and even that is waived off in cases where the student is unable to pay up,” he says. The money that we collect is used to develop the YouTube channel and compensate the technical team that works on the post-production of the videos.

“We work on a pay-it-forward model. Those who have qualified for the Mains help aspirants prepare for the prelims. This way, there is a constant churn of aspirants and officers within the organisation,” he says. From conducting mock interviews to solving queries, PRAM IAS has been able to help several thousand aspirants.

Speaking about starting a dedicated platform for UPSC aspirants, Abhijeet says, “Even now, there is overlap in the syllabus  between the state exams and UPSC. However, we do intend to focus on the UPSC in a dedicated manner soon.”

To become a subscriber of PRAM IAS, you can click here to log in to the YouTube channel, to access their Facebook, click here. To be a part of the Telegram group, click here.

(Edited by Vinayak Hegde)

In a viral Twitter thread, IFS officer Parveen Kaswan shared a video in which officials carried out the rescue operations for five Felis chaus (jungle cat) cubs, who are a protected species. Kaswan said the cubs were found by farmers while they were harvesting in a field. The authorities were alerted and in the video, farmers and locals can be seen making arrangements for the cubs.

In a detailed thread, Kaswan wrote, “All [cubs] were so small that they could not have survived without the mother. So we decided to reunite them…Teams and villagers stationed for the night near the location, so that they can be monitored and no disturbances occur.” (sic)

What was even more marvellous to see was that in a few pictures, Kaswan documented how the mother worked overnight to take her cubs back, slowly and stealthily, one at a time.

The rescue work went viral on social media and was even picked up by international publications.

Watch the video to see the rescue operations in action:

And all the five jungle cat cubs were saved. Found by farmers during harvesting in a field. pic.twitter.com/OvKeUNNnJB

— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) November 10, 2021

Parveen Kaswan posts frequent informative posts about wildlife. You can follow him on Twitter here.

However, we, or even others well-versed with the world of civil service, don’t have tips on how one can fail the UPSC. As odd as it may sound, a recent viral video on Twitter, posted by IAS officer Awanish Sharan of the 2009 batch and Chhattisgarh cadre, has used a unique way to drive home the point of what not to do while preparing for the UPSC.

Earlier this year, another one of Sharan’s posts had gone viral, in which he discussed a popular photo that detailed how he scored less while in school and still managed to crack the UPSC with a rank of 77.

Now, he’s back with some more UPSC-related material, albeit with a unique twist. In a video that’s slightly reminiscent of Apple’s ‘Don’t Blink’ video, Sharan details what to do if you want to fail the UPSC, and the results are hilarious.

Take a look for yourself:

How to fail UPSC Civil Services Exam.

Well explained. pic.twitter.com/IftbagsJA5

— Awanish Sharan (@AwanishSharan) November 8, 2021

On Quora, IAS officer Bhavesh Mishra from the 2015-batch shared what his experience was like after he became an officer. The 30-year-old, who has also co-authored the book 71 to 51: My Journey from Failure to IAS & Your Guide to Success (2018), is an electrical engineering graduate from IIT Delhi.

He answered the question, “What is the life of a fresh Indian civil servant (IAS, IPS, IRS, IFS and other services) like? What are the initial years, salary, pressure, responsibilities, expectations, corrupt officers and politicians, nightlife and social life like?”

According to Bhavesh, the initial years are the best ones, with fewer responsibilities and more learning. He opines that no other job gives so much responsibility, power, the scope of doing good work and authority at such an early stage of a career.

Life when preparing for UPSC

Bhavesh compared preparing for UPSC to a Bollywood movie; full of hope, despair, thrill, disappointment and success.

He said that while initial enthusiasm knows no bounds, there was a point where he struggled with self-doubt and was even on the verge of giving up preparation altogether.

“The statistics for this exam are frightening. Only about 25 students make it to the top 100 in their first attempt. Therefore, we consciously avoid thinking about numbers and cling to the hope of making it to the list,” he added.

According to him, seeing one’s name on the list is like attaining moksha. The other two options are going through the process all over again, or leaving the battlefield completely, out of which the first is worse, he said.

The initial years: Meeting new people, no responsibilities

The life of an IAS officer starts with a three-month foundation course at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration. It focuses on extracurricular activities like trekking, festivals, sports and fitness.

Then comes what Bhavesh said is the “best part of training” — Bharat Darshan, where the officers go on an all-India tour to meet people in and out of the field. It ends after two months.

Bharat Darshan is followed by a three-month professional course where the officers are told what they are expected to do and how the government works.

After this course, officers are given district training with hands-on experience in field administration.

Next comes Phase-2 training, which includes visiting foreign countries and using the experience they gained during district training with fellow officers.

After Phase-2, the officers begin working in a central ministry and are made to understand the Central government’s formulation and implementation of schemes.

Bhavesh said that here, the two-year-long training with no responsibilities ends, and this is where the real work begins.

‘Challenging, yet satisfying’

Officers are posted as Sub-Divisional Magistrates in a remote area. Bhavesh said that working 24*7 with no holidays teaches the most important lessons to an IAS officer. Responsibilities include conducting elections, handling disasters, protocol duties, law and order, and everything that comes under the administration department.

“Here, we learn the two most important skills; resource management and negotiation,” Bhavesh added.

As the officers are under the constant scrutiny of media, citizens and political parties alike, extra care needs to be taken. People expect a lot from the officers, who are approached by hundreds every day to solve grievances.

In fact, Bhavesh said it will be really hard to find a work-life balance, as a majority of the day is occupied by work itself. So-called nightlife and social life might take a backseat, but there will be no limit to the number of people one gets to meet every day while on the job.

“The work is so challenging, yet satisfying,” adds Bhavesh.

(Edited by Divya Sethu)

While for some aspirants the dream was as simple as being heard, for others it was to invoke a sense of pride in their parents. We compile a few snippets shared on Quora that capture some moments that changed their life after the UPSC CSE results.

‘Do not let your self-respect deplete because of others’ taunts.’

– Minal Karanwal – All India Rank (AIR) 35, CSE 2018

Answering a question on Quora, Minal Karanwal shared a post about her father and said, “He retired after 35 years of service in State Bank of India (SBI). Because of some health issues, he could never get a promotion. But given the fighter he is, he never let his self-respect be lessened by people’s constant taunts that he is merely a ‘clerk’.”

Her father put in a lot of effort to make his kids successful. She added, “My elder brother turned out to be a very successful lawyer and I ranked 35 in the 2018 CSE.”

At the retirement party, there were several people who spoke to Minal about her father’s hard work and dedication. Some even mentioned how they saw a glimpse of her father in her.

She shared, “That was the best thing that could have happened to me. Being the reason the world respects my father.”

“This was the biggest change I saw in my life, where suddenly people address the obvious because they see a direct example of it. Because of this one reason, I’ll do whatever it takes, even further in my career, to make my parents proud. In retrospect, my hard work doesn’t seem like a burden anymore, but a privilege,” she concluded.

‘Clearing the UPSC and getting your dream job is not an end in itself.’

– Rahul Shrivastava – currently Ambassador of India to Romania, Moldova & Albania

Rahul Shrivastava wrote, “Before I sat for UPSC CSE, I had a dream and when I had cleared it, I had achieved that dream. But I soon learnt that clearing the UPSC and getting your dream job is not an end in itself.”

He added, “I had thought that the foundation course in Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie, would be a cake-walk. It was not. We would get up early in the morning for our physical training and then attend a series of lectures every day from Economics to Law. After LBSNAA, the training at the Foreign Service Institute was equally gruelling. Thereafter, a six-month attachment at the Ministry, followed by foreign language training abroad. The complete training took about three years.”

“I had hoped to have some respite when I started full-time work at the Embassy. But I was again mistaken. You had to always be on your toes. This has continued posting after posting. I learnt soon enough that when one represents one’s country abroad, no issue can be taken lightly. Over the years, my service has taught me to be more responsive, sensitive to others’ problems, pay attention to details and never take anything for granted. And because we stay at a place for about two to four years, I have learnt to adjust,” he wrote.

‘It gave me a new sort of confidence.’

– Abinash Mishra – AIR 65, CSE 2017

In his post, Abinash Mishra shared how everything changed after his results. He wrote, “Clearing this exam gave me new confidence for my social startup — Sunday classes. Many volunteers are coming up to work for this startup and to promote quality education. After clearing this exam your opinion is heard and valued.”

He continued, “It feels good and I am humbled that people now listen carefully to my ideas and opinions on nation building. Finally, I feel the real journey will begin when I will work at the grassroots level — dealing with challenges that people are facing. All these years I have prepared myself for that and I feel quite excited to begin this journey of service and spreading joy.”

‘A certificate to call yourself intelligent.’

– Agam Jain – IPS Officer

Agam Jain wrote about how upon clearing the UPSC CSE the burden of appearing for such competitive examinations went away. “I was satisfied, my family was satisfied and relatives too (big achievement),” he shared.

People around him started reaching out to him for advice, often ranging from matrimonial to tips on how to clear the UPSC CSE. He shared, “Clearing the exam gives you a certificate to call yourself intelligent (which you may not be).”

In his post, he shared, “I got the chance to meet so many new people. First through social platforms, then in Mussoorie and now in Hyderabad. I got the chance to pursue other hobbies. I started reading other books, started writing satire in Hindi and even started playing tennis.”

“So, considerable things have changed but to bring to your notice, all these changes are the external changes. I don’t know how much I have succeeded, but I try to keep the internal depth as intact as it was earlier. At the end of the day, what matters is our character and not the rank/post,” he wrote.

‘Once you reach this platform, do not mimic the behaviour that you once despised.’

-Nikhil Srivas – AIR 1016, CSE 2016

Nikhil Srivas described himself as a middle-class, small town guy who spent his infancy in a rented single room. He wrote, “My story is of a lower middle class student whom no-one knows and cares about, other than his family.”

Despite his humble beginning, he was lucky to have a father who provided him with everything that he needed.

From never stepping foot in an airport until he cleared the UPSC CSE, Nikhil shared his experience of travelling by air to Canada, Shimla, Chennai, Coimbatore and Hyderabad. “This might not seem to be a big thing for a quarter of Indians, but for the rest like me, it surely is. That is exactly how my life has changed,” he shared.

Clearing the exam also instilled a sense of confidence in Nikhil. He added, “There are many things that changed and many that didn’t. I am still a person who realises what hunger is. What feeling left out feels like, and how your needs and demands change just because of a price tag.”

He asserted, “Once you reach this platform, do not mimic the behaviour that you once despised. Do not aim to become a good officer alone, but grow as a good person. Be someone whom a 15-year-younger YOU can think of as an icon.”

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

Every year the number of aspirants only seems to increase. But what happens to those who don’t succeed?

Shruti Pandey (26) appeared for the UPSC CSE in 2017 for the first time and subsequently in 2018 and 2019. As someone who enjoyed the process of studying for the examination she says that the entire experience of appearing for the prelims and main thereafter was a dampener, which led her to make life-changing decisions.

Speaking to The Better India, she says, “Wanting to appear for the UPSC CSE was completely my decision. As someone who enjoys multidisciplinary study I thought that the examination would satiate that desire. While the process of studying was great, appearing for the examination was not so much.”

Shruti persisted and appeared for the examination thrice before she decided to pursue another line of study.

“My early days were divided between Chitrakoot and the outskirts of Allahabad. My upbringing was in small towns, and like many others I grew up chasing good grades and various milestones. I am not entirely sure if I even knew what I was running after at that stage,” she says.

Shruti’s parents were neutral to her decision of wanting to appear for the UPSC CSE and she says that it was entirely her decision.

From 2013 to 2017, Shruti pursued her B Tech degree and it was during the final year that she started preparing for CSE. “I did not take up any full-time assignment post the completion of my B Tech and decided to use that time to prepare for the examination,” she says.

‘I enjoyed my preparation journey to begin with.’

“When I started preparing for the examination I remember feeling so engrossed. I would sit at a stretch of close to 12 hours a day to study. It was something that gave me immense happiness,” she says. This continued for a good two years of her preparation journey and she says that the fatigue set in only after that when she was studying the same material over and over and not clearing the examination.

She soon started feeling bogged down by it. “I was doing it because I had to clear the examination and not because I was enjoying it. That was when the entire process started feeling like a burden. Towards the end of 2018 I was drawn outwards and was totally exhausted,” she says.

Having written the exam thrice, Shruti says that with each attempt she became slightly more disillusioned. “In 2017 during my first attempt I was fresh out of college and could be called a total novice. Despite that I managed to clear the prelims and get to the mains. In 2018, I was well prepared and felt that the stakes for me were higher as well. This time as well I cleared the prelims and got the chance to attempt the mains. However, the last attempt in 2019 was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back – I did not even clear the prelims and that was when I made up my mind to not do this again.”

She says that just to put an end to this chapter in her life she took a trip to Mussoorie to bid adieu to Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA). “It was a cathartic experience for me. I stood looking at this great institute and made my peace with the entire process,” she shares.

UPSC CSE – Not a one size fits all exam

“Once I got over the shock of not clearing the prelims in my third attempt I started looking at what other avenues I could explore. Up until then I was solely focussed on the exam and never thought beyond it,” she says. After a very long period, Shruti started reaching out to her friends who were pursuing other career prospects.

She says, “When I was preparing for the UPSC CSE my world had shrunk to only include other aspirants. I had stopped socialising and that was a mistake I made. Not clearing the prelims in my third attempt was a nightmare that came true.” Picking up the pieces after the failure was difficult but one that Shruti says taught her a great deal.

“Until I decided to move on I wasn’t even sure what the options for someone who chooses to quit the UPSC was – I had only seen people appear for other competitive examinations and get placed. So, the journey was a lonely one. I knew no one who had quit the UPSC and become successful,” she says. It was after almost six months in 2019 that Shruti decided to pursue a career as a data scientist.

“I was severely under-confident and was battling my own share of mental health issues. It took me almost 20 days to write my Statement of Purpose (SOP) for colleges. I was not armed with a degree in computer science and did not have the names of any big company on my resume. I felt insecure but nonetheless took the plunge and applied for my Masters,” she says. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree at Duke University in North Carolina, US.

Words of advice from Shruti:

1. Analyse the ‘sunk cost’:

“To save the ‘sunk cost’ (money or time spent that cannot be recovered) one tends to invest more time and energy to clear the examination. If after many attempts you feel the examination is not for you, opting out would be the best thing you can do,” she says. Do not continue to stay invested in writing the exam on account of how much time you have spent. Shruti emphasises that in the larger scheme of things, it does not matter.

2. Think of why you want to clear the examination:

“There are times when after not clearing the UPSC CSE one starts looking at other State and bank administrative examinations to appear for. Do so only if you have the inclination for it and not because it is the next option after UPSC,” says Shruti. One must take the time out to figure out what plan B could be. Do not just go with what you are told.

3. Do not become myopic:

“Look at the larger picture. A few years of preparing and even failure is not of any significance when you are looking at the next few decades of your life. You can choose to change the track at any time you feel like it. Do not be burdened to follow through just because you have started preparing for UPSC.” Think about the next 50 years of your life and not the immediate five, she adds.

In conclusion she says, “Always remember that UPSC is a qualifying examination for administrative posts. It is a chapter in your life and not your whole life. Fail with pride. You are worth more than the exam.”

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

The nearest point from where one can access public transportation is almost 5 kilometers away, if not more, he says. “Since this is how I grew up back then it did not feel like a chore. Now when I look back, I wonder why the village has remained so severely underdeveloped,” he says. Born to daily wage farm labourers Santosha spent his growing up years at his maternal grandparent’s home.

“I stayed away from my parents until I got my second job. That was the only way in which I could be educated and make something of my life,” he says.

If that wasn’t enough, when Santosha was in Class 5 he started noticing some issues with his hearing abilities. A few tests later it was confirmed that he had a hearing impairment that would need treatment to correct. “Despite having an issue from as early as 10 years of age, I did not get it treated fully until I completed my diploma. I was often made fun of because of the pocket hearing aid I carried around,” he says.

This pushed Santosha into finding solace in books and libraries instead of making friends and having conversations with anyone. “Books were my way of escaping reality and the more I read the more curious I got. I would see everyone else play together but somehow I never felt the need to go out and make any friends. I was too shy and conscious of my hearing impairment,” he shares.

‘I have seen the system work and becoming an officer was a dream.’

Once Santosha completed his primary education at the village he moved to a nearby village, which was slightly more developed than his. “I was living in the Backward Class and Minority hostel where there was no access to proper food or even clean drinking water facility,” he recounts. Even though the government gave the hostel enough grants, none of it was being utilised in the proper manner.

“Seeing first-hand the kind of corruption that was taking place I approached the primary school teacher who urged me to formally lodge a complaint with the Lokayuktha,” says Santosha. This was perhaps his first tryst with bureaucracy and law. He continues, “Despite having lodged a complaint, for months I did not hear back. By some sort of coincidence, an official from the Lokayuktha was visiting the hostel and I once again raised my concern in-person.” This time around there was action that was taken and things at the hostel improved to a certain extent. “This incident in a sense reiterated my desire to join the service and find ways of helping people,” he says.

The power that vests in government officials can be put to tremendous use, if done properly and that is what attracted Santosha to the services. Narrating yet another instance from early on in his life, he shares, “My mother had been trying in vain to get her BPL (Below Poverty Line) card made and there was always some issue with it. The lack of survey by the government officials led to her name being excluded from the list. She tried as best as she could to get the card and ultimately it was because of the District Magistrate’s intervention that it happened.”

While Santosha is elated at having cleared the examination, for his parents, life continues to go on like before. “I have tried to make them understand what this means and how prestigious it is to clear the exams as well, but beyond a pat on my back, they didn’t say much. They haven’t understood what it actually means. I will let my work speak for itself and make them as proud as I can,” he concludes.

Tips for aspirants:

1. Believe in yourself:

“There is no greater gift you can give yourself,” he says. It is important to have utmost confidence in one’s abilities and that is what will help in clearing this competitive examination.

2. Have faith and fear in the exam process:

“The examination should instill fear and a sense of deep faith in the aspirants. One must approach it with 100 per cent conviction and be willing to give it a very sincere shot,” he adds.

3. Find a reason for attempting the examination:

“Each aspirant approaches the examination differently. It helps if one has a personal motivation or reason to attempt it. Find that and channelise your energy on making it happen,” says Santosha.

4. Always make schedules and stick to it:

“When it comes to work ethics – one must be very diligent while preparing for this examination. For that, making a schedule or time table and meticulously abiding by it will help. Make changes to your time table until you find one that suits you the best,” he adds.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

However, today, the 40-year-old 2009 batch officer, who currently serves as Joint Commissioner, Central GST in Dimapur, Nagaland, is quite clear that he will never push his two sons to write this or any other exam that secures them a government job.

“I will encourage whatever career path my children decide to choose. I will sit with them and help them see the pros and cons of the career paths that they are interested in. For my generation in Nagaland, we have been repeatedly pushed toward writing these exams. ‘At least write it once and see how it goes’ has been a common refrain of many Naga parents. I definitely won’t be pushing my boys to write the civil service exams (CSE) or telling them to even attempt the exams when I know they’re interested in other careers,” Sashi tells The Better India.

In a recent interaction with Asalie Peseyie, the CEO of Dimapur-based record label Infinity Inc, on the Shout Out Podcast, Sashi spoke of how after 12 years in government service, he feels that this isn’t the only way to be successful or find validation in life. He went on to say how people in Nagaland, where the premium on government jobs is high, shouldn’t glorify exams like the CSE and not think too highly of themselves for passing it.

Unfortunately, many from the frontier regions like Ladakh and Nagaland, where private sector jobs aren’t readily available, don’t have the luxury of choosing alternative career paths. They are pressured into wasting their best years preparing for exams like the UPSC or other State service exams by their families. In these parts, even larger communities create incentives for the same by glorifying these exams and those who pass them.

Although this is a similar problem in other parts of India, it’s more acute in regions where quality private sector jobs are crushingly limited. We, at The Better India, highlight some of the techniques UPSC CSE toppers employed or obstacles they overcame to pass these exams. While these articles do help aspirants in preparing for the exams, it’s imperative that alternative narratives surrounding the exams are encouraged more than the current status quo permits.

And who better to articulate one such narrative on competitive exams than a serving officer?

Seeking Validation in Life

Born in Mokokchung town, but raised in Kohima, Sashi lived in a household where both his parents worked in the government service. His father, an engineer with the State public works department, and mother, an employee of the education department, sent their son to Mount Hermon School in Darjeeling. Following school, he pursued a degree in electronics and communication from an institute in Bengaluru. Post college graduation in 2004, he worked as a lecturer in the Institute of Communications and Information Technology Mokokchung for around a year before making the pilgrimage many in India make to Delhi for UPSC exam preparations.

After clearing the exam in his third attempt, he was allotted the IRS (Customs and Excise) even though his rank was good enough to obtain a seat in the Indian Police Service (IPS). After 18 months of training at the National Academy for Customs, Indirect Taxes and Narcotics at Faridabad, he was posted at Port Blair in the Andaman Islands. In his 12-year career, Sashi has worked handling customs at the Kolkata Airport and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence.

Despite a successful career in the IRS thus far, he argues, “I am privileged to have the opportunity to serve as an IRS officer. However, more than a decade into government service I’ve realised that especially in the context of Nagaland, people over glorify the civil services as a career choice. I am against glorifying any particular career as the only or best way to be successful or to find validation in life. I have often compared competitive exams to a story where all the animals of the jungle are being lined up and told that whoever climbs up the tree fastest wins. As much as the country needs to attract the best minds to join the bureaucracy, the civil services are not meant for everyone. Yet, in Nagaland, parents have placed undue pressure on a generation of children to try and fit into the UPSC/NPSC (Nagaland Public Service Commission) mould to crack these difficult exams.”

Every year, Sashi claims that not less than 15,000 Nagas appear for the NPSC for maybe around 50 to 100 vacancies. For UPSC, the numbers are even more mind boggling. “This in turn has led to frustration for many young people because your value as a person or the value of your job is always being measured by society only in terms of civil service exam success as the benchmark. This is why I made that remark in the first place,” he adds.

He continues, “No one can deny that those who crack the civil service exams have bettered lakhs of other candidates who sit for these exams. It took years of struggle, great effort and personal sacrifices for me to get through the exam. However, I don’t think one should forever bask in that glory of being successful in the exam. Instead, get on with the job at hand. Passing such a difficult exam should not be overly glorified. Passing the exam merely offers you the platform to do something. So, if you have to glorify things then shine a light on the positive changes or achievements attained as a civil servant for the public at large.”

Nagaland’s Tryst With Civil Services

Clearing the UPSC and getting into the UPSC is something many families in India want for their children. In frontier regions like Nagaland and Ladakh, however, this desire seems more acute. To understand why this is the case, Sashi looks back at his own family’s past.

“As soon as my father completed his engineering degree in the late 1970s, there was a government job waiting for him in Nagaland. Back then, government service was the only available career choice for Nagas as there was hardly any presence of a private sector. Other factors such as insurgency would have also played a role in suppressing the growth of the private sector. ‘Study hard if you want to get a government job or else you will have to go back to farming in the fields’ is what many generations were often told. A government job therefore was the only kind of employment my parents’ generation have seen,” he explains.

Times have changed and career options beyond government service are now a possibility even in Nagaland, and yet the thinking has not changed with the times.

“Today, the number of college graduates has increased manifold while available government jobs have decreased. No doubt the government needs to attract talented minds but this tendency of pushing all children to go for only government service is lopsided. It’s society at large which will suffer in the long run when other career avenues don’t develop,” he adds.

So, the officer’s suggestion to lessen our collective obsession with clearing exams like the UPSC is:

“Success stories of other career choices need to be highlighted and told as loudly as civil service success stories. In Nagaland there is a tendency to have mostly civil servants as role models. Why not celebrate entrepreneurs as role models too? We need to develop appreciation for all career choices. At the same time, we also have to take into account aptitude and capability when making career choices and not simply follow the crowd. For example, I never felt I had it in me to be a police officer. I just didn’t have the temperament and capability. So, while filling out my option of choice of services, I left out the IPS. By rank I was getting IPS but I never opted for it despite the fact that it is considered a prestigious and powerful job by society. I believe one needs a certain aptitude to work in the police.”

Having said that, it’s also important to note that exams like the CSE offer many aspirants the opportunity to climb up the social ladder or break the chain of poverty that may have haunted their families for generations.

But on a parting note, Sashi says, “For our generation, many lives have already been affected by this collective obsession for the civil services. However, I am hopeful that for our children we won’t burden them with this same obsession.”

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

This was a tweet that Valay Vaidya posted as soon as the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) announced its Civil Service Examination (CSE) 2020-2021 results. Having appeared for the CSE four times since 2016, Valay shares the strategy that worked best for him.

A BTech graduate, Valay says that he started preparing for the CSE in 2015 just after he graduated. In the 2018-2019 CSE, he also made it to the interview stage and subsequently got selected for the Gujarat Administrative Service and was posted as a probationary officer for the last two years.

Speaking to The Better India, he says, “The scale at which this platform allows officers to work was one of the reasons why I kept trying to make the cut. I wanted to work in this large-scale setting and clearing a national level examination was a personal goal that I wanted to achieve.”

Valay’s tips for future aspirants:

1. Start with subjects you can tackle with ease:

“Starting your preparation journey with subjects that you have a strong hold over will help in boosting your confidence. I started with history given that it was a subject that I had a basic understanding of and would take me a shorter period of time to complete. Once you gain the momentum moving on to difficult subjects and tackling them becomes easier,” says Valay. Approachable and familiar subjects will ease you into the preparation journey.

2. Inculcate the habit of reading a newspaper:

“Until the time I started preparing for the CSE, I would not spend as much time on reading the newspaper. Once I started the preparation journey, I would spend close to 45 minutes each day reading through The Hindu. It is also important to start sifting through the contents in a newspaper from the beginning. Always keep the syllabus at the back of your mind while reading the newspaper. For example, do not spend time reading politics, however, spend time on polity. With the passage of time aspirants will get a hang of what is important and what can be left out,” he says.

3. Be smart in preparing:

“Do not waste time on making notes on general awareness topics. There are various institutes that do just this and using those consolidated notes for these subjects is more than enough. An aspirant should instead use that time on preparing for other topics and making notes accordingly,” says Valay.

4. Plan ahead:

Having started his preparation in July 2016, Valay shares that by January he was done with a one time reading and understanding of all the general studies subjects and also had completed one round of optional subject reading for the mains. “Once I had completed this first round of reading I started revising. It was in the revision stage that I moved on from the NCERT books to other books like Laxmikanth for Polity and Spectrum for Modern History. That helped in building on my existing knowledge base,” he says.

5. Attempt one mock paper a day:

As the exam date approaches, Valay suggests that aspirants spend time on solving one mock paper a day. He says, “Not just attempt but one must also spend time in analysing the paper and looking at the mistakes that they have committed. This will give you a very clear understanding of where you stand.” Valay himself solved close to 150 mock papers before attempting the prelims.

6. Focus on answer writing:

Once the prelims were out of the way Valay then started to focus on answer writing for the mains. He would attempt five to six questions each day as part of his preparation. “To save time and get more answers in, I would jot down the framework I would use to write my answers and also jot down the points I would incorporate in the answer. I would have a clear opening, body and conclusion in my answer. Once done I would check with the answer key to check if I have missed any important points. This will help in understanding how to approach the questions,” he says.

7. Find ways to do thematic study:

He explains, “If I were to pick a particular topic – I would ensure that I collected as much information about it as possible. If I were to study about infrastructure, the notes I make from various sources would be my go-to for the topic and I would not pick any other material or book for the same.” As and when newer data would come in for that particular topic, Valay says that he would add it into the same material that he collated.

8. Analyse previous years’ papers:

“This analysis is important because it makes preparing easier. Always look at the previous year papers to get a sense of what topics are important and what you can afford to leave out while studying. There might be areas that you believe are important but are never asked from the exam point of view,” he says. He urges aspirants to do a thorough cost-benefit analysis with the help of previous years’ question papers.

9. Be process-oriented, not result-driven:

Speaking from experience, Valay says, “Keep refining the process you are adopting while studying for this examination. While the result is important, do not get fixated on that. Enjoy the process of studying and give your 100 per cent. The marks will follow thereafter. Doing this will also help you maintain your cool and continue with your preparation.” He also adds that one must be in it for the long haul to see success.

10. Set small targets:

“Instead of looking at completing very large portions, set small achievable targets. These can be broken into weekly targets or even daily targets. Achieving the targets will also give you a sense of accomplishment and motivate you to study better. Along with all the preparation it is also important to continue to nurture a hobby that you can fall back on when you feel stressed,” he says. He also urges aspirants to spend some time each day on exercising to stay physically fit.

11. Revision is key:

“The more you revise, the better your understanding of the subject. I found that writing the points down helped me recollect better. I would also use acronyms and slogans to remember important points,” he says. Citing an example, he says, “I learnt the names of the tributaries of Ganga by making a slogan out of the names of the tributaries. This catchy slogan is something that stayed with me and made it very easy to remember. Be innovative in how you study as well,” he says.

12. Use technology to your advantage:

Given how dependent we are on technology, Valay urges aspirants to leverage it to their advantage. “I used Evernote, an app that helps take notes. If I found an interesting article, I would copy it onto the app and read through it when I had the time. This saved me time and also helped me read on the go. This also gave me the ability to structure my answer in a very holistic manner,” he says.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

A student of Convent of Jesus and Mary in Delhi, Ria went on to pursue her graduation in political science from Lady Shri Ram College of Delhi University. Having graduated in 2019, she says that she started her CSE preparation soon thereafter. Speaking to The Better India, she says, “I always knew I wanted to attempt the CSE. Having witnessed my older sister (Tina Dabi) clear the exam and top it, has been an inspiration for me.”

She continues, “I knew what kind of rigour this examination required and while there were some tough days, I kept drawing support from my family to continue studying and preparing.” She adds that her consistency is what led her to ace the examination and urges other aspirants to follow a very consistent study schedule throughout their preparatory journey.

Ria shares some of the techniques that worked for her while preparing for current affairs:

“Throughout my preparatory journey I stuck to reading two newspapers for current affairs primarily. These were The Hindu and The Indian Express. I did not look up content on the internet much only because I am more comfortable with having a physical copy of the resource material in front of me,” she says. She also adds that as additional material one could also refer to the current affairs magazines that are released by various coaching institutes.

“These current affairs magazines are also comprehensive and give an aspirant enough material to prepare,” she adds. Aspirants must be diligent in their preparation and following a schedule while studying is very important. Sharing her own routine, Ria says, “I started the day by reading the newspaper. I thought it important to start my day with having an understanding of what was happening around me. It would take me close to 1.5 hours to read through the entire newspaper each morning,” she says.

Speaking about how she went about reading the newspaper, she says, “I would first look at the papers, cover-to-cover, to make sure I had an idea of everything mentioned. I then started reading in-depth and would usually leave out the business and sports section, both of which are not very widely asked topics in the UPSC CSE. Pay attention to the editorial as this offers great material while writing the essay answers at a later stage.”

In order to recollect all that one reads in the newspaper, Ria shares a tip that worked for her. She says, “I would cut out news articles that I found relevant and paste it in my folder. I would revisit the same for revision once every few days. In case there was a news article about a certain event or occurrence, I would make a note of the same in my notebook and also find additional information to substantiate it. Most importantly, revisit the notes every few days so that it remains fresh in your mind.”

For any of this to work effectively aspirants must ensure that they know the syllabus very well.

This will help in picking topics that are important while reading the newspaper. “Always keep that in the back of your mind,” says Ria. Examples of the kind of news articles Ria would cut out to revise later included newly launched government schemes, information about any summit or conference being held, articles about the environmental condition in the country and international relations.

She adds here that one must be smart while studying for the UPSC CSE. “It is not just about what you study but how well you study them and are able to recollect them. Revision is key to success in this examination and you must ensure that you are doing it at regular intervals.”

She adds, “Once I had read the article, I would repeat the key points out loud. In case I was unable to recollect too many details I would try and jot down the important points without referring to the news article and felt that the information stayed with me better this way.”

One mistake that aspirants often make, Ria warns, is the use of too many resources. “The syllabus itself is vast and therefore aspirants must try and curtail their study material to what is essential. Stick to NCERT and build your foundation using those. Additionally, get only books and resource material that will add value to your existing knowledge base.”

In conclusion, she says that working on your presentation skills to ace the essay section will also do aspirants good. “Begin with a powerful quote, statistics or even an anecdote or incident that grabs the attention of the examiner. Ensure that your essay follows a very clear structure and flows from one paragraph to the other. Offering the examiner a wide perspective will enhance the score that you get. Always ensure that you end on a positive note and refrain from being overly pessimistic or critical.”

Resources for current affairs:

1. Current affairs magazine by Vision IAS
2. The Hindu
3. The Indian Express

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

These candidates have been selected on the basis of the main written exam held between 8 January to 17 January, which was followed by the interview held between 2 August to 22 September.

Here are the top 3 rank holders of UPSC CSE 2020:

1. Shubham Kumar – AIR 1

At 24 years of age, Subham has secured an AIR 1 in his third CSE attempt. In 2019, he had secured the 268th rank and decided to attempt the exam again to better his score. A BTech graduate in civil engineering from IIT Bombay, as per reports, Subham always wanted to appear for the CSE. Speaking to PTI, he says, “Development of villages, employment generation and poverty alleviation in rural areas of the country would be focus areas.”

Subham chose anthropology as his optional paper. While preparing for the UPSC CSE 2020, he was undergoing training as an Indian Defence Accounts Service officer in Pune.

Congratulatory messages have been pouring in, which includes Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar, who tweeted his appreciation for the hard work put in by Subham.

UPSC सिविल सेवा परीक्षा में प्रथम स्थान हासिल करने पर बिहार के श्री शुभम कुमार को बधाई एवं शुभकामनाएं। उनके उज्ज्वल भविष्य की कामना है। बिहार के विकास आयुक्त, श्री आमिर सुबहानी जी ने भी पूर्व में प्रथम स्थान प्राप्त किया था।

— Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) September 24, 2021

2. Jagrati Awasthi – AIR 2

Bhopal’s Jagrati Awasthi has done the city proud by securing the second rank in the CSE. Previously employed by Bharat Heavy Electronic Limited (BHEL), Jagrati decided to quit the position to focus on the examination. This is her second attempt. According to this report, she says, “I want to replicate the competence and simplicity of Sudha Murthy Ma’am and usher rural development and empowerment like Bhakti Sharma, the young sarpanch of Bhopal district’s Barkheda Abdullah village.”

Dr Suresh Chandra Awasthi, Jagrati’s father and Professor at the Government Homeopathic College and Hospital in Bhopal, said, “We were confident that she would crack the exam which was her dream right since school days but had not imagined that she would be second overall and women topper nationally. It still seems that we’re in a dream world.”

Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh also tweeted his appreciation and wishes for Jagrati.

#UPSC सिविल सेवा परीक्षा में दूसरा स्थान प्राप्त करने वाली भोपाल की बेटी जागृति अवस्थी को हार्दिक बधाई।

परीक्षा में सफलता प्राप्त करने वाले प्रदेश के सभी युवाओं को बधाई। मुझे पूरा विश्वास है कि आप सेवाभाव व पूर्ण समर्पण के साथ राष्ट्रसेवा में अपना योगदान देंगे। शुभकामनाएं: CM pic.twitter.com/9toiUnGj6N

— CMO Madhya Pradesh (@CMMadhyaPradesh) September 24, 2021

3. Ankita Jain – AIR 3

Ankita has managed to secure the third position in the UPSC CSE in her fourth attempt. 28-year-old Ankita was undergoing training in Mumbai after being selected as an Indian Audit and Accounts Service officer in 2018. She prepared for the UPSC CSE 2020, while undergoing the training. Ankita earlier graduated from the Delhi Technological University. She is married to IPS officer Abhinav Tyagi. According to this report, she says, “A month before the Mains, I got COVID-19. But I focused on my training and then whatever time was left, I prepared for the exam. I was well-supported by my family.”

Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister of Rajasthan tweeted, congratulating all the toppers of UPSC CSE 2020.

Congratulations to Shubham Kumar, who has topped the Civil Services examination as well as Jagrati Awasthi & Ankita Jain for securing 2nd & 3rd positions respectively & also to all the successful candidates. It’s your hard work behind this success. Wish you all the very best!

— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) September 24, 2021

The UPSC final result list is available at upsc.gov.in.

Sarjana’s childhood was spent in Delhi/NCR where she attended school and college. “I am a BTech graduate from the Delhi College of Engineering. Post-graduation, I worked with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) as a research officer. During my stint at TRAI, I decided to attempt the CSE, and in 2018 I gave my first attempt,” she tells The Better India.

“I come from a family where a majority of people are involved in government service and jobs. My father also is a part of the Indian Engineering Service (IES) and my maternal grandfather was an Additional District Magistrate in Bihar. So, my foundation was intact, and I just followed that path,” she says. Given how fast-paced life in a metro is, Sarjana says that it just took her some time to finalise on appearing for the examination.

She continues, “Even when I was working at TRAI we would report to civil servants and that further strengthened my desire to appear for the examination. I got to see how they were often part of the decision-making process and involved in bringing about change. I was sure of wanting to be on that side.”

In 2019, Sarjana says that she gave her second attempt after quitting her job at TRAI.

“In fact, I didn’t even tell my parents I had quit my job at TRAI. The few people who knew would often tell me I was being silly in giving up a good stable government job. However, I knew what I needed to do, so I persisted.”

After Sarjana quit her job, she started preparing for the 2019 UPSC CSE in June 2018. She says, “I continued to stay with my parents in Noida and started my preparation from there. The one thing I was clear of was to not enrol in any coaching class.” This stemmed from her own experience of attending coaching classes when she was preparing for the IIT entrance exam. She explains, “I missed out on getting into IIT by one mark and that was perhaps the first heartbreak that I went through. I felt that in a coaching setup, everyone starts to think in one direction. There is a uniformity in thought and I did not want that.”

She shares the self-study techniques that worked for her:

1. Be disciplined:

“One of the most important things is to make a schedule and be very disciplined in following it. I would ensure that by the end of the day, I had covered whatever I set out to do that day. I would not give myself too much leeway when it came to the work schedule I had prepared,” she says.

2. Factor in breaks:

“This is not a short-term project and one should not approach it like one either. Imagine this to be a marathon and ensure that you pace yourself well. This is a 1.5-year-long journey and therefore whatever plan you make must be sustainable. As and when you finish portions in your list, give yourself a well-deserved break. This will also help you come back stronger,” she adds.

3. Be 100% sure of the syllabus:

“The first thing I did was to have a printout of the syllabus handy. With that, I found the prescribed book list to get started. Before an aspirant starts their preparation journey, one should spend some time going through the syllabus to get an idea of what can be asked in the examination. Comparing the syllabus and investing in books accordingly will save you time and money going forward,” says Sarjana.

She reiterates the importance of using minimal study resources and utilising the time to go through the same material multiple times. “I never studied from many sources. I read the same material over and over again and ensured that I was 100 per cent sure of everything in that book/resource material.”

4. UPSC CSE is not akin to doing a PhD:

“While studying and appearing for the examination, always remember that UPSC CSE is testing your knowledge on the subject and also trying to ascertain how well you are able to apply what you have studied. Do not spend more time than needed on any subject. Always remember that you are studying to qualify in the CSE and not write a thesis on any subject,” she says. Keep in mind that you have just a few months to prepare for the exam, therefore make full use of the time at hand.

5. Focus on reading a newspaper:

Sarjana would read The Hindu and says that while initially, it would take a while to get through the newspaper, with regular reading the pace increases. “Early on in my preparatory journey, I would take close to 1.5 hours to read through the paper. Eventually, my reading speed and grasping power increased and towards the end of the preparation period, I would spend no more than 30 minutes reading.”

Sarjana also shares that one of the most difficult things to do was newspaper reading. “Once I would find an article that was of interest, I would make bullet points in my diary. This helped during the later stages of the preparation.” She also says that relying on newspapers alone for current affairs is not enough. Every evening, she would browse through the current affairs section under ‘Insights IAS’ as well.

6. Digital note making is a must:

Given that there are constant updates to the general news, it is better to make notes digitally. “In case you have made notes on a particular subject, if you wish to add more details to it, having the data on your mobile phone or computer system makes it easier to edit the existing notes or even add more details to it,” says Sarjana. She adds that one must be detached from the notes made. “Be smart with your note-making and do not unnecessarily cram too much information into it. Keep your emotions at bay while making your notes. Do not immerse yourself so much that you forget what is actually important,” she says.

7. Be greedy to answer questions:

Besides all the reading that Sarjana did throughout the day, she says that there were five current affair questions that Insights IAS would publish every evening, which she would meticulously solve. “Those five questions helped me a great deal in making connections between everything I was reading both in the newspaper and while preparing for the current affairs portion,” she says. The five questions usually were culled out from the newspaper articles and helped her understand how to read questions much better.

8. Recollecting and making connects:

“A majority of the aspirants will study from the same resource material and text-books, therefore, it is important for you to bring something extra while writing your answers. The key to this examination is revision and reinforcement. The more you revise, the better you will be while attempting the answer. The answer to each question should flash in your mind because of your repeated revisions,” she says.

9. Pair subjects after giving it some thought:

To be able to make use of the time you have in the best possible manner, Sarjana urges aspirants to pick two subjects at a time while studying. Sharing her strategy, she says, “I chose to study one heavy and one light subject together. For example, polity is a heavy subject while the environment is considered to be light. I had made a schedule to complete these two subjects within a time frame after which I spent close to a week going through and solving mock papers and previous year question papers as well.” Pairing two subjects in this manner helped her revise well.

10. Bring in a holistic approach to your essay:

“UPSC is looking for candidates who have a very holistic approach to any subject. Therefore, before you start writing your essay, jot down the points you wish to cover. Ensure that you are mentioning all aspects of the given topic. The flow or connectors between one paragraph and the other must be seamless and the examiner must not find any disconnect,” she says. Personally, Sarjana went through the essay of the previous year’s toppers to get a fair sense of how to structure the essay.

In conclusion, she says, “There is no universal magic potion to clear this examination. We have all made our share of mistakes along the way. Be smart in preparing and ensure that you are consistent in your efforts. This examination is not about perfection but tests your dedication and honesty.”

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

Speaking to The Better India, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Vikas Chandra Srivastava, who has been mentoring aspirants for various government examinations, shares tips and strategies that might work well.

Spend time analysing the last five years question paper:

“Aspirants must spend quality time analysing the question paper of the last five years. This will help them find a pattern and that in turn will aid in better preparation,” says Vikas. If by now this has not been done, it is important for aspirants to start immediately. Doing this also helps in ascertaining which topics require more time and attention.

“There is a set pattern that the UPSC CSE follows year on year. If aspirants go through the question papers then they certainly have a better chance of cracking it,” he adds. Almost 60 per cent of the questions will be from the previous question papers in some shape or form while the remaining 40 per cent can be anything.

Understand ‘tail’ words and answer accordingly:

A tail word can be described as a word or a phrase in a question that gives a direction to the answer. Vikas explains, “Read the question thoroughly to understand what is being asked of you. Words like analyse, criticize, evaluate and opine are important and one must understand the nuanced differences between each. Those aspirants who understand that stand to do better.”

He continues, “There are close to 14 tail words that aspirants must know and understand before they attempt the paper.” These tail words help give direction to the aspirants when a question is put forth. Read them with care to understand how best to proceed while answering the question.

Learn to see beyond the textbooks:

“The questions being asked in the examination are not just testing your ability to remember and reproduce an answer. It is a test of how well you are able to apply a concept or idea to a given question. While preparing, keep this mindset to be able to answer accordingly,” he says. He also urges aspirants to make connections between all they read in books and additional information they gather. Those aspirants who go beyond textbook knowledge fare better in the examination.

“Use diagrams to your advantage in the examination,” he says. For example, if a question is asked about the nuclear centres in India, draw a map of India and pin-point the centres. “You can make use of such diagrammatic representations for anything that is asked. This is bound to fetch you a few additional marks,” says Vikas.

Learn the art of presentation:

“Aspirants must constantly be on the lookout for ways to better their presentation skills. While every aspirant attempting the paper will be answering the questions, going beyond what is asked for and providing additional information on the topic is bound to do you good,” he says. Find new ways to present your ideas and thoughts to the examiner. While using diagrams and maps is one way, making flowcharts and mind maps may also work, depending on the question asked.

Once you have completed your answer, find ways to embellish it with additional information in any form that you feel comfortable. “Diagrammatic representations work very well,” says Vikas.

Use the newspaper for more than just news:

Reading the newspaper should not be done merely for the news aspect but also to learn much more from it. “There is no doubt that newspapers are a great source of information for current affairs. However, it is also a great way to improve your writing skills and improve your vocabulary. Make a note of the way words are used and how sentences are effectively constructed,” he says.

While reading the newspaper, he says that it is important to keep reflecting on the syllabus. That way even a small detail can be instantly connected to the syllabus and made a note of.

In conclusion, he says, “This is a test of your mental capabilities. Approach it with that frame of mind to succeed. Also remember that revision is the key to cracking the examination. With each revision, the concepts will get clearer and the aspirant will have a deeper understanding of the topic.”

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

Having prepared for the exams while working as a full-time resident doctor, Arjun helps aspirants understand how best one can manage time, make a schedule and follow it. “If I had the means of enrolling for coaching, I would have chosen it. Given that my economic condition at the time was not great, I chose self-study. In hindsight, after clearing the examination I can say that it is possible to do so with self-study,” says Dr Arjun.

During the time when Dr Arjun was preparing for the UPSC CSE, he was working as a Resident at Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences in Karnataka. He was required to be at the hospital from 9.30 am until 4.30 pm. He would then dedicate a minimum of six hours for his CSE preparation.

In conversation with The Better India, Dr Arjun shares some of the techniques that worked for him.

Chose a job that permits you time to study:

“If you are a serious aspirant and have a single-minded approach to clearing the examination, my advice to you would be to pick a job that gives you ample time for preparation. Look at the job as a means of earning a sustenance and not necessarily as one to make money,” he says. A very hectic job profile might end up paying well but will leave you with little to no time for your preparation. Therefore, he says, choosing a job is very critical to your preparatory journey.

Find ways of making time to study:

“As an aspirant who is working and preparing simultaneously, making the most of the time on hand is extremely important,” says Dr Arjun, who would spend an hour each morning before he left for the hospital going through the newspaper.

No matter how little time you have on hand, Dr Arjun urges you to spend it towards preparation. “Get into the habit of using all available time to read and gather as much information as possible,” he says.

Time is of the essence – do not waste it:

“Being disciplined and having a workable schedule is the key to success in this examination,” he says. During the break hours at work, Dr Arjun would revise and go through current affairs material. He says, “On some days I would also leave the newspaper editorial to be read during some free time at work. I would pick topics and books that I have already prepared and use the free time at work only for revising the same.”

Leverage technology to your advantage:

Dr Arjun mentions subscribing to a few news apps that helped him a great deal. “I had set my preferences to the topics I wanted to stay updated about on news apps. Even if I had a few minutes to spare, I would read an article or two from these apps,” he says. However, when it comes to attempting test papers, he urges aspirants to follow the traditional pen and paper method to be able to get a feel of what the actual examination will be like.

Practise solving test series:

“Getting into the habit of solving test series will help aspirants assess how strong their command over the topic is. It is important to not just solve the test papers but analysing mistakes is equally essential,” he says. There are various coaching centres and forums that offer test series. Some of them include, Vision, Forum IAS, Insights IAS and IAS Baba. Choose one that suits your requirement the most.

Find ways to unwind:

“While this may be difficult, if you are working full time and preparing, it becomes necessary to find avenues to unwind every now and then,” he says. Dr Arjun says that he would watch a movie once every fortnight and the second half of every Sunday was kept free for him to meet friends, go out and just unwind without having to think about preparation and the impending examination. “Even on a daily basis, from 6.30 pm to 7.00 pm I would take a small tea break. This was sacrosanct and nothing impacted this break,” he adds.

In conclusion, he says, “If you feel confident of grasping topics well, then self-study is a great option for you. However, if you feel you need help with certain concepts and topics, considering a coaching forum might be beneficial. Weigh the pros and cons before you make that decision.”

Resource list used by Dr Arjun:

History – Class 6 to Class 12 NCERT textbook, Modern History by Spectrum and Ancient and Medieval History from Class 11 Tamil Nadu NCERT textbook.

Geography – Class 6 to Class 12 NCERT textbook and G C Leong’s Certificate Physical and Human Geography.

Polity- Indian Polity by Lakshmikanth

Economy – Class 9 to Class 12 NCERT textbook and the latest edition of Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh.

Arts and Culture – Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania and Class 11 NCERT textbook.

Current Affairs – The Hindu (newspaper) along with any monthly current affairs magazine. Towards the end of the preparation journey aspirants can also refer to PT (Polity + Economy + Environment + International Relations) 365.

Miscellaneous reading material – Oxford school atlas for maps, Budget, Economic survey, Yojana monthly magazine and a summary of the India Year Book.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

While today Rahul seems content with the rank he has secured, his journey has been rather difficult, even for his family. “I cleared all the stages of the examination in my fifth attempt and when the results were finally announced I remember the relief that coursed through me,” he says. Rahul’s first ‘serious’ attempt (he also attempted the examination in 2014) was in 2015 where he reached the interview stage but did not make it to the final list and, subsequently, he attempted the examination again in 2016, 2017 and 2018, when he made it to the final list.

“A large part of my personality was shaped at Ramakrishna Vidyashala, a residential school situated in Mysore,” says Rahul, who spent his initial years in a village near Hidkal dam in Karnataka where his father was employed as an Assistant Engineer with the Public Works Department (PWD). His early schooling was in the village where he studied until Class 4 post which he moved to Belgaum where he studied until Class 7.

He went on to complete his engineering degree from R V College in Bengaluru and worked for two years in a private firm after which he decided to attempt the CSE. “While I knew I wanted to be involved in public service I did not know about CSE until my third year in college,” he says.

Keep Changing Your Tactics

“I quit my job in July 2014 and just a month later I appeared for the CSE prelims. I did that to be able to understand how the paper is set and what I should expect. I did not manage to clear that attempt but what it did was help me understand what was in store,” says Rahul. This was followed by his 2015 attempt after having spent close to one year in preparation.

In order to be able to prepare well and have access to better resources Rahul had moved to Delhi and gave his first three attempts from there. “I moved back to Bengaluru after I did not make it to the list after my third attempt,” he says. He adds that he made a note of all the mistakes he was making and worked on them for his fourth attempt. “Being cognizant of the mistakes made and taking corrective measures to change that is a great way to move forward. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is nothing but foolishness,” he adds.

Learning From Mistakes

“One of the first mistakes I made was to attempt the CSE with close to no preparation. It is important to give this examination the seriousness that it demands. It cannot be undertaken without ample preparation,” he says. While this was with regard to the first attempt, subsequently he says that not devoting enough time to writing answers for the mains was also a mistake. “I found that reading came naturally to me as compared to attempting test series and answer writing. This was reflected in the answers I wrote because a lot of them were without a proper structure,” he says.

In order to be able to present answers better, Rahul also worked on improving his handwriting and said that he would spend some time each day working on that skill. “Putting in effort to improve by handwriting helped a great deal. To this I also added the practice of answer writing, which helped in building speed and presenting the answer in a succinct manner,” he says.

Find a Balance in Your Schedule

“UPSC CSE preparation is a marathon, not a sprint. Once you are in it, remember to sustain yourself to complete the race. It is advisable to pace yourself out during the preparation stage to avoid burnout,” says Rahul. Giving yourself small incentives after completing a task, taking a part of Sunday off and also taking frequent breaks while studying are all tried and tested methods that Rahul adapted while preparing.

“It is also important for each aspirant to analyse and figure out when to run fast and when to slow down. This is a personal exercise that each aspirant must undertake for themselves to be able to work better,” he says.

Learn From Other Toppers

While one can get all the knowledge from resource material and books, being able to present the answers well is also an art. “Try and find answers written by previous year toppers and go scour those for ideas. You might find different ways of writing your answer,” he says. In subjects like Ethics one has to look beyond bookish knowledge. For this, Rahul says that he relied on anecdotes and quotes to use in various essay topics.

“These quotes embellished the answers and also provided me with an edge,” he says. Using such tools adds a lot of value to the answers and Rahul says that one can make a note of such quotes that can be used in various answers.

Word To The Wise:

• If you are a novice aspirant, unless and until you are passionate about public service do not get into it. This examination requires immense patience and perseverance, and in the absence of passion, finding success is very difficult.
• For aspirants who are in their third or fourth attempt, identifying mistakes and making changes is important. Find areas that need more practice and work on those alone rather than spending time on topics that you are adept at.
• Do not treat all subjects equally.
• While preparing for current affairs is important, aspirants must give equal time and importance to the static subjects. Do not allow one to overshadow the other during preparation.
• Do not pick up any resource or content material that you cannot revise nearer the exam date. Just reading a book from cover to cover is not important. Make notes and be confident in studying that before the examination.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

However, Indore, known as the cleanest city in India, has achieved yet another feat to solve sewage issues and become the first Water Plus city in the country.

A city is considered Water Plus under Swachh Survekshan, an initiative by the Central government to maintain cleanliness in rivers and drainage systems under the local administration.

Civic Chief of Indore Municipal Corporation Pratibha Pal tells The Better India, “As per the guidelines from the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, a city can earn the Water Plus title by treating all wastewater emitted from households and commercial entities. The treatment of sewage should be satisfactory as per government norms before being released into water bodies.”

Streamlining the drainage system

She says, “The criteria demands that no sewage water sans treatment should enter rivers or drains directly. Moreover, public and community toilets should connect with the sewage lines, and 30% of the wastewater generated by the city should be recycled for reuse.”

She adds, “There are two rivers, Kahn and Saraswati, that flow along Indore. Our survey to identify and plug sewage emissions showed that a whopping 7,000 outfalls and 17 nullahs were draining into the rivers.”

Pratibha says that like many other cities in the country, Indore did not have a robust sewage treatment system and treating wastewater was limited. “Moreover, the chambers were unclean and choked during the monsoons,” she adds.

The Municipal Commissioner says another challenge was to stop sewage flowing from unorganised areas like the slums and community toilets. “There were many civic body establishments where the wastewater was entering the drains directly. We decided to live by example by rectifying the system of all these establishments,” he says.

Pratibha says that once that was achieved, they reached out to residents of the slum areas and other water users to rectify their connections and become a part of the mainstream drainage system.

“It was difficult to explain the problem to the residents and convince them to come onboard.
Some families were hesitant to bear the cost of connecting the water pipelines to the main drainage. But they were informed about how streamlining the sewage system would benefit their health and hygiene and contribute to the bigger cause. Eventually, they were ready to help,” she says.

She adds that small gutters and outfalls were plugged and connected to drainage lines. “At any given time, there were 150 contractors and 250 engineers and hundreds of officials working across the city, connecting with the residents and implementing the needful,” she says.

Pratibha explains that as per the norms, drainage lines should run dry during the non-monsoon season and only carry rainwater during the rains. “However, we continued to observe water flowing through the drains over months, and traced the sources until each of those connections and spill-outs became a part of the main drainage system,” she says.

She adds that apart from slum areas, commercial establishments, eateries and industries were also convinced to make necessary amendments in their respective entities.

“Once everything fell in place, we made the STPs capable of treating the waste as per the norms before releasing it into the water bodies. Additionally, 30% of the treated water came in use for horticulture, community toilets and other public spaces,” she says.

Pratibha says that such steps ensured that the rivers and drains were kept clean, thereby bagging the Water Plus tag in August 2021.

A replicable model

Interestingly, this tag brought complimenting rewards for the civic body as well. “For the first time in years, areas that traditionally experience traditional waterlogging did not flood, as the stormwater drains were clean and working to the best of their capacity. Property rates in those areas increased as well,” Pratibha says.

She adds that the model implemented by the civic body is replicable. “The main task is to identify the pipelines, streamlining the drainage system and have a robust grievance redressal system for residents. The cleaning should be efficient, and it is important to track each man-hole and ensure its effective maintenance at all times,” Pratibha adds.

Edited by Divya Sethu

A resident of Samastipur in Bihar, Saurabh completed his BTech in Naval Architecture and Ship Building from Cochin University and went on to work both in India and overseas for six years before he decided to appear for the examination in 2016.

After passing out in 2010, Saurabh worked with a company that was involved in making warships for the Indian Navy.

He says, “I was in the design department and enjoyed my three-year stint there. This was followed by a job opportunity in UAE where while I was earning well, I felt the need to do something to give back to my country. It strengthened my desire to come back to India and appear for the service.”

Speaking to The Better India, he says, “From 2016 onwards, I appeared for two civil service mains and one forest service mains examination.” Having chosen Mathematics and Forestry as his optional for the forest service examination, Saurabh shares with us some of the advantages and strategies that worked for him during preparation.

Art of Choosing Optional Subjects

For aspirants, there are a total of 14 optional papers to choose from. Each aspirant needs to pick two optional subjects for the exam. While there are 11 subjects that are common to both the Civil Service Examination and IFS, three topics are exclusive to IFS examination only. “Picking the right optional subject is as important as preparing for it. So, take your time while making that decision,” says Saurabh.

He urges aspirants to use the elimination method while picking the optional subject. “Of the given options, there are bound to be subjects you are not comfortable picking – so eliminate those. Of the ones remaining, spend time going through the syllabus of each subject and pick the ones that you feel the most confident of taking up.” This elimination method will leave you with a handful of subjects to choose from.

“If the subject you graduated in is one of the optional subjects, then do consider picking that if you are comfortable with it,” says Saurabh.

Advantage of choosing forestry as an optional

“Picking forestry as one of your optional papers is a great idea for so many reasons,” says Saurabh. The syllabus of the forestry optional paper is short and concise and one that can fetch an aspirant good marks, if attempted well.

Saurabh also says that picking forestry for the optional paper is the key to success in the Indian Forest Service, as it helps in laying a rather strong foundation for the work that will follow. He adds, “It is also of great advantage during the interview stage and even later when the candidate receives a posting. It helps with on-ground work.”

Make socialising all about information exchange

Unlike some aspirants, who chose to stay away from others while preparing, Saurabh devised a unique way of interacting with others during his preparation journey. He says, “I would meet other aspirants often and discuss various subjects with them. With each conversation, I learnt something new and also got a glimpse into their opinions and analysis of various topics. While the information available is common to everyone, how each one presents it is worth learning from.”

With using minimum study resources, Saurabh ensured that he was thorough with his preparation. “I wanted to ensure that whatever I had studied I knew like the back of my hand. With limited resources, I made sure I was thorough,” he adds.

Tips for the examination:

• Keep your phone switched off for the duration you are studying. Only pick it up once you have completed the task at hand.
• Divide the study schedule to include a variety of subjects. Spend a few hours on self-study, this can be followed by solving a few test papers and also include time for discussions with others on any topic from the syllabus.
• Complete and revise one source of content material for a subject before you move on to additional resources.
• Try and increase the number of hours spent studying by bringing in diversity. For example, if you are studying for six hours each day, consider the study time to be five hours and include a two-hour discussion time. This not just gives the aspirant an additional one hour of study time but also brings in a new aspect.

Saurabh has also written a book titled – UPSC Prelims Simplified, which is available here.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

The success has been made possible by an IAS officer who overcame the crisis and on-ground challenges during the second wave of the pandemic to become the first district in Maharashtra in achieving the COVID-free status.

Sandeep Kadam took charge as a District Collector in August 2020 during the pandemic and, in April, started observing a spike in cases.

The condition worsened to the extent that the district became one of the worst-hit areas of central India by May 2021.

“On 12 April, the district reported 1,596 new cases, and on 1 May, 35 patients died in a day. The number of patients was so high that the district converted schools, wedding halls, community centres and government institutes into COVID-19 centres,” Sandeep tells The Better India.

However, meticulous planning and strict management enabled the district to free the villagers from the bonds of COVID-19 in three months.

500 micro-containment zones

Micro-containment, relentless testing, tracing and treating of patients was what worked in favour of the district.

Speaking about how he achieved the feat, the 2008-batch IAS officer says, “The first step we took was to visit every village and conduct mass testing drives to check the community spread. Contact tracing does not yield too many results when the infection spreads among the masses. Hence, mass testing became our only solution.”

Sandeep says the second step was to isolate the infected patients immediately. “The testing resulted in exposing all possible threats. At one point, the positive rate spiked up to 52 per cent. All the patients came under immediate isolation for 2-3 weeks. This decision helped us contain the spread of coronavirus,” he adds.

Moreover, contact tracing helped in identifying the source of the infection. “It is difficult in a large number of cases, but we manage to identify if the sources were from within the district or outside,” Sandeep says.

He says that another unique move he took was creating micro-containment zones, even for a single patient. “The government norms mentioned creating micro-containment zones in areas or localities where more than five cases get reported. However, the administration decided to declare such zones even when a single person is found positive. It helped curb the spread of the virus within neighbourhoods,” Sandeep says, adding that at one point there were 500 such zones created in the district.

The IAS officer further says the police and administrative officials were deployed for round the clock implementation and monitoring of the guidelines. “We formed dedicated flying squads to visit micro-containment areas and ensure that residents co-operate,” he says.

Sandeep notes that such steps helped to achieve a steep drop in the new cases. “Additionally, massive vaccination campaigns and tackling vaccine hesitancy among locals, between March and April, must have helped build immunity among the residents, too,” he says.

The multiple steps helped the district administration record less than 100 cases in two months. “Though the cases and positivity rate dipped, we decided not to let our guard down. We observed how once the cases started reducing to 100, several governments relaxed norms. However, that is when we saw the opportunity to become a COVID-free district,” he explains.

Sandeep says that the strict measures continued until the last patient recovered. “We shifted to contact tracing as the case dropped further and continued with the micro-containment zones even for 10-15 patients. The move was to corner the virus and not allow any room for it to escape,” he adds.

“The overall process and never letting our guard down helped the district become COVID-free,” he says.

However, Sandeep adds that the task became difficult to manage as the district has no government medical college. “The college comes with the resources such as doctors, researchers and students. Its absence left the administration with limited assets. Also, there were senior officers across departments and government bodies who became infected overtime causing challenges to contain the spread of COVID-19,” he adds.

He says that despite achieving success and receiving appreciation, his focus is now on the eminent third wave. “We have made all the necessary arrangements of beds and oxygen supply. There are daily meetings to understand the preparations and make the system stronger to fight the disease,” he adds.

“People feel that the threat of COVID-19 has long gone, but they have to realise that it is still lurking in neighbouring districts. We will have to continue wearing masks and observe precautions for several days to come,” he says.

Edited by Yoshita Rao

But IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officer Tapasya Parihar is a shining example of what can be achieved with consistency and diligent studying alone. Without any external coaching, she secured an AIR (All-India Rank) of 23 in the CSE (Civil Service Exam) in 2017.

A resident of Narsinghpur in Madhya Pradesh, Tapasya completed her education and moved to Pune, where she pursued a law degree. While the idea of appearing for the UPSC CSE was sown early on in Tapasya’s mind by her uncle, it was only when she was in Pune that she truly considered it. “It was my uncle’s dream to appear for the CSE and be part of the administration. He couldn’t achieve it, but somehow that stuck with me,” Tapasya tells The Better India.

While pursuing her law degree, Tapasya was part of the legal aid cell, and as the student coordinator, got to see first-hand how many problems that were brought to the cell’s attention were administrative in nature. “I felt that many of these issues could be addressed and solved even before they were given time to fester and become legal issues,” she adds. This realisation was the push that made her look at the CSE seriously.

So just after her five-year law course ended, in 2015, Tapasya began her preparation. “I reached Delhi and enrolled in a coaching institute in August 2015, armed with the information that my uncle, who had prepared for the services almost 15 years ago, had given me,” she recalls. While joining a coaching institute was a given, Tapasya’s family did not feel comfortable with her moving to Delhi and living by herself. “It was a struggle and took quite a bit of convincing, but it worked in the end,” she says.

‘Finding my voice amid all the noise’

“I went with the flow. So I paid up for the coaching and found myself seated for the first lesson,” Tapasya says. But she notes that she soon realised that coaching classes were nothing but tiny rooms in which all aspirants did was take copious amounts of notes. “I cannot fault the coaching centres, because they have been doing this forever and producing results. For me, this format did not work at all. I found it difficult to focus with 300 other aspirants in the same class,” she says.

The shift from Pune to Delhi in itself was a change. This, coupled with the classes and the manner in which they were conducted, seemed rather overwhelming to Tapasya. During her first attempt in 2016, she realised where she stood vis-à-vis all the preparation she had done. “When I sat in the examination hall with the paper in front of me, it struck me that I had very superficial knowledge of all the topics. What the UPSC demands of the aspirants, however, is an in-depth understanding of the topics they ascribe,” she says.

Not clearing the first time was very disappointing for Tapasya. She says, “Being alone in Delhi, away from the family, and not being able to clear the CSE was very disheartening. I had not just my own expectations to meet, but also those of my family members, who had seen me do well in my class 12 and college examinations. This failure came as a shock to them.”

What helped Tapasya sail through this period were words of advice from her mother. She says, “Even though my mother is not very educated, she is extremely worldly. She’d often tell me not to attach too much importance to what people around me were saying, and asked me to always follow my heart. That advice has held me in good stead.” The failure in the first attempt served as a great launch pad for Tapasya, who used her shortcomings to prepare for the second attempt.

Preparation strategy for the second attempt

With the internet as her study guide, Tapasya set out on the course to self study. “I would watch various topper interviews and read articles on different strategies. With all the information available online, I prepared a book list and began,” she says. Tapasya started off with the basics; she began studying using NCERT textbooks and completed this set in a span of one and a half months. This helped strengthen the foundation. “I began my preparation in December 2016, six months before the prelims,” she notes.

Having tackled the NCERT syllabus earlier on in October 2016 gave her a much-needed boost. “I prepared a schedule for myself from December onwards and stuck to that through the six months,” she says. Working on some of the mistakes she made the first time around, Tapasya says that she spent ample time solving test papers, which helped her segregate her strong areas from weaker ones. “It allowed me to self assess, and I used the time thereafter to work on the weaker sections,” she says.

Tapasya also utilised the last month to revisit topics and revise the entire syllabus. “I would also use the test series papers as revision material, which helped further strengthen my hold on various topics,” she says. Tapasya says self-reliance helped her stay focussed and motivated. “In a classroom setting, one often puts the onus on the teacher, and that is a mistake. Aspirants must do their own research and study according to their strong points, over and above whatever is taught in class,” she says.

Tapasya’s tips for aspirants who are self studying

· Do not fear competition

“Despite there being so many aspirants appearing for the examination, the one thing you should stay away from is feeling the threat of competition. There will be moments of self-doubt, but the key is to continue to study and stay focussed on the end goal.”

· Do your own due diligence

“All the topper tips and coaching centres are to one side, as aspirants must take some time out to understand and plan their own strategy for the examination. While some pointers from toppers might be useful, this is an individual journey that each aspirant must embark on their own. Find books and resource material that you feel most comfortable using.”

· Making a plan and sticking to it is integral to self-study

“When preparing by yourself, it is important to draw up a schedule and try to stick to it. I had a broad plan in mind and as the examination month came closer, I started breaking up my goals into smaller, achievable units.”

Tapasya is currently posted as the Sub-Divisional Magistrate at Barwani district in Madhya Pradesh.

(Edited by Divya Sethu)

According to an IndiaSpend report, 60 per cent of India’s 1.77 million homeless were provided lockdown relief between 9 March and 3 May 2020. This included food, water, regular health check ups and makeshift tents or camps. The rest were left to fend for themselves. 

Kerala was one of the 14 states to take action and the Kozhikode district immediately rose to the occasion to implement a successful rehabilitation model. In a laudable move, District Collector S Seeram Sambasiva Rao set up the Udayam Charitable Society to establish and run four shelter homes in East Hill, Mankavu, Vellimadukunnu and Chevayur. 

Close to 1,500 homeless were taken off the streets and transferred to the homes in the last 18 months. Additionally, the district administration also took the responsibility of reuniting the homeless with their families, giving them skill training and employment opportunities.

‘Nammude Kozhikode’

Two years ago when Seeram, a 2012-batch IAS officer was posted in the district, one of his goals was to provide shelter homes to the street dwellers under the state’s ‘Nammude Kozhikode’ project for development. 

“Way before COVID-19 hit India, we conducted multiple visits at railway stations, bus stands, public parks and more to analyse the situation of the homeless. Majority of them were migrant workers from North India who were working as wage labourers and domestic help. We told them about giving them a shelter home but they refused. It was hard for them to believe that the government was going to take efforts for them. After that attempt failed, during the lockdown we got another opportunity, and this time the situation was different,” Seeram tells The Better India. 

He says that it was more crucial to rehabilitate them quickly as they were at a higher risk of contracting the virus and some already suffered from other illnesses. “Comorbidities could worsen these cases. While on the surface they had health risks, we had to also take into account the psycho-social implications of being alone and jobless in an unfamiliar region,” he says. 

The first step was to send back as many people as possible to their villages and the remaining ones were first shifted to a makeshift camp with the help of NGOs and welfare organisations. While they stayed there for two to three months, the district administration identified shelter homes and buildings for a permanent arrangement. 

Close to a 1,000 inmates were provided meals and were groomed for their well-being through hair cuts, surgeries, counselling, medical check ups, etc. The ones who did not have ID cards, were given new ones. A literacy programme, ‘Jnanodayam’ and certification exams were also conducted. 

“The goal was to not just provide accommodation but also help them get their dignity and stable income back. Through skill and vocational training, more than a hundred people got jobs in restaurants, construction sites, etc. Some of them even moved out from the shelter home to an accommodation provided by their employers. If it weren’t for this initiative, the spread of coronavirus would have posed a serious challenge among the homeless,” says Rajesh, Special Coordination Officer, Udayam Charitable Society. 

Using a combination of disaster management funds, CSR and donations, the district administration spent an average of Rs 4,000 per person for their food, medical needs and training. 

To make this initiative sustainable, Seeram deliberately chose to make the district collector as the chairman of the Udayam. “I didn’t want such a noble cause to end due to the transferring process. So whoever takes the position of collector will have to continue this. Udayam is also an umbrella organisation that coordinates with different shelter homes across the district to ensure further rehabilitation of the homeless,” says Seeram who was recently transferred to Kerala fibre optic network project as the managing director. 

All images are taken from Collector Kozhikode/Facebook 

Edited by Yoshita Rao

Since Dr Soni took over as District Collector in July 2020, over 900 schools of Nagaur district, Rajasthan, have been fully electrified. This feat has been achieved wholly through community efforts exercised under campaign Ujaas initiated by this civil servant.

“A meeting with all District Education Officers in the first days of my posting revealed that a lot of schools did not have power connections. This had to be changed on a priority basis. So the process was set in motion immediately,” he tells The Better India. A meticulous survey was hence processed which identified exactly 979 rural schools in Nagaur running without electricity.

In the sweltering heat of this desert state, this posed a serious problem as students would have to work hard without any fans or lights to provide relief from the weather.

With speedy action, he ordered the submission of demand orders from each of the schools and compiled teams consisting of electricity board members as well as education officials.

While the dutiful initiative had begun, the contribution of commoners seemed integral in furthering the cause. “To get the community together, it was important to make them believe that the initiative was sincere and its intention was honest,” he adds.

While the ideal might sound straight out of the movies, pointed efforts made it real. Each school board would meet up with the Electricity Board on a weekly basis to discuss logistics of fund collection, public awareness and electricity set up. This way on-ground realities were brought to the fore and the voice of the people at the local level was heard.

“The Panchayat Samiti of each village would go door-to-door talking, spreading awareness about the initiative and identifying locals who were willing to contribute,” Block Development Officer (BDO) Charan Singh of Nagaur, shares. This collection was rigorously conducted by the block officers, school teachers and heads of institutions. Remotely located schools often required relatively more funds for extensive set up. “Soon, though, donations to electrify all 15 schools in our block were submitted by the people themselves in the form of demand drafts,” Singh adds.

This team work was conducted under the uniting guidance of the DC himself, who kept track of all developments. Updates of all meetings were cross checked by him to ensure that the electrification was being carried out on a priority basis.

Chief District Education Officer Sampat Ram shares that an approximate sum of Rs 80 lakh was raised within six months, between October 2020 and March 2021, by commoners of the state as funding for the project. “All of this money came from parents of students, heads of village councils, Bhamasars (philanthropists) and local MLAs. All thanks to our District Collector, this large scale of mobilisation was made possible.” he says.

Today, all of the 3,068 schools in Nagaur have a working electricity connection. This makes it the first district in the state to set up power supply in all its rural schools.

The process has not been easy, but systematic implementation and generous cooperation has transformed the experience of education for students over the course of the pandemic.

Coming of Light in Nagaur

Situated in the interiors of the district at the Nagaur-Bikaner border is Kharia State Primary School. Its headmaster, Rajendra Kumar Tanwar, says, “This institution has been standing since 1962 but it’s only now that the basic amenity of electricity has been made possible through local efforts.” The electrification of his school alone took close to Rs 15,000 including costs of equipment, labour, and other bills. “Every villager was able to contribute an amount of Rs 150 to Rs 200. Whatever amount was left to fill the pool was covered by the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) fund allocated by the government.” he adds.

While some schools had electricity poles nearby that needed to be wired, many lacked even that.

Under this campaign, a metered electricity connection was introduced in the villages.

Shyam Sharma, a teacher at GPS Meghwalo Ki Dhani Bukaram Sota shares, “The monthly electricity bill will be generated by the meter. This will be taken care of by the school funds or donations of villagers. We just hope we are able to cope with the costs.”

Similar bittersweet emotions are apparent in what Dilip Kumar of Government Upper Primary School, Kantiya village, says: “The initial costs of issuing multiple demand notices to various departments was waived off by the government. It’s a major relief that all we had to pay was the base fare for registration and set up. That too required joint contributions from the entire community along with willing philanthropists.”

Dearth of resources was obvious, but the scale of the problem motivated the district authorities to tackle it area wise. When a systematic approach revealed the amount of funds that would be required to see the campaign through, Dr Soni personally contracted local philanthropists to donate towards the cause of development of children’s education. “Once the funding pool for a particular village was complete, a demand notice was immediately issued and the electricity board was called to complete the electrification. This took an approximate period of one month on an average,” shares Sampat Ram.

The pandemic-induced lockdown was also used as an opportunity to set up fans, lights, and electric wires throughout campuses without hindrance.

With the basic amenity of electricity comes not only decent comfort, but also the possibility of higher education standards through the use of computers and smart boards.

While the students are studying remotely as of now, all authorities and parents are relieved to know that improved conditions would be awaiting their imminent return.

What has made this impact-driven change possible is understanding and empathy towards on-ground realities of the backward population on a leadership level.

“I myself completed my education from a government school. There are over 3,000 such schools in Nagaur district alone. I can understand how each student of those schools must feel when their campuses become a progressive, developed place of learning,” he shares.

Edited by Yoshita Rao

In a conversation with The Better India, she recalls, “I had my family’s unflinching support, which has been the biggest factor in getting me where I am. Personally, my motivation has been to find ways to strengthen the bond and establish trust between the police force and the public.”

Pooja’s father, who worked as a clerk in the Ministry of Urban Development, would often speak about the officers he came across in his line of work with great reverence. “I grew up seeing that fascination in my father. He would always say that officers could do so much good for the public if they chose to. That thought always stuck with me,” she says.

After Pooja, who hails from Sonipat in Haryana, completed her Class 12 examination, she enrolled at Kurukshetra University to pursue Bachelors in Biotechnology. She went on to do a Masters in Food Technology and Management from the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) in Delhi.

The dream she nurtured in Class 3 came back to her when she was pursuing her master’s degree. “Being in Delhi, with so many coaching institutes and centres perhaps rekindled the interest,” she says. So she decided to appear for the Union Public Service Commission’s (UPSC) Civil Service Examination (CSE).

Not wanting to put too much of a financial strain on her family, Pooja took up odd jobs to support herself. One of these was to help around at the reception during the weekends at NIFTEM.

In 2015, when Pooja was in her final year, she attempted the Civil Service Examination (CSE) for the first time. “However, I was also studying full time at college and wasn’t able to dedicate much time to the CSE preparation. So I didn’t clear that attempt,” she says. But she notes that many aspirants have managed to clear the CSE even as they were pursuing a degree or holding full-time jobs. “It is just a matter of how well you utilise the time,” she says.

Following this attempt, Pooja says she took a conscious decision to completely cut herself off social media networks and even went one step further and changed her phone number. “I did not want any sort of distraction while preparing for the CSE. I did not want to see pictures of other classmates doing well and feel less worthy,” she says. In hindsight, she says she might have cleared even without such a step, but at that time, it seemed like the most sensible thing to do.

In 2016, while she managed to clear both the prelims and the mains examination in her second attempt, she couldn’t clear the interview stage.

“In 2016, just before the mains, my mother met with an accident that required her to undergo surgery. Most of my time went in caring for her. Sometimes, I’d sit with my books at the hospital to study alongside. Once she was home, I had to help around the house and that left little to no time to prepare for the interview,” she says. Despite this, Pooja says she has no regrets as each attempt turned out to be a learning experience.

When asked about what mistakes she made in the first two attempts, she says, “The paucity of time was the biggest factor in the first attempt. I could not finish the entire syllabus as well as I would have liked to, and that showed in the marks I obtained,” she recalls.

In 2017, in her third attempt, Pooja cleared all three stages and was allotted the police service. She shares some strategies on what worked for her the third time.

Strategy for making notes and tips to clear prelims

Pooja says that aspirants must make note of all the mistakes they make and ensure they tackle those well in the next attempt. “If there are large portions of the syllabus which are problematic for you, make a concerted effort to get them right,” she adds.

She says she would make notes for topics that did not need her to look into a textbook to revise. She would put down the main topic and have all the important points pertaining to that around it, almost like a mind map. “This sheet would contain an introduction, pros and cons related to the topic, important statistics, and points to remember. In some cases, I’d write down my own individual thoughts on the topic,” she says.

An additional sheet beside this would be left blank, and as and when current affair points related to the topic came up, she would note down the details. This helped immensely when Pooja was tackling the current affairs section of the paper. “For current affairs especially, making notes from the beginning of your preparation journey is beneficial. When using prescribed books like NCERT or others, taking extensive notes might not be needed, since the entire book is important from the exam point of view,” he says.

With just about three months for the 2021 UPSC prelims, Pooja says that aspirants should only focus on the material they have already studied. She advises against picking up any new material or books at this point in time. “It will only leave you confused and is not at all advisable,” she adds. Aspirants must have a great understanding of all the current affair topics that have taken place in the last one year. This is a non-negotiable aspect, she says.

“Use this period to practise as many multiple-choice questions (MCQ’s) as possible. Doing so will hold you in good stead before the prelims,” she says. Along with this, also solve as many question papers from the previous year as you can. “This will help in further strengthening your grasp on concepts,” she says.

Meanwhile, within a very short span of time since her posting, Pooja has been able to make a mark for herself. Whether it was conducting raids on places selling spurious alcohol or coming down hard on the sale of illegal substances in the state, Pooja has been fearless in following the law to the ‘T’. “This is what I signed up for, and am happy I am getting to do it,” she says.

(Edited by Divya Sethu)

This is precisely what Nidhi Siwach (28), who secured an All India Rank (AIR) of 83 in the 2018 CSE, felt. “It was a huge risk. One that required me to almost put my life on hold. So in hindsight, I’m glad it paid off,” she tells The Better India.

She spent the early years of her life in Faridabad, after which her parents shifted base to Gurugram to give Nidhi and her siblings a chance at better education. She says her mother was insistent on her children studying in an English-medium school. “My mother could not attend school and my father was also unable to complete his education. This was perhaps one reason they wanted my siblings and me to study well,” she says.

In an attempt to give them a chance at education, Nidhi’s father shifted from Meham in Rohtak to Gurgaon to Gurugram and started a small departmental store.

“Even though our early years were difficult, my siblings and I never even got a whiff of it. All I saw was how hard my parents worked – my mother not only looked after us and our home, but also helped my father at the store,” she says.

A mechanical engineering graduate from Deenbandhu Chhoturam University, Sonipat, Haryana, Nidhi says that she has always been a very diligent student. “Education was the only option I had to ensure that I made a better life, not just for myself, but also for my family. So I always worked very hard and made sure I got great scores all through my school life,” she says.

With little to no help from parents in academics, Nidhi did a lot of self-studying. “I also had to ensure that whatever I learnt, I eventually taught to my younger siblings. This also meant that I had to be 100 per cent sure of what I was learning myself,” she adds.

Nidhi’s initial desire was to join the armed forces. “In Gurugram, where I grew up, the Air Force station was very close by, and I had grown up seeing the aura and respect that the officers commanded. Since I was from a mechanical engineering background, the options were many – logistics, flying and the administrative branch,” she says. Nidhi got 95 per cent in her Class 10 examination and 90 per cent in Class 12.

It was through campus placement in 2015 that Nidhi found herself in Hyderabad working at Tech Mahindra. “I did have two other offers, including one from Gurugram, where my parents resided. But my father wanted me to take up an offer from a tech company and thus I found myself in Hyderabad. I didn’t want to say no to him. I have seen how hard both him and my mother worked to get me where I was,” she says.

The search for something more

But Nidhi’s heart was never truly in moving to Hyderabad and taking up the software job. She did it only because she did not want to hurt her parents in any way.

She was all set to appear for the Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT) at this time, and it was during the personality interview preparation that the thought of UPSC struck her. “The IAF (Indian Air Force) officer who was interviewing me suggested that I appear for the UPSC examination instead. The last date for submission of the application form was merely three days away, and yet, I took that leap of faith.” It can well be said that once Nidhi submitted the application form, life as she knew it changed.

For her first attempt in 2016, all Nidhi had three months of preparation time before the prelims. “In that first attempt, there were many current affairs questions and I remember feeling good about my performance. I also got the confidence to appear again if the need arises,” she says. The fact that she was attempting this paper was a secret that she kept to herself.

“Even though I did not clear the exam, my score that year was 96 after three months of preparation, which was a big boost for me,” she says. With increased dedication and vigour, Nidhi started preparing for the 2017 examination while working at Tech Mahindra full time. She says it was difficult to hold on to a job and find time to prepare. “Even though I was in the morning shift, some call or the other would hold me back in the office for several days and that hampered my study schedule,” she says.

The paper in 2017 was tough and with a work schedule that was hectic, Nidhi did not manage to clear it. This was the moment of truth for Nidhi. “During this time, talks of marriage were also being broached. My father had agreed to give me one year, until I turned 25, after which he was sure that he’d like me married,” says Nidhi. With one year ahead of her to do as she pleased, she chose to quit her job and focus on her third attempt.

A risk that paid off

After the second attempt, the same evening, Nidhi realised that she would not be able to clear the exam and called her father up in tears. “I remember telling him how badly I had wanted to do well in the exam and told him that I wanted to quit my job and focus on preparing. He was livid when I said that. He told me about how people were struggling to find a job and here I was wanting to quit. It was such a difficult conversation, but one I had to have.”

For the next ten days, Nidhi’s father refused to speak to her. He had a change of heart on her birthday, when he called her and gave her permission to quit her job and prepare. “It was such a huge relief for me to get that call from my father. His acquiescence meant so much to me,” she says. In November 2017, with bag and baggage, Nidhi moved back to Gurugram.

This was like a brand-new chapter in her life. She was home with family and for the first fifteen days, she says, she just let that sink in. “Being at home was a big deal for me, it offered me such a sense of security and support. Once I settled down, I started preparing for the prelims in December 2017.” Now with a fresh mindset and a schedule in place, Nidhi was ready for the preparation. Through consistent practice and studying, she was able to not just clear the exam, but also bagged an AIR of 83 in her third attempt.

“My mother had somehow been sure all along that I would clear the examination. In fact, she was ready to celebrate, but my father was skeptical, and until he saw the results, he wasn’t sure of what I would do. But when he saw the result, I saw him cry for the first time. There was so much pride and joy I saw in him that day,” says Nidhi.

She also shares some tips that can help candidates clear the paper:

1. “Always make a basic check-list before you start studying. This should include reading the newspaper every day, going back to almost one and a half years prior to the examination. Ensure that you are thorough and up-to-date with your current affairs preparation as well.”

2. “Treat the NCERT textbooks as your guide. For economics, one should use the economic survey and budget well for the prelims.”

3. “Appear for a mock test without fail periodically before the prelims.” Nidhi started solving one mock paper a day and says she would devote close to 2.5 hours to it.

4. “Spend time studying the UPSC notification. Do not get put off with how lengthy it might be. Most of the time, the questions framed are directly from the notification itself. This will help aspirants understand what is demanded of you.”

Looking back at the first two attempts, Nidhi says, “I was very inconsistent in my preparation then. I did not read the newspaper every day, skimmed through the NCERT textbooks, and had not attempted any mock test. These were big mistakes that I rectified in my last attempt.”

(Edited by Divya Sethu)

The Better India caught up with Varun Reddy, All India Rank 7, who secured this rank in his fifth attempt in 2018. “Having prepared for so many attempts, I can say that the three things that worked for me ultimately were to use limited resources, revise extensively and practice as much as possible,” he says.

An IIT-Bombay Computer Science graduate, Varun passed out in 2013 but decided to appear for the CSE while pursuing his third year of engineering. “It was during an internship that my desire to appear for the CSE arose. I felt that the work one can do being a part of the administrative services had a very wide scope. With that in mind, I started my preparatory journey,” he says.

In his first attempt, Varun had chosen Geography as his optional subject and says that even though he made it up to the interview stage, he feels that it was a rather “directionless attempt”. During 2013-14, when Varun gave his first attempt, there weren’t many resources available online for aspirants. “While Geography contributed to my interview that year – in retrospect it was a bad decision to pick Geography. I should have picked maths,” he says.

After giving two attempts with Geography as the optional subject, Varun decided to change his optional paper to Mathematics and believes that the decision was a game changer. “In one-and-a-half month, I finished the entire Math syllabus,” he says.

He shares tips for future aspirants.

1. Pick a study environment that works for you:

Varun spent most of his study hours in the library, which he says, induced a sense of seriousness. “Seeing everyone around you study and work hard while in the library always pushed me to work extra hard,” he says. He also urges aspirants to set small targets that one can achieve. Sticking to your schedule will also help in finishing the syllabus on time, he says. “It is also imperative to set targets that you feel you can achieve. There is no point of setting targets that are unrealistic,” he says.

“Being in a library also has another advantage. One is away from all electronic gadgets and the disturbance that it causes. The silence is also great and adds to better self-control while studying,” he adds.

2. Limited resources and maximum practice:

Aspirants might be tempted to look up and study from multiple resource materials. However, after having made that mistake, Varun says, “Do not get tempted to pick up an extra book or resource material. Try to keep the resource books that you chose for the prelims and mains common.”

Going through newspapers and magazines will help for all the additional information needed to attempt the paper.

Rather than use your time in looking at new resources, Varun suggests that one attempts mock tests and essay questions. “This will improve one’s hold on the subject a great deal. Practise can only help you get better,” he says.

3. Shake things up:

After not clearing in the first two attempts, Varun says that he felt the need to ‘shake things up’ before he started his preparations again. “I wanted to break away from my comfort zone. The first thing was to move to a new locality and put myself in a new environment. This led to me changing my optional paper as well,” he says. While Varun managed to get a rank of 166 in this third attempt, in his fourth attempt he ranked 225, which left him demotivated.

“After working hard for one long year, going from 166 to 225 was not something that I had expected,” he says. This was also the time when Varun felt that a serious overhaul of how he was approaching the examination was necessary.

4. Find a strong support system:

Building a strong support system around you is important. Varun says that switching his optional paper at the last minute was met with a lot of discouragement from those around him. However, he adds, “Along with the naysayers, I had also had the support of my family and a few friends, who were confident that I would make it and that helped me a great deal. It helped boost my confidence levels too.”

It was only when he started preparing for Math did he realise that it wasn’t as hard as it was made out to be. “If you put ‘x’ number of hours preparing for Math, you can be rest assured of getting a good result. All it requires is good planning of the syllabus before you,” he says.

Math, as an optional also helps in pulling your optional score higher up. “With your formula sheet ready for revision, Math should not take up more than two whole days for your final revision,” says Varun.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

“Nearly half the forests in Rudraprayag are dominated by pine trees, which makes them susceptible to forest fires. The lack of soil moisture and rich vegetation create ideal conditions for forest fires in the event of high temperatures. As soon as you have heavy rains, the same forests become vulnerable to landslides. In pine-dominated forests, the soil thickness is very less. There is very little topsoil, which is why only pine trees dominate the landscape. During these unpredictable rainfall events, a lot of top soil and debris get washed away. This takes away all the nutrients and adds to the discharge of rivers below, leading to silting, flooding and other problems,” says Vaibhav Singh, a 2015-batch Indian Forest Service officer and Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) at Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand.

There is also the problem of supplying fresh water to rural communities. Villages situated in the region get their water supply from nearby springs and water sources lying inside the forest. Since most of the middle Himalayan belt is in a dry region, over the past few years, locals have been complaining about water shortages. They often complain about the springs drying up and no proper supply of water during summers. Most residents of these villages are women and senior citizens since most working men from there find employment elsewhere. The women are into livestock rearing, and thus dependent on forests for fodder.

“Since my tenure in Rudraprayag began, we started doing soil moisture conservation work extensively and on a planned basis. We were lucky to obtain funds from the State Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), while rainwater conservation and harvesting is a priority area for the government both at the Central and State level. With the funds available, we decided to construct as many water retention and soil preserving structures that have multiple benefits,” he adds.

Since Vaibhav took over as DFO in June 2019, there has been a strong emphasis on addressing these problems by building soil moisture conservation (SMC) structures which include Chal Kahls (‘water ponds’ in Garhwali), contour trenches, check dams, and percolation pits, among other such structures, in an organised and planned manner.

In the past year alone, Vaibhav and his forest staff have constructed a total of 612 Chal Kahls with a total water holding capacity of more than 10 million litres while also eco-restoring over 400 hectares of degraded forest land.

Over the course of two years, however, they have reportedly constructed 887 Chal Kahls with each structure having a water holding capacity ranging from 10,000 to 2,50,000 litres.

During the monsoon season and the winter rains from October to December, these structures trap significant volumes of rainwater. This water improves the microclimate of the soil and adds to the soil moisture.

Location, Location, Location

The process of making these ponds start before the monsoon season from May onwards. The forest staff start digging these structures in May and continue to make them as and when funds from the government are available. They try to complete a majority of these structures before the monsoon and winter rains. The most critical part of constructing these ponds is site selection to ensure their effectiveness. The field staff, including forest guards, forest watchers and range officers who select the site, need to be properly sensitised, trained and monitored. Constructing these structures at the proper site, Vaibhav notes, is the biggest challenge.

“If we select the right sites, 50% of our job is done. We have to gauge the gradient of the slope, the place, the rock structure present, the location where you intend to make that pond and its utility in a given area. If you construct these ponds at the wrong site, then the drainage water might not even get collected there. If you’ve chosen the wrong slope, the structure won’t be most effective. To channelise the excess water into these ponds from these slopes, we also dig these small trenches. If you construct Chal Kahls on a very steep slope, the velocity of the water may damage or wash them away. All these water ponds vary in their size and capacity. The smallest ponds we make is of 10 cubic metres of dug up soil, which amounts to roughly 10,000 litres of water holding capacity. Most of the ponds we’ve constructed have a water holding capacity between 10,000 and 20,000 litres,” he explains.

Increasing soil moisture in a given area not only aids the growth of other vegetation but also reduces the vulnerability to forest fires. Moreover, there are about 70 water supply projects managed by the Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan, a department overseeing water supply, irrigation and sewerage in rural and urban areas in Rudraprayag division that channelise water from the water springs and other bodies into villages. Constructing structures like Chal Kahls has rejuvenated these springs and increased the discharge of water and groundwater percolation.

To supplement these efforts, the forest department has constructed contour trenches along 436 hectares of degraded pine forests over the past two years. They also planted some suitable grasses for fodder on the edges. When water gets trapped in these trenches, the fodder grass derives moisture from it and starts growing. This is beneficial for local communities because their livestock gets access to more fodder. It’s beneficial for the department because the micro-climate within the forests improves.

“Contour trenches trap rainwater and top fertile soil during rainfall and improve the microclimate which further promotes a diversity of vegetation. To further add to the efficacy of trenches, napier and other fodder grass slips were planted along the trenches. During the monsoons, the grass derives moisture from the water trapped in trenches and grows extensively. It provides fodder to the livestock of locals as well as wildlife. These structures arrest the erosion of soil. In digging contour trenches, we’ve seen that in almost 1.5 to 2 years, they get filled with silt and top soil. These structures are beneficial for conservation of soil, which is a precious resource in this part of Uttarakhand,” explains Vaibhav.

Structures like contour trenches, water ponds, and percolation pits will, over the long term, further supplement aquifers and rejuvenate natural water springs. “But, there is a 15% to 20% margin of error in choosing good sites,” he adds.

Thankfully, under DFO Singh’s tenure, the relationship between locals and the forest department has improved, which has an impact on site selection.

“Most of our forest staff are also from the same communities. They maintain strong informal channels of communication with the local residents. On many occasions, locals also give us feedback about where to build these SMCs,” claims Vaibhav.

An Officer’s ‘Untiring Support’

“The great thing about DFO Singh’s work is the fantastic planning that goes behind it. More importantly, he has been able to establish a good relationship between the forest department and local communities, which was once tenuous. I’ve done multiple ground reports on these initiatives, and there is no question that he has done great work in the division,” says Vinay Bahuguna, a local journalist for Amar Ujala, a popular Hindi daily newspaper.

Just before the monsoon started last year, the forest staff constructed many check dams in three locations, which the DFO went and visited during and after the monsoons.

“When the rains came, the upper catchment area of the hillock got washed away. There was a lot of debris, boulders and they were all stopped from crashing down thanks to these check dams. In these check dams, we also saw huge quantities of fertile soil that were stopped from being washed. We make a lot of vegetative check dams, particularly pirul (pine needle) check dams. Again, site selection is crucial here. In small valleys with not very high gradients, we cut tree logs, tie them up and stuff them with pine needles and rocks, which stops the flow of water. If it’s a very steep gradient, you have to make a crate wire check dam. If you make a loose boulder check dam here, it’ll simply get washed away. When the gradient is gentle, the width of the drain is not very wide, you can make a small rock and boulder check dam. We start scanning areas from higher altitudes and then proceed downwards. In total we’ve constructed 1,892 check dams which include crate wire check dams, vegetative check dams and dry stone check dams,” he claims.

Despite all the achievements in the past two years, there have been a few stiff challenges along the way. The biggest one is the “extreme shortage” of labour. Although the pandemic has brought some relief to this aspect, given that many have come back to their villages after losing work in the cities, the department depends primarily on seasonal Nepali labourers. Another challenge, he says, is that most of the forest staff working under the DFO are above the age of 45 and canvassing for sites to build SMC structures is an onerous task.

Funding for these initiatives, meanwhile, come from three key sources—State CAMPA funds, Forest Fire Prevention and Management (FPM) scheme, under which some of the soil moisture conservation works are done, and the Union government’s Namami Gange Programme, which facilitates a certain amount of check dam construction work.

The impact of the forest department’s work, however, has been felt on the ground.

As Yashwant Singh Chauhan, a Range Officer with the Agastmuni Block in Rudraprayag district, explains, “A couple of days back, the temperature here was 44° Celsius but you wouldn’t know whether it rained or not because there is so much moisture in the soil. Also, there is a village called Bhausal and in the surrounding area, we’ve constructed a Chal Kahl. The Dhara (spring emerging where sloping ground and impermeable strata intersect with the groundwater table) above the village has been recharged thanks to the Chal Kahl we’ve constructed there.”

He adds, “The impact of whatever works we do in forestry is not often seen immediately. It’s like afforestation work to regenerate the forest. The real results will be seen only years later.”

Meanwhile, the forest department has also gone on to undo some of the wrongs done in the past like concretising a small lake near a quiet hamlet called Chirbatiya.

“This concrete work was done about 10 to 15 years ago in the name of beautification, which I found had killed the lake. An oval-shaped concrete base was constructed inside a lake with further concrete fencing around it. It had become an artificial water tank because all its ecological value was eradicated. We broke it down and did a lot of dredging work in the surrounding areas. There was also an encroachment with the owner of the structure bringing tourists there, whom we evicted. The lake is now taking its natural shape,” says Vaibhav.

In the coming year, the Forest Department will work alongside the Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan for the 70 water supply projects. “We will be working in the catchment area of 25 of those projects. We have submitted our proposal for funds. That way in the next three years, we can monitor whether the work we are doing is actually having a significant bearing on the discharge of the springs and water supply streams,” he says.

The bottomline remains that DFO Vaibhav Singh has led by example to revive these forests in Rudraprayag, protect them from forest fires, preserve the precious topsoil and deliver fresh water to locals.

As Yashwant says, “DFO Sir has taken a real interest in these soil and water conservation efforts since his arrival here. Subordinate forest officers and staff will work well if the person at the top takes interest. He has always backed our efforts with his untiring support. In the past year, we’ve managed to get a lot of work done.”

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

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As time went by, Bhoobalan was alarmed at the frequency of calls reporting child marriage. The 2015-batch IAS officer soon realised it was one of the major effects of the lockdown and subsequent loss of livelihoods. As families struggled to afford a four-square meal, girls below 18 were married off as a cost-cutting measure.

This was not an isolated challenge. In fact, between April and July 2020 alone, Karnataka reported 107 cases of child marriage.

Bhoobalan quickly became versed with the regional issues and found that child marriage is linked to other problems such as malnutrition, school dropouts, anaemia and maternal mortality. To solve these, he came up with a multi-pronged plan in July last year.

Exactly a year later, he and his team, comprising the gram panchayat, Anganwadi workers, police officers, revenue officers and school teachers, have managed to prevent 176 child marriages in the knick of time. They have filed FIRs in ten cases against parents for going through with the evil practice.

The Better India speaks to Bhoobalan about how he and his team managed to not only keep child marriages in check, but also rehabilitate underage girls and secure their future.

Anonymous reporting to online portal

Bhoobalan first focussed on implementing immediate solutions.

He formed a committee of various government officials and school teachers to spread awareness and educate the people about The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006. While taking meetings, the team also assured those calling in to report these marriages that their names will remain anonymous. Several brides don’t report as they fear their parents will not forgive them.

The complainants were asked to either call the 1098 helpline or contact their designated local official directly. Alongside releasing the numbers of the department, the IAS officer also gave out his own number.

The team was directed to work in unison to ensure swift rescue operations instead of waiting for the police to take action.

“While talking to the locals, we realised that the lockdown has also affected them psychologically. Elders in the family believe they will die from coronavirus and won’t get to see the wedding. So, many underage children are obligated to fulfil their family’s last wishes. Our team mitigated the panic. Another issue was the youth having to migrate back to the villages due to lack of work. They were being forced to marry. So we gave them jobs through MGNREGA,’ says Bhoobalan.

A gram sabha committee consisting of only children was also formed to discuss the evils of child marriage, and what the kids can do if either they or their friends are a victim. They were also asked to spread the message at home.

“A complaint or tip-off from the locals is a crucial step to prevent child marriage. In 2019, we had only 50 complaints but during the pandemic, it increased fourfold. This is a positive impact we recorded but we had a long road ahead,” says Bhoobalan.

Once a child is rescued, he or she is presented in front of the Child Welfare Committee for counselling. Depending on the child’s mental health and financial situation, they are sent back home or kept under the custody of a child welfare home.

“There have been cases where the girl told us she would be sexually abused or physically harassed on returning home. One girl’s father was an alcoholic so we couldn’t send her back. However, the priority is to send them back home, as the child’s education and life shouldn’t be disrupted. It can have far-reaching mental effects. Fortunately, we had to keep only 5-6 girls in the shelter,” he adds.

To help the girl through rehabilitation, the administration trains them in skill development programmes including embroidery, tailoring, poultry and dairy farming. They also teach computer science and once the girl turns 18, she is employed as a data operator in the administration office.

Seetha (name changed) was one such girl. She was rescued at 16 and a case was filed against the groom, who was 29. She is currently pursuing her PU (pre-university course) education financed by the department.

Meanwhile, Bhoobalan says the administration takes down all the details of the girls who are sent home. “The team makes weekly visits to the house to check if the girl is married again or being harassed in any way. They will take a picture on every visit and upload it on the portal. This way, I can keep track of my team and the work,” he says.

“Our online portal ‘Surakshini’ keeps track of the child’s status and every department official involved has to log in regularly. This has helped us keep the cases in check. This online portal was appreciated by the Karnataka government and will soon be replicated across the state,” says Bhoobalan, who holds a degree in computer science.

Preventing child marriages was not easy, given that the administration was already dealing with coronavirus. To make matters worse, there was no mechanism to know the status of underage girls as the schools remained shut. In some cases, the administration was even misled by being given the wrong venue address, incorrect age, and so on. However, Bhoobalan and his team managed to prevent the majority of the cases and secured several children’s futures.

Edited by Divya Sethu 

At a time when everything has become virtual, it is important for us to continue to find ways to step outside our virtual avatars and do good. And Indian Revenue Service (IRS) Officer Shashank Shekhar Singh, who is currently posted in the Meerut-Ghaziabad region as the Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax, is the epitome of this saying.

He has helped over 700 Union Public Service Commission’s (UPSC) Civil Service Examination aspirants during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Speaking to The Better India, he says, “It all started when I saw posts on social media seeking help. In the beginning, it was for basics like food and medicines. I used my social media network to try and mobilise things as fast as possible. With the COVID numbers decreasing, the nature of requests changed and people started seeking help with their exam preparation.”

During the second wave, social media platforms were abuzz with people amplifying requests of various kinds. Shashank felt that there was a void when it came to helping UPSC aspirants. “Even during the first lockdown, I felt that the students became the neglected lot. Those who were staying in hubs like Allahabad, Delhi, Pune and Varanasi and attended coaching classes, bore the brunt of the lockdown rather severely.”

Shashank reached out to a few of these students to see if they needed help of any kind and that is how the initiative took shape.

Within the first week of the initiative itself, Shashank says that they were flooded with over 1,000 requests for books, study material, test series in regional languages and also medicines and food in some cases. “A voluntary group of eight of us from various backgrounds (civil servants and otherwise) got together to verify these requests and then send books or resource material to them. In some cases, after verification we found that the request was not genuine and we took a call on a case-to-case basis,” he says.

If the request that comes in is for food or medicine, that is attended to immediately. In cases where the request is for books and resource material, we fulfil the request, depending on the location, within 10 days. “This is purely a voluntary service and we are doing this on our own time and spending our own money. So far, we have fulfilled more than 700 requests for books and resource material and are hopeful to continue doing the same,” adds the IRS Officer.

When asked why he chose to appear for the CSE, he says, “I come from a family of farmers and have on several occasions seen how officers have come to the rescue of people. Our first port of call, whenever there was any issue, was to reach out to the administration. Witnessing this while growing up left a very indelible mark on me.”

To other aspirants preparing for the CSE, Shashank’s advice is to find personal motivation.

More Tips for Aspirants:

1. Be honest with yourself.

This according to Shashank is the building block of anything that you might wish to do. Before you embark on the preparation route ensure that you are clear about what the end goal is.

2. Do a clear life analysis.

Aspirants must not put all their eggs in one basket and they must ensure that they have a backup plan in place. Don’t make any examination so important that you lose focus on the larger picture. Study well for it but be prepared for the outcome, no matter what. Be practical in your approach.

3. Be diligent and persuasive.

The examination is a competition that you enter into with yourself. It is impossible to compete with the lakhs of aspirants who appear for these competitive examinations year after year. Set targets for yourself and with each passing day, try and improve on it.

Shashank is also actively working on creating an interface to connect donor and donee for resource materials and books. “This initiative is one that should continue even after the pandemic subsides. That is when it would have truly helped aspirants,” he concludes.

If you wish to reach out for any assistance, you can send an email at Sos.students.2021@gmail.com or reach out to the IRS Officer on Twitter.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

She was at the same time delighted to know the Bishnoi Community’s active involvement in saving the wildlife population, especially blackbucks, the indigenous antelope. The community had refrained from harming feral dogs and cows as well. However, due to the green revolution in the 1970s, locals occupied more land for agriculture and threatened the natural habitat of blackbucks.

This is where Kalpana played an important role in finding a solution to save blackbucks without asking people to compromise on farming activities. Apart from the 2014-batch officer, M Geethanjali, a 2001-batch officer, was posted as the Conservator Wildlife (Parks and Protected Areas).

In their 2-year term from 2018 to 2019, the two Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers took several initiatives to conserve the blackbucks. Their staggering efforts were even recognised by the IFS Association. The duo was featured in ‘The Green Queens of India – Nation’s Pride’, a book published by the Association.

Why community support is crucial

Covering a land area of about 18,650 hectares, the sanctuary is spread over 13 villages. It was in 1975 when the Akhil Bharatiya Jeev Raksha Samiti Bishnoi Sabha had asked the government to turn expansive farmlands into a sanctuary so that animals could freely roam without entering the villages.

“The Bishnois consider blackbuck as sacred animals so much so that mothers feed the orphaned baby blackbucks. With this kind of love for the wildlife, we realised it wouldn’t be possible to work without the community’s support and trust. The crucial part was making them realise the current habitat is not suitable for the wildlife,” says Kalpana.

Echoing her words, Geethanjali says, “Based on my experience of working in Abohar, I learnt that the people want the blackbucks, but they don’t realise the importance of maintaining wild habitats with natural vegetation which are important for blackbucks and all other wild animals. With an increase in agriculture and horticulture, the tibbas or dunes which are the natural habitats are levelled up for cultivation.”

Due to a reduction in tibbas, the blackbucks started entering the fields and damaging them. The menace of stray dogs also grew exponentially as they attacked the crops and blackbucks. To deal with this, the villagers installed cobra wires which led to fatal accidents.

Saving the blackbucks

Initially, when the forest department told the villagers to uninstall the cobra wires, they asked for compensation for crop damage. Even after they were given compensation for damages, the villagers didn’t pull down the wires.

“Dealing with the owners was complex given that we cannot enter or impose any rules without their permissions. A lot of things were not in our hands. So we decided to involve various stakeholders such as the panchayat committee, activists, veterinarians, forest guards and district administration to deal with issues,” says Kalpana.

“The department also took advantage of the educational institutions to spread awareness on the importance of wildlife. Various competitions were held in all schools of the villages to spread awareness and motivate children towards conservation. We did several presentations on the impact of cobra wire and habitat destruction on the overall wildlife ecosystem of Punjab,” she adds.

For the next eight months, the Wildlife Range staff went to every village and convinced farmers by conducting various awareness camps. Most villagers took the staff with them and removed the cobra wires in front of them. Such sustained efforts also led to a state-wide ban on cobra fencing.

“As per a 2019-study done by Wildlife Institute of India, only 5% of the sanctuary area has cobra wire. The issues of barbed wire and chain-link fences were resolved with the district administration’s help. It was reported that animals were migrating outside the sanctuary so the administration banned the sale of chain-link fences,” says Kalpana.

One of the significant achievements by Geethanjali and Kalpana was opening a rescue centre for immediate treatment of injured animals with water facilities and room for animal recovery in limited funds. For the first time, local veterinarians were appointed on 24×7 duty for the injured animals and the department staff was trained with first aid medicines. Once the animals recover, they are rehabilitated in the safe areas of the sanctuary.

Ambulances, cages, nets and other animal rescue equipment was given to the local staff to carry out the operations.

For the first time, an effort was made to monitor and collect wildlife sightings, behaviour patterns and movements of blackbucks. Although both the IFS officers have been transferred, the research will help in developing long-term solutions.

Geethanjali says new policy mechanisms can be developed for compensating the landowners for maintaining biodiversity in their lands to ensure farmers are happy and wildlife is undisturbed.

“There are different programs in different countries to compensate landowners for biodiversity conservation. They are called compensation mechanisms or Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES). My study and research is about that. Recently, I presented at an International conference on ecosystem services my views about restoring natural ecosystems in Abohar. More research is needed to tailor such schemes,” says Geethanjali who is currently pursuing higher studies in Finland.

Edited by Yoshita Rao

Rao, who is currently posted as Managing Director, Tripura Rehabilitation Plantation Corporation Limited, is back again with another pro-environment innovation. After four years of rigorous research and work, he finally revealed his movable afforestation method called ‘Treebanks’ on social media.

Tree Banks- a technique of raising pole size trees in poly bags to create green belts over night ,is developed by me in Tripura and adopted to raise road side plantations with 100% success rate without plant guards. I am proud of my initiative. For details contact on 9402307944 pic.twitter.com/TomQ6zGO0C

— Prasada Rao IFS (@IfsRao) June 5, 2021

With a postgraduate degree in Agricultural Studies, he has developed a low-cost way to increase the green cover in public areas and national highways without having to invest heavily in plant guards.

“Every time we plant a tree, the forest department spends close to Rs 2,000 to install a plant guard around it to prevent any man-made or animal-made damages. While it is a necessary expenditure it can be avoided with an alternative and public money can be saved. We can plant more trees with the saved money,” Rao tells The Better India.

The 2010-batch officer began working in 2016 when he was posted as the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) in Teliamura of Khowai district and continued his research through all his transfers. In 2018, he initiated a pilot project along National Highway 44 with other forest officials.

Jai Krishnan, DFO in Unakoti district, Tripura, who worked with Rao in 2018 to plant trees, says this technique will also help establish greenery on barren, degraded or rocky lands and in those areas that have lost greenery to cyclones, floods, etc.

“I planted 15 species on a 5 km stretch of road based on the topography. Within a year, the trees started flowering and the jackfruit tree was fruiting. We saved on time and cost and by developing more nurseries, we can save on transportation costs as well,” adds Krishnan.

Today, close to 800 trees varying between 10-15 feet have been planted along NH 44.

What are Treebanks?

Treebanks are like nurseries but they raise trees with a minimum height of 12 feet and collar girth of around 20 cm inside a plant container measuring about 70cm x 77.5 cm, over a span of two years.

“In two years the trees will be tall and more sturdy, thus eliminating the need for plant guards. Providing 4 cubic feet of fertile soil with the tree will ensure better protection on acid and alkaline soils. In the traditional method, the tender seedlings are prone to droughts and high wind speeds and thus it requires regular maintenance, which means additional cost,” says Rao.

To test his theories, Rao conducted an experiment to analyse the behaviour patterns of roots and tall saplings. He studied the Mahogany tree with a height of 15 feet and collar girth of 22 cm that can withstand the strong wind pressure.

He measured the taproot, which had a depth of about 45 cm from the surface of the soil and its majority of fibrous roots were spread within the radius of 25 cm horizontally. Using these measurements, Rao designed a polybag in which trees of this stature can be developed that allow the root system to grow both vertically and horizontally.

Next, Rao filled the bag with soil, manure, urea, single super phosphate and potash and transplanted a one-year-old seedling from a nearby nursery into the bag. He then supported the seedling with a bamboo stake.

Rao followed the same procedure with more polybags and placed all of them in a row with a distance of one meter between each tree. Two years later, the seedlings had attained a height of 12 feet.

“I irrigated them twice a week throughout the year, except during the monsoons, with weeding and pruning done whenever required. Due to this, the nutrients grew three times faster than a conventional plant. The polybag is strong enough to last for a minimum of four years, despite exposing it directly to sunlight and rains,” says Rao.

Rao used fast-growing species such as Gulmohar, Raintree, Peltophorum, Mahogany, Kadam. Once the trees were ready, the team dug pits of 80cmx80cmx80cm on the roadside. The bottom layer of the polybag is removed by the blade at the margin of the pit and the tree is planted. The remaining polybag is cut and pulled out.

The entire exercise cost around Rs 400 (per plant), which is cheaper than the previous method, and the survival rate is 100%. Rao says for future endeavours, the polybag can be replaced with eco-friendly alternatives like coal treated jute bags.

Edited by Yoshita Rao