Hard Work, Good Planning, positive Approach and Faith In God Ensure Success - Vinod K.Jacob, IAS Topper 2000 (5th Rank)

A civil servant is one of the most balanced and normal personalities in a country. He/she need not be an expert, a genius or a super-specialist, he/she has to be an average man/woman of pleasing nature and personality with a flair for leadership and administration. This dictum should guide every IAS aspirant throughout the 3 stages- Prelims, Mains and Interview. A 10 to 14 months programme is a must for this Exam. One should not attempt the first Prelims as a trial. T

He first attempt ought to be the best attempt. Preparation should be focussed on the Mains 3 months solely devoted to Prelims. Choice of Optional should be the first step the choice should rest solely on aptitude and bent of mind. The study should begin with understanding of the first principles and the basics. One should refer only to the standard text-books and noted classics in the concerned subjects. Preparation for Mains should not be on the basis of past years' Questions papers only. First, complete the syllabus and then one month preceding the Mains, practise with the help previous years' papers. I feel that it is the performance in General Studies paper that tilts the scales.

My observation has been that he candidates are extremely thorough with their Optionals and level of knowledge is improving s the years pass by. Hence General Studies alone makes or mars one's chances. Likewise, one has to practise writing good essays. Writing and presentation skills count for much. English paper and Language paper are no easy sailing affairs. I could not succeed in my first attempt (1998) because I failed in Hindi compulsory paper. So it is always advisable to brush up one's grammar and vocabulary. Making notes, keeping paper cuttings, regular map reading and group discussions are a must. Keeping focussed is often a tall exercise but with the help of our family and few reliable friends we can always recharge our betteries and stay on course.

Prelims: A three-month exclusive preparation for Prelims is a must. For the subject paper, the whole syllabus should be thoroughly studied, revise, re-revised and mastered. No part can be afforded to be overlooked. No part can be afforded to be overlooked. For General Studied, one has to go through NCERT books and the Hindu and Frontline. Many of the questions can be answered through intelligent guesses. Remember, first complete al mental ability questions and then go onto the rest.

Target : 95/120 to 115/120 (Subject); 90 to 100/150 (G.S).

P.S. : The subject is more important than G.S. hence, spend more time on the subject. Mains : On an average atleast 6 to 8 hours of study a day is a must. I used to take off and Sundays but used to spend 2 hours reading the Hindu even Sundays. All papers should be prepared simultaneously. Equal importance should be given to all papers. One should always stick to the word limit. In case of long answers, do not write more than 500 words. Never take an aggressive stand while attempting your Essay papers. Explain all the differing and opposing schools of thought and with logical reasoning explain your viewpoint.

Target : 1150 to 1250/2000. General Studies, I believe, makes or mars your chances.

Interview : A civil servant is not born. But he is not made one overnight. Hence, one should aim at projection an optimistic outlook. Humility is a quality that has no peers. Our arguments should not resemble rhetoric but should be persuasive. Taking part in debates and extempores is a must. I even took classes in Law in my M.L. one should spend atleast 2 hours a day in reading the newspapers. One should be prepared for analysing any issue of current importance. But, we should never try to give ad.hoc or quick.fix solutions. Remember, stalling for time is a very good way of overcoming a problem. In Civil Services Examination, Emotional Quotient (E. Q.) is as important as I.Q. hence, you should stay focussed, calm, patient and in a proper frame of mind. Remember, he who rules the mind is greater than he who rules the city.

Dedication, Time Management & Hard Work : Secrets Of My Success - Ms. Bhawna Garg, IAS Topper 1999

It is indeed a pleasure to write this column which I remember to have been very particular in reading, once I decided to go for this Exam. By this column, Competition Success Review is indeed providing an appropriate guidance to student aspiring for the civil Services. I must candidly admit that this column has been greatly helpful in ensuring my success in this premiere exam.

For the Civil Services Exam, a very different kind of approach is required. There are three stages in this Exam Preparation -Though, work, then deed, and not anyone of them being less important than other.

With the number of vacancies dwindling each year an the competition getting tougher and at the same time, the number of aspirant increasing- this year around three lakh students has appeared, one must consider all the pros and cons of the situation, before jumping into th fray.

You have to be self-motivated. I would like to remind the aspirants the words of Swamy Vivekananda. "Stand up, be bold and take the whole responsibility on your shoulders and know that you are creator of your own density. All the strength and success that you want are within yourself." Once having decided about going in for the exam, it must be atleast a year before you ought to be appearing for the Prelims.

I decided sometimes in January 97 during my sixth Semester at IIT Kanpur. Then comes the stage as to what is required to be done. Start the practise of regular reading of a newspaper. I was regular with The Hindu and I found it fairly useful. Also the choice of the optional is very crucial. You can decide about it based on your own interests, aptitude, graduation study, consulting the previous years' question papers, etc. it need not necessarily be the popular choice. I had Maths and Chemistry as my optionals. The criteria to choose Chemistry as against Physics was entirely based on my self-analysis because I have more liking for the subject plus by better scoring abilities in it. So despite the fact that there was hardly any guidance available for chemistry as against Physics, I decided about it. Also because I was getting more number of days in between G.S. -Maths and then Math- Chemistry papers (atleast 10 days break in between), this also was favourable and encouraging which did later prove beneficial - for I got sufficient time for last-minute revision.

After the self-convincing choice of optional, the collection of the reading material becomes crucial. The study of the previous years' Test Papers together with solution is very useful to understand the trend and type of questions set and how to answer them. Here again Competition Success Review, by publishing answer to the latest such test papers in various Competitive exams including civil Services as a regular Feature, is way ahead of many such contemporary periodicals.

Apart from this, the university level books are consulted for they match the style of the Paper. By September '98, I started on with some optional subject study - taking one topic at a time but main emphasis was on General Studies especially Polity and Modern History. Due to the demanding B.Tech study, I was not able to give a lot of time exclusively for this Exam. But still, I was single-mindedly concentrating on my goal. At times I had to compromise with my B.Tech studies. I used to make a time schedule and a work schedule for the next day and also note down my time analysis and work progress if that particular day and introspect my shortcomings and possible improvements. This went on till April '98 When I gave my Final Semester exams. In between, I managed to devote the Whole one month just to study Indian Polity - the subject I feared the most in GS and its in-depth study instilled self-confidence in me for an otherwise tough subject for me. I started on for Prelims from mid-March. I just studied the Brilliant Notes on Maths and read the NCERT books on History, Geography and Spectrum Guide for Current Affairs. I got the previous years' solved Test of Mathematics to develop a good speed and maintain it as well.

Generally, my tendency during the Practise Test was to complete the paper 10 minutes earlier than the scheduled time (Duration: 2 hours) for in the Exam Hall, in the Hot Summers, one can never be sure of the comfortable conditions. Also signing the Attendance sheets and certain few announcements being made by the invigilators at intervals may be distracting and time-consuming. Prelim is just a qualifying Exam, so my eyes were always directed on the Mains. Still I devoted one full month of May exclusively for it to avoid any risk so that later I can prepare comfortably for the Mains without having any apprehensions about my clearing the first stage. The generally accepted strategy for this Exam is that one must have studied the whole syllabus for the Mains before the Prelims or at least before its result is out, i.e. by July end. But I must admit that it wasn't the case with me.

After my Prelims - taking a 3.4 days' rest break, I prepared a work plan for the next 5 months. I knew that revision is very important, still it was only by August end that I could finish off my syllabus once. With just two months before the Exam,. This was a bit demoralising and at times. I felt that I was out of the race. But keeping my expectations low, still I was determined not to let my spirits go down (Swami Vivekananda quotations and anecdotes never let me down), and sustained my consistency and without letting any negative thoughts overpower my mind, I worked mechanically till the last.

The next two months, I divided into three slots of 20days, each for the three subjects. At first, I revised Maths wholly followed by Chemistry and then GS till the General Studies paper on 30th October. I couldn't do any special study for the Essay paper. However, the high caliber essays for Civil Services published by CSR proved immensely useful in giving me an insight of the methodology to attempt the next 15 days for Math Paper exclusively and then the next 10 days for the Chemistry Paper. So a sufficient gap in between the Exam proved really beneficial to me.

During the crucial six months duration after the Prelims, I feel that you must have a very systematic approach, be disciplines and sincere, be consistent and work zealously. (Each day I would aim at attainable limits of 10-12 hours of study time, maintain a diary, go for some physical work-out for 30-40 minutes in the evening to refreshing myself.) be calm and positive. You should be so dedicated that no external coaxing should be needed to sit and study for long hours have faith in yourself and the Almighty and your concentrated sincere effort will never betray you.

The execution step is the last but the most cautious one. you must take light diet during the Exam days. Have good sleep. The night before the Exam for two papers during a day can be very exhausting and during the second exam, there may be a tendency of lethargy creeping in quite unwittingly. Be calm and positive. Dress comfortably. Reach the Exam centre well in time, so some deep breathing to maintain your cool and be charming during the interview. The work limit prescribes for the GS paper should be largely conformed with, for it helps in good time management as well. Work out the time plan for the Exam beforehand for the Exam pattern is very well known.

For the Essay paper about 45 minutes can be given for planning out, then two hours of writing (on 200 words) and later 15 minutes of overhauling. Interview preparation is not just a matter of a few days - your whole personality counts. Still you must acquaint yourself with your home State, district your college, your hobbies, general concepts of Public Administration, etc. also you can brush up the Mains GS material like Polity, Economy, History, etc.

Interview is more of a psychological test than just content based. But along with good communication skills and self-confidence, good knowledge base gives you an upper hand. Here again, reading certain articles like, "Facing the Interview Board" published by the Competition Success Review helps prepare oneself accordingly. I solely relied on this important feature in Competition Success Review. Group Discussions and Mock

Interviews are equally important. However, I myself could not make a group and go for any mock interview but I think this may prove helpful especially to those who feel less self-confident and have some difficulty in communication. I did not join any Academy either. On the whole, I feel that the first attempt should not be taken lightly for the enthusiasm and the dedication for the first time may be difficult t sustain on for the next time. Also one must keep his options open while going in for this exam - for with the decreasing number of the seats each year and increasing competition, an alternative job security can give one more self-confidence and thus a wholehearted effort is possible.

With good wishes and good luck to all future aspirants of this coveted service. Self-Confident, Planning And Systematic Study : Stepping Stones To Success - Amit Negi, IAS Topper 1999 (2nd Rank)

To achieve glorious success in the Civil Services Examination, proper approach and excellent guidelines are indispensable. Your Optionals are the things which can make all the difference. This single decision has the potential to alter your life. Choose your Optionals carefully and with due care. Try to choose subjects in which you have some background knowledge. Only choose those subjects which are scoring and also with which you are comfortable

. Remember you'll have to do both intensive and extensive study of Optionals. So it is imperative that you must have interest also in your Optionals. Always keep an open-mind. Information from any source relevant to your goal is always welcome. Discuss with your friends, talk to them and listen to their views. This will expand your knowledge base and also expose you to different views. This is important as this will enable you to view things in a balanced perspective and avoid taking extremes. Make it a habit to go through magazines (especially competition Success Review and General Knowledge Today) and newspapers regularly and read as many as possible.

The syllabus in the Civil Services is very hazy and vast with no clearly-defined boundaries. So, it might happen that you end up reading things which are connected with the syllabus but are practically irrelevant from your preparation point of view. So it is necessary that you get a feel of what the examiner expects from you. For this keep a copy of syllabus and side by side keep the previous year' papers. Compare them and see what types of questions are repeated every year. Try to have a feel as to what constitutes important portions of the syllabus and what is irrelevant. Try to from boundaries of the syllabus. This analysis will give you an in-depth insight into the paper and the examiner's mind. This will make you understand which topics need intensive study. This will also enable you to identify unnecessary portions, which are not important from the point of view of examination, so that you may avoid them and save your precious time and energy.

It is always useful to maintain a note-book to jot down all important developments happening in the National and the International scene. Also if possible one should make short notes for Optional Paper as well as General Studies. For example, in Mathematics and Physics one can make a formula note-book in which one should write all the important formulae and their derivations. Besides making it easier to remember, such notes are also very useful and handy during revision stages and save a lot of time.

Always do a planned and systematic study. Work out your study schedules in a planned and orderly manner. Maintain a daily routine of studying in a manner suited to you and stick to it; no matter what happens. Plan your whole preparation well. I think this whole preparation should last about 12-15 months. So plan your preparation in such a manner that before the prelims you should have completed your both Optionals and General Studies right up to the Mains level. This will ensure that you have sufficient time to revise. So planning at every stage of the examinations important. Also do a very systematic study.

Work out your syllabus and finish it in an ordered manner. Some time when you are free, try to write an essay on post topics covered in the Civil Services. This will expose you to your lacunae as well as make you understand the things involved: writing a good essay. Not only the easy you should also attempt previous years' Optionals Papers and General Studies Papers. This will expose your weaknesses and give you an idea about the extent of your preparation, your knowledge base, your speed and accuracy. Thus you can develop your writing skills and make sure that you can cover lengthy papers, especially GS Paper-1, in time.

Remember in the Civil Services, writing skills matter a lot. Most of the people appearing for Mains Examinations have a lot of knowledge, some of them have been preparing for the last three or four years, even then such candidates are not selected sometimes. One of the reasons for their failure is their writing skills. They are not able to present all the information present in their mind in a coherent and logical manner as expected by the examiner. So, you should develop your writing skills. The attitude that I will write directly in the Examination should be done away with

. Remembers hours do not count. Don't go by the claims of other persons who say that they study more than 18 hours a day. Do not get depressed if you are unable to achieve their targets. Remember, it is your preparation, you are the one who will appear in the examination, you know yourself better, so do your study according to your needs. Quality of hours put in is more important than quantity. You should use your energy an time in an efficient and effective manner.

Take due care of your health. You might go in for a walk in the evenings. also maintain a hobby which relaxes you during your preparation like listening to music etc. take sleep as required by your body and mind. It is always better to do study when one's mind and body are fresh, this helps in easy grasping of things a swell as in retaining them. Remember that without a good health, you will not be able to concentrate on your studies and your whole idea of the Civil services will go haywire.

It is always better to peak at the time of Examination. So channelise your preparation in such a manner that you don't burn yourself out before the Examination. Build up reserves of energy in yourself. You will need this energy at the time of your Examination. Do not worry much about the compulsory Hindi and English language papers. You will coolly pass them, and you don't need to waste your time preparing for them.

For Interview, from a group of friends who have offered the same Optionals. Remember, Interview is of a personality test. The Board will check certain traits in your personality such as your honesty and integrity, your mental alertness, your acumen, your response to some situations, your views on varied topics and also your knowledge base. So, for Interview read as many newspapers and as many magazine as possible. Discuss with your friends. Take mock-interviews. Try to find loop-holes in your arguments and plug them. Form your views on various subjects in a very logical and rational manner supported by data whenever necessary. Do not get nervous whenever necessary. Do not get nervous before the Interviews. Improve your communications skills by giving mock-interviews.

These will also open you up. Ask your friends to grill you, so that you can face pressure from the Board easily. Always pause a bit before answering even if you know the answer. Do not give a hasty reply. Answer in an orderly and logical fashion an always look into the eyes of the interviewer while answering. Be polite and courteous. Don't be too much argumentative. Be consistent in your views, i.e. just don't change your views because of the fact that the Board is differing with you. Remember that they are only testing you and often even try to provoke you. Give balanced answers and avoid taking extremes.

Alongwith your preparation for the Civil services Examination, the following four elements are the pre-requisites for success in the examination:

(1) Hard Work - Remember that there is no substitute for hard work. No genie is coming to help you. You have to finish the whole course by yourself.

(2) Dedication - Dedication towards your duty always pays in life. Be totally dedicated towards your study. You will have to sacrifice something like movies, parties, etc. at this stage of your life to achieve bigger things. Just work day and night and go on and on.

(3) Patience - As the civil Services Emanation spans a whole one year right from Preliminary stage to the Interview stage, it requires a lot of patience to maintain your tempo. At times you may feel tired and sick of further studying during the course of your preparation, but don't throw the towel as yet. Maintain your cool and patience and go on. To take out your anger and frustration, talk to friends and parents. They'll provide you with the much-neede emotional support.

(4) Self- confidence- your self-confidence can make the whole difference. If you don't believe in yourself and your capacity to achieve then no matter how hard you try. You will end up in failure. So your self-confidence should be at a very high level. I don't intend to say that you should become over-confident, but a good self-esteem matters. So to pep up your confidence level say t yourself everyday in front of the mirror that you can do it and you will do it. You should be in the surroundings of the people who could constantly motivate you and inspire you. Keep a group of close friends with you who are as determined t make it to the Civil Services as you are. This will make sure that if you are facing some problems in any subject then you can approach some one. Also while talking and discussing with them you'll be exposed to different views. This will also ensure that you can vent out your frustration by talking to some one. Besides, good friends are always a source of inspiration and motivation.

Motivation And Confidence Secrets Of My Success - Deepak Tayal, IAS Topper 1993 (3rd Rank)

The first and the foremost step to achieve success in the Civil Services Examination is to aim high and have a belief in oneself. Once that is done, one is prepared to give it a go. The first step involves a suitable choice of the Optional subject for the Preliminary Examination and the Mains.

I think that the choice subject be based on interest and comfort level rather than how scoring they are. One should rather than how scoring they are. One should have a natural inclination and aptitude towards these subjects. It always helps if the choice of Optionals for the prelims is one of the subjects chosen for the Mains.

After this, it depends on the Particular individual as to what he feels about the method best suited to him and his instincts. But in general preparation can be broadly classified as long-term or short time depending on the available time for preparation.

For a long term, one should begin with one of the Optional for the Mains and try to finish as much as possible until about 15 days to 2 months depending on the comfort level for the Optional chosen for Prelims and whether one began with the same subject or not. This should be followed by preparation for the prelims. In the prelims, there is no need to give undue emphasis to the General Studies and to waste time in order to attempt to cover everything. A quick study of different areas of the General Studies is enough if one has prepared thoroughly for the Optional in which attempt should be made to score more than 225 marks.

Preparation for Mains should begin soon after the Prelims is over and one should not waste time waiting for the Interview. Here again the major thrust should be on preparing for optional subject more thoroughly and give them more time. The preparation for General Studies can be highly selective and one can easily see that there is a similar pattern in the questions asked in different years. Of course, there is no feels that there is a lot of available time. On the other hand, if one is following short-term preparation either because of lack of time available for studies or because he feels more comfortable with it, there are some suggestions for books from my side, based on what I did. For History & Indian Polity, selected portions of Unique's Guide and for Current Affairs, Economy & Science and Technology, Spectrum's current affairs are good enough to score more than 325 marks if one has the ability to grasp them quickly. It helps if one has read magazines and newspapers regularly but if he is unable to do so, there is no cause for panic and one can do without them.

A major part of the preparation should go towards the Optional. The most important thing to know about the Interview is that it is not a question-answer session and what they are looking out for is different aspects of one's personality. As far as possible, the answer given should reveal a particular aspect of one's personality and attempts should not be made to present a make-up appearance or politically correct answers. There is no harm in taking extreme views if one is able to justify them.

One need not get carried away by the flood of books and coaching institute. If one feels that he is confident enough to take his own, he can do without them. Most of the questions asked in the Interview are opinion-based. For such questions, it always helps if one already such questions…. it always helps if one already has some views on the issue and he can present them spontaneously. If it is a relatively new issue, the best approach is to think there and also to be seen thinking. If the candidate seems to be applying his mind in an effort towards reaching the solution, it is the best thing that can happen in an Interview.

For the knowledge-based questions, the presentation of the answer becomes more important. One should not make himself appear as having crammed be presented in a conversational manner. There is no need to panic for the Interview and even " I don't know, Sir" should be said with confidence and cheerfulness. One is not expected to know everything under the sun. Finally, whatever the stage might be, one has to have faith and confidence in himself. An individual should be the best judge of what he thinks as the best way to prepare. He should not follow the crowd if it doesn't suit his instinct. Once that happens, he is bound to success and excel

Muthyalaraju Revu, Ist rank, Civil Services Exam, 2006

He comes from Chinnagollapalem village in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, where his father and two brothers are farmers. Muthyalaraju studied in the village school and did his B Tech from Regional Engineering College, Warangal, and his Masters in Bangalore. His family borrowed money for coaching classes in Delhi. He got into the IPS in 2005, but tried again for IAS and topped in 2006.

"The death of my 12-year-old sister due to poor medical facilities in the village spurred me in the direction of the civil services."

Their story is often one of impressive mobility—the story of a changing India, as much as a changing civil service. Studious and focused 'Bunties' and 'Bablis' from village, tehsil and district schools sally forth in search of higher degrees, reaching Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Delhi University, sundry engineering and medical colleges and established state universities. Aboobacker Siddique, a farmer's son from Malappuram district in Kerala, makes it to JNU, where a section of the library, taken over by civil service swotters, has been christened Dholpur House, after UPSC's headquarters. Sujit Singh, son of a havaldar in Bihar, makes it first to Delhi's Hindu College, and then to the civil services. Anbukkumar, a constable's son from Tamil Nadu, goes to the elite Madras Christian College in Chennai for his MA.

However, an increasing number do not travel that far, picking up a degree or two from a modest institution nearer home, and a distance learning course. Many less known institutions are chipping away at the dominance of the civil services by established universities. The intake from Delhi University, even if still high, has declined considerably since the '70s. Likewise from Allahabad University, whose silver-haired alumni adorn the upper reaches of the bureaucracy. Calcutta University has fallen off the map. Showing up on the map are little-known colleges and universities in places like Tiruchirapalli, Warangal, Izatnagar, Kolhapur, Bareilly, Rohtak, Meerut, Bhagalpur, Amravati, Belgaum, Nagarjunanagar, Gorakhpur, Gulbarga, Bikaner, Sagar.... And three per cent of the intake is now from distance learning courses.

M. Sudha Devi, 31/ IAS

M. Sudha Devi, 31/ IAS, Additional Commissioner, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh
Married at an early age, Sudha (looking up) had to give up her studies. When the marriage broke up after four years, she finished her BA from Coimbatore, and prepared for the civil services, which she cleared at the first attempt, after joining a coaching institute in Delhi. The daughter of a farmer, she grew up in the tehsil town of Tiruchengode, Tamil Nadu.

"My humble background makes me better able to understand and relate to people’s problems. When I see a farmer with grievances standing in front of me, I see my father."

Greater access to the system helps. Until the late '60s, the civil services exam was the preserve of the English-educated. It could not be taken in another language. Thereafter, candidates were permitted to take some papers, and then all except one basic qualifying English paper, in an Eighth Schedule language. Weightage for the personality interview, in which candidates from elite backgrounds are perceived to have an advantage, was reduced. (It is now just 13 per cent of the total marks). Changes like these helped Malegaon boy Mohammad Qaiser and Varanasi lad Govind Jaiswal make it to the top this year.

Twenty-nine-year-old Qaiser, who took the exam in Urdu, was disappointed by his poor interview result. It did not stop him, however, from standing 32nd in a gruelling three-part exam taken by one-and-half-lakh people at the first stage. Govind, whose muscular and idiomatic Hindi is palpably better than his English, topped the list of Hindi-medium candidates this year. One in four now prefers to take the exam in Hindi, or a regional language. Their success rate is far lower than that of English candidates, but still, their numbers are rising.

And then, of course, there is reservations. The 27 cent per cent reservation of seats for OBCs since the mid-'90s, in addition to the 22.5 per cent reserved for the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, has begun to radically transform the composition of an upper caste-dominated higher bureaucracy. There may be unfilled quotas in the lower services, but in coveted services like the IAS, IPS and IFS, they are intensely sought. OBCs, especially, are boosting their representation in these top services by making it to the general category. According to the Department of Personnel, in the last five years, 32.5 per cent of officers inducted into the IAS have been OBCs.

The impact can be seen in the individual stories of young men and women who are among the first to represent their communities in the bureaucracy. For example, Sudha Devi, a young additional commissioner in the Himachal cadre, is the first woman from her Kangavellalar farming community in Tamil Nadu to make it to the IAS. Says Sudha, "My getting in has been an eye-opener for this area and my community—so many others are preparing now. Every time I go home,girls come to me for counselling."

Muhammed Qaiser Abdul Haque,(AIR-32 2006)

One of eleven children of a former powerloom worker, now grocer, in the communally sensitive textile town of Malegaon, Maharashtra, he went to school there, then did his Masters from Pune. He joined a civil services study circle for backward and minority students at Hamdard University in Delhi.

"I have seen the lack of resources on the ground, no proper hospital, or colleges.... I see my IAS job as that of a middleman, between the government and the people, and I feel responsible towards all the people, not just those of my community."

Yet, despite reservations, the poorest seem to be largely excluded from the civil service club (as are Muslims). The social data shows that only a minuscule number of the new babus are first-generation learners. The number has declined since the '80s. The number of those educated in government schools is steadily going down (which reflects loss of faith in state education). A commission headed by economist and educationist Y.K. Alagh on civil service recruitment, which submitted its report to the government in 2001, was concerned at these trends. Speaking to Outlook, Alagh reiterated that concern: "A munsif's son is good, but a landless labourer or an artisan's son even better. Half of the country's workforce are landless labourers."

The Alagh report blames government policies that have relaxed age limits and the number of chances available to candidates. It says they favour crammers who spend large sums on coaching (about a lakh of rupees a year, per candidate), and perfect exam-taking techniques, making it harder for bright, poor candidates in all categories to get in. Agrees Planning Commission member B.N. Yugandhar, "Coaching makes it very difficult for first-generation learners to get in."

Age is a touchy issue. At 30 years for the general category (33 for OBCs, 35 for SC/STs), the age limits are among the highest they have been. Correspondingly, the number of new recruits over 26 has been rising steadily, upsetting the bureaucracy, which says older candidates are harder to train, and get frustrated because they don't reach the top due to shorter tenures. In February, then cabinet secretary B.K. Chaturvedi wrote to the PMO, recommending 24 as the age limit for the general category, which is what it used to be in the '60s. Says Satyanand Mishra, secretary, personnel, "Age levels have been increased in deference to the demand that a lower age of recruitment works against people from rural areas. But empirically this is not true—reducing age limits will not handicap any class of people." But for the political class, this is a hot potato. And for the Sanjay Singhs and other denizens of places like Mukherjee Nagar and Hudson Lines, a death blow. "Higher age limits are good for people like me—we work, make money, keep trying, get in," says Sanjay Singh.

Notwithstanding the distaste of reform-minded committees for coaching—and for an exam that has become a byword for narrow, tactical swotting—many civil servant recruits interviewed by Outlook, from small towns and villages, and relatively modest backgrounds, have a different perspective. They see coaching as the leveller that flattens the playing field, helping them compete with the better educated and the socially confident.

For families, coaching is an investment—land is sold and money borrowed to pay for it. Interview coaching, especially, is a must—this year's topper, Muthyalaraju Revu, travelled to Delhi's coaching hub for interview coaching. Says Govind: "It teaches you to be balanced, to keep your ego in check, to come across as energetic and confident." Those understandably petrified of confronting the retired bureaucrats who dominate interview boards are told, "Behave as if you are going to meet your new family."

And so they make it, finally, to their "new family".

But are the new recruits improving the quality of a rather discredited family, often perceived as lacking in accountability, efficiency and integrity? It is hard to generalise—talking to a cross-section, you will encounter the blazingly sincere and the rather cynical, the confident and the diffident, the rock-solid and the showy. Says social activist and ex-IAS officer Aruna Roy, "Many take big dowries, contravening the act they implement. Some are susceptible to community and communal tendencies, which is not surprising, if you look at the distortion of history and values in current-day education, especially in the Hindi belt—many don't know history." She also worries that there are "no role models left to show young recruits they need not bow to political pressure".

On the other hand, asserts Roy, "They are far more rooted in the reality of India than my generation of civil servants. India is very complex now and they understand that complexity better than we did—some have a very genuine awareness of landless, Dalit and minority issues." Agrees Alagh, "Their being in the bureaucracy is an important part of the building of modern India. Despite the homogenisation that takes place when they become part of the elite, they are not the bureaucrats you see at embassy parties. You can tell a JNU district collector a mile off. They can sort out the problems of real India. "

Down on the ground, Anbukkumar, though he is already getting a good reputation in the district where he works, makes no such claims. "To be frank," he says, "I have no big vision or ideals as such. I had no idea of policy-making or decision-making or file notings. IAS simply meant a red-light car and a lot of power. I am slowly learning the ropes now. I may not become the number one IAS officer, but I want to be fair and just. No more dreams, no more ideals. Slowly and surely, I will evolve."

Mr. Sorabh Babu Maheshwari 1999 IAS topper

Mr. Sorabh Babu Maheshwari (23) achieved 1st position among the successful candidates of the Civil Services Examination, 1999-2000. He has done B.E. (Mech.)

" Planned Studies, Hard Work and INNER motivation are the Keys to Success "

We publish below an exclusive interview he gave to Competition Success Review.

CSR: What is the secret of your success in the Civil Services Examination?

Sorabh Babu Maheshwari : There are myriad of factors responsible; to sum up God's grace, family's support and encouragement, planned studies, hard work, inner motivation can be cited as the main factors.

Q. How much time do you think one requires for serious preparation for this examination ?

A. Atleast one year of serious dedicated preparation.

Q. Which journals and newspapers have you been reading for the General Knowledge and other papers ?

A. Competition Success Review, General Knowledge Today, The Hindu, The Hindustan Times, Frontline and a regular reader of India Today

Q.What is your impression of the Interview Board ?

A, Questions posed before a candidate are very well framed and answers to them should be made taking into consideration all possible views and a balanced approach is expected from a candidate.

Q. What is your advice to the future aspirants ?

A. The path towards this coveted service passes through many ups and downs. To carry oneself along these pulls and pushes requires strong inner motivation and decision to aspire for Civil Services should come from within.

Q . Competition Success Review, the largest selling youth magazine in English, has been extremely helpful because...

A. ...it helped in providing ready, easy-to-use material thus saving time. Topics, which are unique to this magazine e.g.,IAS Topper Talks To You, Essays, Personality. Tests proved extremely helpful while preparing as they give good insight into these issues.

Q. What prompted you to choose Civil Services as your career?

A. the unique blend of service opportunities which Civil Services offers. Diversity of job, being a party in policy implementation, bigger responsi bilities, social esteem and to do good to common masses were some factors which made me to go in for Civil Services.

Q. How did your parents, family and friends contribute to your success ?

A. A larger part of success is attributable to them. Without the constant support, encouragement and boost up by family members and friends at times, this day was not possible.

Q. Had you not been selected in the Civil Services Examination, what would have been your reaction ? Which other service career would you have gone in-opted for?

A.This year. I did well in Written Exam ,and Interview and was confident of getting good rank. In adverse situation of not getting selected, though sad I would have gone for another attempt after finding out my lacunae.

Q. How would you visualise your success ?

A. Combined effort of everything went in my favour. I dedicate my success to my parents and elder brother and now find myself at a platform with even bigger responsibilities and challenges as never before.

Q Whom do you attribute your success to ?

A. To my eldest brother especially who has been a constant source of motivation throughout my life span. Without whose support, I could not have achieved this.

Q. What Were your Optionals for the Civil Services Examination ?

A. Mathematics for Prelims; Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering for Mains.

Q. What was your criterion for the selection of Optional subjects ?

A. Having studied Mechanical Engg. in my graduation for 4 years, I found it a natural choice and I felt quite comfortable with Mathematics.

Q. How did you prepare for your Compulsory papers?

A. I made a list of topics to be read, then gave them a priority based on their importance and started from the top giving due time to each of them. This approach was mandatorv for me as I am already in job and did not have ample time.

Q. Competition Success Review is the largest read youth magazine in English. How do you visualise the role of this magazine in moulding the careers of the youth ?

A. Since my childhood, Civil Services ,specific issues particularly the column of 'IAS Toppers Talk To You' inspired me a lot to go for Civil Services as my career.

Q. How did Competition Succeess Review help you in your preparation for the interview?

A. Supplements like 'My Personality Test', 'Facing The Interview Board', 'Improve Your Personality' and 'Group Discussion' give quite an original view of the personality test and help us in assessing our deficiencies beforehand and taking corrective measures.

Q. What is your opinion about Competition Success Review?

A. Competition Success Review is indispensable for aspirants to Civil Services and other competitive exams. It is helping, candidates a lot. It is a part of study material.

Q. What is your opinion about General Knowledge Today?

A. More information ' i less space is the buzzword for General Know1cdgr Today. It provides quite handy, ready-to-use facts, database and information and as such is quite useful during revision hours.

Q. What do you think is the better way of preparation between selective, intensive study and wide, extensive study ?

A. Wide extensive study should be followed by selective intensive study.

Q. Is the pattern of the examination appropriate for selection ? Would you recommend any improvement?

A. By and large, the pattern of examination is good. Efforts, however, should be made to reduce the shell time of the whole process in line with other exams.

Q. Do you feel that there should be no restriction on the number of attempts ?

A. Current policy of restricting attempts checks non-serious candidates and prevents flooding up of the exam. This should continue. ,

Q. With the resumption of Essay paper in UPSC examinations, we are giving four senior essays every month. Is this focus oriented, analytical, feature helpful for the TAS aspirants ?

A. Definitely yes. Best way to prepare for Essay paper is through careful reading of these well-crafted essays by top slot authors. It sharpens the writing ability and boosts confidence.

Q. How do you think Competition Success Review could be more useful to the candidates appearing in the Civil Services and various other competitive examinations ?

A. At present, it focusses only on General Studies aspects. Recent trends and practices in various Optionals should be published to make candidates more aware. Some more model question papers should also be given.

Success stories spur on rural IAS aspirants to babudom

Civil services examination is fast emerging as a cause of migration of rural students to the city. With the last year seeing an increase of 20 per cent in the number of students from a rural background, it seems more and more people are succumbing to the charm of bureaucracy.

Experts attribute the surge to contributing factors such as increased awareness, the role of media, and motivating parents. Also, the elitist aura of the civil services has eroded which has acted as a big morale booster for rural students.

“The myth that only toppers can become IAS officers has been busted. Past results show a steady rise in academically average students cracking the examination,” said Shilpi Gupta, a teacher at a local coaching centre.

“If earlier only one or two students chose to pursue civil services, coaching centres now have 15 to 20 such students in each batch,” said Subhash, administrator of a coaching institute.

Another reason for rural students opting for the civil services is increased exposure from the media. “Every year, reams of pages and airtime are devoted to the winning candidates of the examination. This has acted as a driving force for students to aspire for the prestigious posts,” said Uday Saharan, a sociologist.

As these students come from the interiors of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, most have parents who are either illiterate or with elementary education. Interestingly, this factor, instead of acting as a deterrent, has been a motivating factor for the aspirants.

“Students come to us with the zeal to excel. They say they want to make their parents proud by clearing the test. The misconception that only children of educated parents can be part of civil services has been laid to rest. In fact, in most cases it is the parents who encourage their children to join the field,” said Praveen Bansal, another sociologist.

The case of Anil Kumar, son of a vegetable vendor, who cleared the examination four years ago is one such success story. Even Virender Kumar, who has secured the fourth rank in this year’s examination, also hails from a village in Punjab. “Having studied in a small school in my village, it was not a cakewalk for me to reach this pedestal. However, I never let my background, or lack of it, dampen my spirits. With consistent hard work and a focused mind, I have achieved what I always aspired to,” said Virender.

Apart from providing coaching for academic subjects, these centres also give lessons in personality development and grooming to enable students to overcome their inhibitions. “Students who have never stepped out of their small-town cocoons are generally shy and reserved. Polishing their soft skills is one of the main areas that need to be worked upon. Regular groups discussions and one-to-one sessions help a lot in this regard,” said Sachin Goyal, director of a coaching centre in Sector 24.

Asst.Sub Inspector to IAS: Journey of a farmer’s son

Chandigarh For this UT cop, his memories of the Manimajra police station will always remain close to his heart. It was here, after all, that Kuldeep Chahal (27) burnt the midnight oil and covered the distance between an ASI (assistant sub-inspector) and an IAS. He has scored 82nd rank in the UPSC exams, the results of which were declared on Monday.

Coming from Ujhna village in Jind district of Haryana, Kuldeep’s father is an illiterate farmer. On receiving the news of his son’s success, his first reaction was: “Is IAS bigger than ASI?”

A student of the Government School, Ujhna, Kuldeep did a Master’s in history from Kurukshetra University and came to Chandigarh. He cleared the police recruitment exam and joined the UT police as an ASI three years ago, before starting preparations for the IAS.

“It is a dream come true for me. I am happy that my hard work has paid off. I was quite hopeful of getting a good rank,” said an elated Kuldeep. During his tenure as an ASI, Kuldeep has been part of teams that cracked several robbery cases.

He said: “Tables have turned and an ASI from a small village has become an IAS. It was the endless hard work and determination that helped me achieve my aim. And it is my elder brother, Suresh Chahal, a lecturer with the Government College, Panchkula, whom I owe my success. I can never forget the reaction of my father after he came to know of my success.”

Kuldeep added that his father had no idea what was education all about and did not know what his children were doing. “All he used to ask us was if we were performing well in our respective fields. Just an answer in the affirmative would bring a smile on his face,” he said.

“I came to Chandigarh in 2004 and had joined a coaching centre. But I did a lot of self study at the Panjab University library. I used to initially study for around four hours. Though it was a little tough to manage my time after joining the police, I used to squeeze out every single minute at the Manimajra police station to be with my books,” said Kuldeep.

This was his third attempt. Kuldeep had failed to clear the final interview in the previous two chances.

His brother Suresh said: “It is nothing short of a Diwali for us. My younger brother has cracked the toughest exam in the country, after all.”

Himachal girl ranks 59 in IAS exam 2009

Shimla Chitrangna Singh from Himachal Pradesh has secured the 59th rank in the Indian Civil Services Examination held by Union Public Service Commission, the results for which were declared recently.

Currently posted in Indian Railways Personnel Services as Assistant Personnel Officer at Jaipur, 30-years-old Chitrangna had appeared in the examination for the fourth time this year. Happy and satisfied at her performance, Chitrangna said over the phone that her first preference is Indian Foreign Services, followed by IAS and Revenue Services.

She was a former staffer with The Indian Express at Chandigarh from 2002 to 2004.

“Since my father is an IPS officer, the civil services always attracted me, and I steadily moved towards it. Though in my second attempt I could make it to Indian Railways only, it was only the fourth and last attempt that gave me a good rank. I owe it all to my parents and elder brother, who is lawyer at Delhi,” she said.

Daughter of Sohan Singh, Director General of Prisons, in Himachal Pradesh Police and Usha Singh, a homemaker, Chitrangna spent her formative years in Himachal Pradesh at various schools. She then headed to Chandigarh for graduation, and did post graduation in Mass Communication from PU.

When asked about her schedule, she said, “Ten hours of study during the examination and a little less during other days was enough.”

An inspiring and incredible achievement

Maniram Sharma has won a 15-year-old battle for justice. On Thursday ( 8th October 2009 ), this deaf IAS candidate learnt he has made it to the Civil service. With this, Maniram has not just won a personal battle but a milestone victory for disabled persons like him who have been kept away from the premier government service.

Maniram's case has been highlighted by Times of India over the past couple of years — how his efforts were thwarted on one ground or the other, till he finally went through surgery to make his aided hearing so good that he gave his IAS interview this time by the oral question-and-answer method. Despite this, his induction into the service was just not happening.

While other successful candidates got their call on August 17, he didn't. Finally, on September 3 he was informed that he had cleared the exam on all counts but still had to wait for another month to get his appointment. ``I still can't believe it has happened. It has not sunk in. After suffering so many disappointments, it's difficult to imagine it has actually come true,'' Maniram told TOI.

Maniram's IAS saga began in 1995 when he failed in his first attempt to clear the preliminary examination. He was then 100% deaf. Since then he has cleared the exam three times — 2005, 2006 and 2009. In 2006, he was told he could not be allotted the IAS as only the partially deaf were eligible, not fully deaf persons like him. So, he was allotted the Post and Telegraph Accounts and Finance Service.

To improve his hearing, Maniram had a surgical cochlear implant, costing Rs 7.5 lakh that now enables him to hear partially. He appeared for the IAS again this year and cleared it, scoring the highest in the hearing-impaired category. Yet, he faced several more hurdles as the government put technical hurdles questioning his level of disability.

Anyway, this story has a happy ending. And Maniram has no complaints. ``If I could wait for 15 years, I could surely wait for a few more months. But the uncertainty kept me on edge,'' he said without rancour. He is off to his village Badangarhi in Alwar district, Rajasthan, to convey the news to his family. ``I have decided to go in person to tell them. My whole village will celebrate.''

Maniram's Badangarhi is a remote village which doesn't even have a school. He started losing his hearing at the age of five, becoming totally deaf by nine. His parents, both illiterate farm labourers, could do little to help. Yet, Maniram continued trudging to the nearest school, 5km away, and cleared class 10 standing fifth in the state board examination and cleared class 12 ranking seventh in the state board.

In his second year in college, he cleared the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) examination to become a clerk-cum-typist. He studied and worked during his final year and topped the university in Political Science. He went on to clear the NET (National Eligibility Test).

He then gave up his RPSC job and became a lecturer. Not satisfied with that, he became a Junior Research Fellow and completed his Ph.D in Political Science during which time he taught M Phil and MA students in Rajasthan University. Having completed his Ph.D, Maniram got through the Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) and while in service he started trying for the UPSC.

R.Sangeetha ( 2005) ( 32nd position)

Q. What is the secret of your success in the Civil Services Examination?
A. Persistent hard work, proper planning and strategy, self-confidence, cordial support of parents and friends and above all, God's grace.

Q. How much time do you think one requires for serious preparations for this examination?
A. Two Years of hard work.

Q. Which newspapers, magazines and journals have you been reading for the General Studies and other papers?
A. Newspaper : The Hindu, Magazines : Competition Success Review, General Knowledge Today, CSR Year Book, etc.

Q. Do you remember any remarkable incident of your life that motivated or prompted you to go for a career in the Civil Services?
A. I am from a village where girls are married at an early age. Whenever I came to know of such an incident I used to tell the villagers that what they were doing was wrong. They used to retaliate and ask me, 'Are you a collector?' This attitude of the villagers prompted me to become a Civil Servant one day.

Q. What prompted you to choose Civil Services as your career?
A. When I was in my school, my uncle motivated me to become as IAS officer. Later I learnt how instrumental the bureaucrats are in the development of a country. This power of bureaucracy to bring change drove me to achieve my goal.

Q. How did your parents, family and friends contribute to your success?
A. Though we belong to the middle class, my parents gave all necessary support, without which y success would have been impossible. My friends also motivated me.

Q. Had you not been selected in the Civil Services Examination, what would have been your reaction? Which other service / career would you have gone in / opted for?
A. I was confident of clearing the UPSC Civil Services Exam, but if I would have been unsuccessful, I would have started practicing as an advocate and would have become a judge.

Q. How do you visualize your success?
A. I believe in hard work as it never fails. God has given me an opportunity to serve the needy and I see my success as an instrument to bring a change in the society.

Q. What were your optional at the Civil Services Examination?
A. Prelims: Law, Mains: Law, Tamil Literature

Q. How many attempts had you made earlier before you got selected?
A. Three attempts.

Q. What was your criterion for the selection of the optional subjects?
A. Basic understanding of the subject, one's interest in the subject, availability of necessary study material and proper guidance.

Q. How did you prepare for compulsory papers?
A. I did not prepare separately for these papers. Just the knowledge gained at the school level was sufficient.

Q. What is your impression about the Interview Board?
A. The Interview Board is very cordial. Within the stipulated time, they try to bring out one's individuality and it is an opportunity to show one's personality.

Q. What do you think is a better way of preparation, between selective intensive study and wide extensive study?
A. For Preliminary Examination, one has to do extensive study and for Mains, selective intensive study will help.

Q. Is this pattern of the examination appropriate for selection? Would you recommend any other improvement?
A. The present pattern for selection is most appropriate.

Q. Do you feel that there should be no restriction on the number of attempts?
A. There should be restriction for the number of attempts.

Q. To what extent, you think, Model Test Papers can be useful for the aspirants of Civil Services?
A. The Model Test Papers help the aspirants to improve their performance and to practice time management.

Q. What is your advice to the future aspirants?
A. Do proper planning, work hard, do not lose heart, be confident, dream as a civil servant and one day you will certainly fulfill your dream.

IAS Toppers Speak- 2nd Rank Prakash Rajpurohit'- 2009

“Don't take it as a task, enjoy what you study.“ This is Prakash Rajpurohit's advice to all those planning to sit for the Union Public Service Commission exam. All of 24, Rajpurohit has stood second in this year's exam.

On an average, he would study for 10 hours daily. “The preparation is time consuming due to the vast syllabus, but if you enjoy studying, it isn't difficult,“ said this IIT-Delhi graduate from Barmer, Rajasthan.
He is presently in Ghaziabad.

An electrical engineer, Rajpurohit was sitting for the exam a second time.

The only child of his parents, he considers them his biggest strength. It was their pep talk that pulled him out of his dis- appointment after he did not qualify in his first attempt.
“They ensured I didn't hang on to the disappointment,“ he said.

This year, however, he was confident of cracking the exam and securing a rank. “My exams went well. I knew I would get it,“ he said.

However, he hadn't thought of sitting for the civil services until after his graduation. “I was analyzing my options. Sitting for the civil services appealed to me the most,“ he said.

During the one year of preparation, Rajpurohit had his share of fun too. He didn't miss a sin- gle movie released in the country. “I'm a movie buff. Movies were my only source of relaxation,“ he said.

For the last six months, Rajpurohit taught at a local IIT coaching institute to keep his mind off the tension of results.
“I had to divert my mind from the results. Also, teaching is a great stress-buster,“ said Rajpurohit, who was off to have dinner with his family at some `nice' place, when Hindustan Times spoke to him.

I want to improve bureaucracy- Iva Sahay IAS Woman Topper 2009

This year's woman topper of the prestigious civil services examination has a simple aim. she wants to help people who run with files from one office to another.

“I must be able to improve bureaucracy so that I can help people who are running from one office to another with files,“ said Iva Sahay, who ranked third in the All India civil services examination and has the highest ranking among women.
The results of the exam were announced Thursday.

Sahay did her Master's in Geography from Jawaharlal Nehru University here.

She is now pursuing a doctorate from Allahabad University, where her father is a professor of anthropology.
She completed her school education from Ranchi and Allahabad.

“People are beaten in the mesh of politics and bureaucracy. I can't do anything about politics, but I hope I can do something about bureaucracy,“ Sahay told IANS on the phone from Allahabad.

Sahay, who selected geography and anthropology as her subjects for the exam, said hard work above intelligence, was required to crack the UPSC., “You cannot focus on one thing as it is the toughest exam in the country. Hard work matters more than anything else.
Intelligence goes in making your strategy, but it is more about the labour.“

“It was a really tough exam.
I realised it when I saw the results. I had aimed for the first rank and I wanted to be second to none. But when I saw the result, I realised there are people who work harder,“ she added.

Asked why few women compete for the civil services, Sahay said: “Very few women take up the exam. Even when I was taking the exam, I saw very few women. But when they take the exam, they take it with full preparedness. So they are there among the toppers.“

Talking about her future plans, she said: “I must keep my past and remember why I became an IAS. I must not get lost in the lucrativeness of the job.“

Peon's daughter makes it to IAS

Chandigarh, (PTI) Sandeep Kaur, the daughter of a peon from Morinda in Punjab, has made it to the IAS.

Sandeep is the eldest of her three siblings and attributes her success to her father employed in Morinda sub-tehsil.

Citing her father as her immense source of inspiration behind her success, Sandeep, a civil engineer from Panjab Engineering College, had the sole goal of making it to the IAS.

"I dedicated myself to preparing for the civil services and failure at earlier attempts made me stronger to prepare for the examinations," she says.

Her dream is to work against female foeticide which is a big problem in Punjab.

Meanwhile, in a congratulatory message, Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal complimented Sandeep Kaur and her family members, saying she had done the state proud by making it to the IAS despite her economically poor family background.

---

Punjab CM has no reason to celebrate Sandeep Kaur's selection in Indian civil services

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has congratulated Sandeep Kaur, daughter of a peon who has made into the India civil services, without realising that Punjab government has no contribution in her success.

She has emerged winner despite poor education infrastructure in rural Punjab and no assitance by state education department. She has studied in an ill equipped school in Morinda. It was Sandeep's determination that she has surged ahead crossing all social and economic hurdels. Badal has announced to honour Sandeep Kaur for her rare distinction. Rather he should like a gentleman make public commitment that he would improve the education in rural areas to let the other girls to repeat the suceess of Sandeep Kaur.

Sandeep is lucky that she was not killed by parents before birth then she was doubly blessed that her parents inspired her to become the winner. It is an opportunity for Badal to make an introspection of his government's contribution in parting education to the rural children. So many Sandeep's in rural areas who failed to get good education retired to their fate.

Instead of feeling elated over success of Sandeep Kaur, Punjab CM shall feel ashamed over the fate of Rajwinder Kaur, another girl gifted with rare intelligence who is working as a peon in Punjab education departmant. Rajwinder who belongs to Bathinda, the home constituency of deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, may be the next girl to make into India civil services without any support from the ruling family.

Rajwinder Kaur belonging to a lower middle class family had cleared her PMT and got admission in a medical college. Unfortunately, her father and mother died in a road accident. Her brother who also got injured slipped into coma. At that time her father was an assistant JE in Punjab State Electricity Board(PSEB) and mother was a teacher in Punjab education department.

Rajwinder Kaur had no choice but to leave her MBBS course and take care opf her ailing brother. The PSEB refused to give her job on compassionate grounds. The education department offered her the job of a peon which she accepted on the persuation of her relatives. Neither Punjab Chief Minister or deputy Chief Minister bothered to take care of the poor girl.

Rajwinder Kaur is also a national level cricketer and topped in school without any extra coaching. The officers of education department in Bathinda are sympathetic to her but the bureaocracy in Chandigarh is not moved at her fate. Rajwinder Kaur has now started preparing for civil services exam and she is determined to get into it.

Interview with IAS Toppers-Karthik Adapa ( 2008)

A doctor by profession, Karthik Adapa gave up scholarships to Harvard and Cambridge to join the Indian Administrative Services. Thinking beyond marks, appreciating the value of each subject and teaching these very subjects to students during his preparation helped him ace the exam.Now stationed at Ranikhet, a small town in Uttarakhand , Karthik (who was ranked first in the IAS exam of 2008) aspires to make a difference by working at the grassroots...

Why did you opt for the IAS?
It offers a tremendous opportunity for leadership and to work at the grassroots level. For example, I now work in a small town with a population of around 20,000. It is such a backward region that even a little work we do has a tremendous impact on the people here. You also get a chance to impact people's lives across a variety of domains such as health, education, water, sanitation, roads and electricity. In fact, as a topper, I was given the option to go to my hometown in Khammam, Andhra Pradesh but I chose Ranikhet as it's a much more backward place and that's the kind of place I wanted to contribute to.

Medicine is considered a noble profession. What prompted you to move out of it?
I enjoyed being a doctor and in fact, continue to be a doctor even now. In my capacity as an administrator, I organise health camps, where I also serve as a doctor. But what I realised is that as a doctor, the canvas you get to paint on is very small. Health is the only field you can work in as a doctor.

Tell us about life as a student...
I was always a good student, which helped me secure admission to a national medical college. I got a scholarship for a postgraduation at both Harvard and Cambridge. I also got a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation scholarship for a PhD in Molecular Medicine at Harvard and the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Trust Commonwealth Shared Scholarship for my PhD in Cambridge. But I opted for the IAS. In two earlier attempts, I also got through the Indian Police Services, but I let it pass, too.

Three attempts? It sounds taxing! How did you prepare?
I enjoyed the process. I wish I had to give ten attempts so I could study for ten years! You actually grow a lot in the process; the reading is voracious. I look upon it as a way of life and not much has changed since those times for me. I still read a lot, keep abreast of what's happening in the world, in the country, in my state.

Which subjects did you chose during the mains and why?
Zoology and Psychology. Having done medicine, which is Advanced Biology, I wanted to go back to my basics and study Zoology, which is Basic Biology. I also wanted to study one subject that was different and would tell me something I enjoy in life and Psychology fitted the bill well. I worked really hard in Psychology. Though I didn't score too well, it gave me new perspectives to see my life events. It brings about a holistic change in your personality, which happens as long as you don't study merely for marks but internalise the subject. You must appreciate the basics of the subject and study its varied topics.

How did you prepare for the exam?
I referred to basic textbooks like Morgan & King and Barrons. Then you have advanced textbooks for each subject; Coleman for Abnormal Psychology, Pearson's for Education Psychology. I would devote six to eight hours a day, but more than the number of hours, it is the quality and consistency of your studies that matter. I used to be very consistent with my reading.

What did you do differently in Attempt 3, which enabled you to crack it?

I feel I was much more focused and also put in more effort than in my first two attempts; however, some things you learn only with experience. Lesson 1, I learned how to manage my time better after going through the entire process twice. Lesson 2, never to ignore Prelims even after your Mains or your interview because when the results are out, you don't have any time left for the next year's Prelims.

Any interview tips for IAS aspirants...

Just be yourself! The more artificial you are, the more you will struggle. While preparing, 'studying' newspapers is the ultimate thing. I read The Hindu, which is by far the best newspaper when preparing for the Civil Services Exam. While preparing, don't merely 'read' the newspaper, 'study' the newspaper, just like you would a textbook. Underline, make notes, analyse, draw some conclusions, discuss.

Who was the inspiration behind your success?

My teachers and my students.

Your students?

I taught Zoology and General Studies at Evolution, a coaching institute, during my preparation while simultaneously preparing for General Studies with study material from Rajaram & Ravi, another coaching institute. If I didn't teach a topic well, my students' faces said it all. This would encourage me to study and understand better, work hard and ultimately teach better. So I thank my teachers for teaching me and my students for bearing with me and tolerating me.

How has your administrative experience been so far?

We have a period of independent charge as part of my training. Hence I am at Ranikhet as the Joint Magistrate, for the last one-and-a-half months. I am the youngest but still the leader of the entire team. Hence I need to be the energy and motivator of the team. Ranikhet is located in the hills where everything usually closes by 6 pm. But our office remains open till 8 or 9 pm, sometimes longer. We are trying to make the administration friendlier and improve health, education, etc. In fact, I have lodged the first FIR against illegal mining in Uttarakhand, probably a first in all of North India

Govind Jaiswal - The rickshawallah's son who cracked the IAS

The Real Hero

The 2006 competitive examinations for India's civil services is notable for the number of young people from non privileged backgrounds who feature in the merit list. For the first time, none from India's elite metros feature in the top ten.

We will bring you some amazing success stories in this special series. Today, meet a rickshaw vendor's son from Varanasi who is one of the IAS toppers this year.

Tears ran down Govind Jaiswal's face and refused to stop. Staring him in the face was the only thing he had ever wanted, and now that he had achieved it, he couldn't even reach out for the keys on his cellphone.

He waited till the tears dried up, till the news sunk in and made that one phone call on which depended the hopes of his entire family.

Govind, 24, the son of an uneducated rickshaw vendor in Varanasi, had grown up with cruel taunts like 'However much you study, you will still be a rickshawpuller.' He had studied with cotton stuffed in his ears to drown the noise of printing machines and generators below his window in a poor neighbourhood where small workshops existed cheek by jowl with tiny residential quarters.

He had given Math tuitions to supplement the paltry sum his father could afford to send him each month. His ailing father had sold a small plot of land to give Govind about Rs 40,000 so that he could move to Delhi which would provide him a better place to study.

Throughout his life, he had lived with only one dream -- to become an officer of the Indian Administrative Service. For him that was the only way. And when he broke the news to his family, that he was ranked 48 among 474 successful candidates in his first attempt at the exam -- it was the turn of his three sisters and father to weep with unbridled joy.

'Besides the Civil Services, I had no option'

Icould not afford to have any other career goal. My life would have been absolutely futile had I not made it into the civil services," says Govind, just back from his medicals in New Delhi, mandatory for the IAS.

"You must understand that my circumstances were such that besides the Civil Services, I had no option. I didn't have much of a chance with lower government jobs because they are mostly fixed, neither could I start a business because I had no money. The only thing I could do was work hard at my studies."

It was almost impossible for him to study in the one room he shared with his family. To add to his woes was the power cut that extended between 10 and 14 hours every day. The moment the lights went out, he had to shut the window to block out the deafening noise of generators in the many workshops around his home.

So in search for a quiet place to study, he briefly shared a friend's room at the Banaras Hindu University. Since that did not help him much, he did what many civil services aspirants in northern India do -- he moved to New Delhi.

His father sold his last plot of land for his son's dream

F or his son to make a fresh start in a city Govind had never visited before, Narayan Jaiswal, Govind's father, sold the only remaining plot of land he had saved after getting his three daughters married.

Working for ten years at the government ration shop, Narayan earned a living by weighing goods at the store. One day when the shop shut down, he bought one rickshaw and hired it out. He added three more and at one time was prosperous enough to own about 36 rickshaws.

That was a period of financial security and Narayan was prudent enough to buy three small plots of land. With three daughters to marry off, he knew he would need it in times to come. But bad times soon befell the family. His wife passed away when Govind was in school. For 10 years there was acute hardship. The rickshaws dwindled.

On his meager earnings, the uneducated rickshaw vendor with a hearing disability continued the education of his children. The girls were married after their graduation -- Narayan sold two pieces of land for the weddings, the last plot was sold to achieve his Govinda's dream.

Narayan gave his son Rs 40,000 to prepare for his Civil Services exam in New Delhi and pursue his childhood dream of becoming an IAS officer. For the next three years, he sent his son between Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,000 every month, sometimes foregoing the expense of treating the septic wound in his foot that continues to nag him till today.

Courier boys found his house with difficulty; now the fruitwallah will tell you where the 'IAS' house is'

Outside his narrow lane, opposite the Varanasi City railway station, where Narayan Jaiswal parks his rickshaws and spends most of his waking hours, he still walks barefooted with a bandage, one end hanging loose and scraping the dirty road.

"Beyond this year, my father could not have afforded to send Govind any more money. It was getting very tough for him. Govind was earning Rs 1,500 from tuitions, I don't know what he would have done if he didn't make it to the IAS this year. My father could not sleep for 10 days before the results came," says Govind's eldest sister Nirmala, whose son is almost the same age as her brother.

Now that he will earn Rs 8,000 as his starting salary during his two-year training period in Mussoorie, Govind says his first priority is getting good treatment for his father's wound.

"I want to look after him, I don't know if he will leave Varanasi but I will definitely move him out of this rented room that we have lived for 35 years."

If his son's new job dramatically changes things for the better, Narayan Jaiswal is quite unaffected by it. He is surprised by the scores of journalists and well wishers flocking to his house.

Until now, courier delivery boys found his house with great difficulty but now even the fruit cart-wallah, one-and-a-half kilometres away, will tell you where the 'IAS' house is.

"I like my work. I haven't decided about the future -- what could be a better place than Kashi? As long as my son looks after me, what else can one want?" he says, visibly uncomfortable with the media spotlight.

'My character will be put to the test, then I want to see what a real man I am'

Having lived his life in Varanasi, the holy city on the banks of the Ganga, Govind has given his home state Uttar Pradesh as his preferred region of posting. If he doesn't get UP, he is open to being sent to any state in India.

"Varanasi needs a tight administration. As for me, I want to be a good officer. We are the agents of change and I as an administrator would like to inform common people about their right to know, their right to information. The benefit should finally go to the people."

His hero is President A P J Abdul Kalam. Govind is reading the Hindi translation of the President's best-selling book On Wings of Fire and takes out a nicely thumbed copy from a plastic bag.

"After Gandhiji, President Kalam has given us a dream and the power to dream. His dream is of a developed India and he is a symbol of many common people's dreams."

In a time when the Indian bureaucracy has its drawbacks like a lack of accountability, corruption and perpetuating a system that was handed down by the British to rule a subordinate population Govind's thoughts are fired by the idealism of youth. He insists his idealism will not be watered down in future years, that he will not allow himself to be influenced.

"I am a product of my circumstances that has been wrought with hardships. When I go out as an officer my character will be put to the test, and then I want to see what a real man I am."