#iasacademy

[naveenkumarchandra]

A Day in the Life Of an OT

Thus, a small piece on “A regular Day in the Life of an OT in LBSNAA.”

Ever since one starts preparing for civil services, one of the dreams one has is not just to clear the exam but to reach this famous campus one day. Situated in the beautiful hill station of Mussoorie, every morning the beautiful sunrise in the hills, a scenery to behold and one which people come to see as tourists wakes you up. Well, that is if you are late for morning exercise. Yes, one has to teach the field for morning PT/Yoga/Aerobics/Riding/Running/Sports etc depending upon your choice and luck. Trust me, no one wants to wake up for either of these options but with time, you do start enjoying them and once you leave the academy you start missing it as well.

So, that’s how the day starts, no matter what time you sleep, it is most of the times 2-3 in the night, given the amazing people you meet in the academy and the friends you make there, surely you can’t expect to be sleeping early.

The academy, situated in the hills, has its ups and downs, like literally, it has ups and downs, see, like hills do. So, it is a small trek for people to get to the ground and back, specially the residents of Silverwood. The morning routine is around 60 minutes and we get back and have sometime to get ready and get to breakfast.

The Mess, let me tell you at the outset is an institution in itself and a proud one. No casuals are allowed and neither are slippers, Sweatshirts etc One has to look an officer if one has to enter the Officer’s Mess. You can’t miss the view, once you finish your meal the mountains just don’t let you off, they hold you for that extra few minutes while you sip on that extra cup of coffee or tea to just look at them.

The lectures and other academic engagements are scheduled to start from 9:30 and 5 sessions of 55 minutes, mostly await us. These sessions vary from lectures, panel discussions, workshops, team activities, conferences etc and are mostly presented by experts from the field, famous academicians, national and international figures and in house academy faculty. You can’t just expect these lectures to be like the ones you have in your college right, well yes, they are not. Most of them are engaging and you inevitably end up asking questions and earning the wrath of your batchmates.

The sessions get over at 16:00 hrs and that’s when the “fun part” of the day starts. People have their priorities set but then, many times the priorities of the academy and the OTs are different, well they almost always are. While the OTs want to go and either play some sport, go to the gym, go out etc Many times they have to attend many cultural programs, participate in competitions etc which of course are most of the time amazing. These are various competitions organised by multiple clubs and societies in the academy, they are headed by OTs under the guidance of one of the faculty nominees of the Director.

All this goes on till 6:00 pm-7:00 pm and if there is no event scheduled in the evening, we go to the Happy Valley Sports Complex and enjoy various sports.

This is followed by dinner which is most of the time done at either of the two famous and iconic “Dhabas”, like Pooja Dhaba and Ganga Dhaba. I can personally tell you that the last one month of our Foundation Course I didn’t dinner eat in the mess, neither did most of the OTs, not because the food is not good, absolutely not, it’s good. But because we ended up at some party or the other. The endless “chai par charchayein” at Pooja and Ganga Dhabhas on topics ranging from policy to sports make these the most happening hangouts. But the “Home Turf” canteen and the Officers Club are no less. The former being an informal hangout and the latter being the club where only an officer could enter.

On weekends, the academy has events like short treks which we undertake with the entire batch and let me tell you, they seem like a pain but once they are over, you realise, you bonded the best in these treks. You miss them and regret not enjoying them the way you should’ve, though most of the time it’s impossible not to enjoy.

Major activities like the Himalayan Trek, the fest, the India Day, the Village Visit, the Bharat Darshan (for the IAS) are really those which make the stay beautiful and memorable for all of us but then they deserve a post of their own.

So, this is how a day is spent by an OT and thousands of memories are made at LBSNAA.

[csmentors-blog]

Employees of Haryana Government (excluding ad-hoc capacity) of Punjab and Haryana High Court or any Court subordinate to it in the state of Haryana

[naveenkumarchandra]

Motivation and Inspiration.

For everyone preparing for UPSC CSE to become an IAS/IPS/IFS.

There are according to me, 2 very important aspects which define your journey towards achieving any target, let alone the UPSC CSE.

First, the reason, what I mean to say is, why did you begin in the first place. What was your motivation behind your decision. If you, for example, began the preparation as it is a tough exam anyone who clears it is considered “intelligent” then, I am sorry to say, you won’t last too long in the process. Why? Well, this is not enough for you to go all the way. This will only last for maybe a month or so, you will then get distracted, as it was not something that you really wanted to do, but something you at that point decided to do as you probably had nothing better to do or were out of ideas.

A very great quote, but this won’t happen if you don’t have a very strong reason. So, firstly, ask yourself, whenever in doubt, “WHY DID I BEGIN?” If the answer fails to motivate you, find a better reason, if you want to succeed.

My reason was simple, I started the preparation to fulfill my dream of becoming an IAS, my fathers lost ambition to become a civil servant and my mother’s happiness.

I remember when I was dejected or unhappy with the way the things were going, I had a secret formula for instant energy. Yes, and it worked for me all the time, it didn’t happen much though.

Whenever I would be unhappy or my patience with the process ran out, I would just stop for a while. I would then go and silently observe my mother working in the household , she has worked tirelessly for more than 25 years, without a single complain, from 05:00 in the early mornings to 12:00 late nights, she would sleep only after every single one of us had food. I used to wake her up in the middle of the nights many times as I would study all night, for coffee or something to eat, not even once did she have even an expression of anything but happiness, to see me work hard. I would look at her and just ask myself, “Imagine how much happiness you could give her, you are working for your own dreams true, but the work has not been put in by just you, if she has not given up, how can you?”.

It would make me cry many times but always worked.

Now, the second thing, inspiration. What do I mean when I say inspiration. I mean what was the biggest source of your inspiration. For me, someone who comes from a typical Indian lower middle class family, inspiration was always my father.

How? Lemme tell you. We are a family of 5, Father, mother, myself and 2 younger sisters. Father works for the state government and mother is a homemaker. My father comes from an extremely poor family and one where he was till very recently the only graduate ever. He was the first one to have understood the true value of education and was sure of what he was going to invest in.

As kids, he decided to send us to the best schools, in the process, the only money left was for us to only eat and survive. He made sure that the money he earned was first and foremost spent on education, then on health and then the leftover in the monthly groceries. This way, he was never able to save anything, yes, he has zero savings. He didn’t buy even an inch of a land, when his collegues bought and invested handsomely in properties, the only car he bought came an year ago, the time till people have already changed quite a few cars, this also he did as a gift for me and by taking a loan from a friend for the down payment, as he thought I deserved it after my success in the CSE 2016, he still moves on a scooter. He was always very sure that what he wanted to give us the greatest wealth ever, education.

He was often joked and laughed upon by his office friends, being homeless and living in a government accommodation. He replies them with, “I will soon have 3 houses”, referring to his 3 kids.

Thus, he was a constant source of inspiration during this preparation and he still is and will always be.

Now, what I wanted to illustrate was, that we are so desperate and maybe many times rightly so, that we start looking for both the reason and the inspiration in the outside, external world, when it is always there, it is always there , around us. Not just your parents, you will have people who have believed in you, just think of them, you will get the strength, you will have people who gave their all for you, just think of them, you will rise up again, and also, if nothing else works, look into the mirror, that guy, yes, he believes in you when you began, if you stop or give up, you will fail him. Trust me, you can fail anyone and live peacefully but not him.

GOOD LUCK!

[naveenkumarchandra]

MY UPSC CSE INTERVIEW

Some interesting questions and events.

UPSC CSE interview is one of those events that have reached a level that is almost of mythological and folklore proportions. By which I mean that talk to anyone and all of them have a version of their own about the thing from how to go about it to what happens in an UPSC CSE interview.

I gave 2 attempts and having faced the board twice, getting a decent score twice and a rank, twice, I think I can tell you a bit more than hearsay.

UPSC CSE interviews are very famous for being unpredictable and can easily surprise you. They are truly based on a syllabus which covers “everything under the sun and beyond.” I had a similar experience, as in, some of the questions asked to me were truly out of this world and beyond my expectations. In both my interviews, I was asked certain questions, though completely understandable and legitimate, I was not expecting. One of them was, the very first question. Having given many mocks, I was, like everyone, used to answering basic questions, from the background, education, family, past experience etc at the beginning and only after that does the board get into the details of the DAF. But, to my absolute surprise, the very first question asked to me, was, in my first interview was, “Tell me Gandhiji’s economic philosophy in one word”. Now, it might seem tough even in a written exam but to have it as your opening question on the day of your actual personality test was just something else. Imagine expecting a question like, “Tell me the meaning of your name” or “Why did you go to IIT if it was IAS you wanted” or “What are your hobbies” and getting this instead.

I was surely in a state of shock for exactly 3–4 seconds, I did regain my senses and took a deep breath and smiled. Having studied Gandhiji and his philosophy in my preparation, I gave the answer and they were satisfied with it. Now, the question is perfectly legitimate and the interviewer had many reasons to ask it, from Political Science being my optional to Reading being my hobby, from Gandhiji having a profound impact on almost every aspect of Indian existence to this being an UPSC CSE interview and Gandhiji’s value being a driving force of all public services and much more. But, it was still a surprise for a first question.

But this made me ready for just anything.

I clearly remember that in my second attempt, one gentleman from the North East, he himself told me later in the interview, asked me around 25 questions on football, it being the sport I have loved and played and also mentioned in the DAF. He asked me questions like, “Who were the finalists in the World Cup held in 1974?”, “Who is credited with inventing Tiki-Taka?” etc This was such an amazing and fulfilling spell as I was prepared for all of this, and not just because of the interview but being a football lover I have over the years read so much about football that these questions were a pleasure for me to answer.

Another instant from the interview which comes to my mind was from my second attempt, but a brief background first. The Chairman of my interview board was Shri B.S. Bassi, IPS (Retd.) and it was a coincidence that the chairman of my first interview board was also him. Now, it happens rarely but it does. He had given me good marks the last time so as soon as I entered the room, I gave a slight sigh of relief, as human nature would have anyone doing it. I still wonder sometimes if he recognised me but that look he gave did say, “oh, I have seen home before.” But, I can’t say it for certain. So, I sat down and after the chairman and a few others have asked their questions, I was asked, “Can you name a few Polymers used in Space?”. Now, Polymer Science is my graduation subject and so this was not a big deal. But, I took a pause to recollect my thoughts, as I didn’t want to just blurt out the first few names that came into my mind. But as I was naming them and their use, Bassi sir intervened, “Come in, that’s not used in space, that’s not good enough for Earth”, apparently referring to one of the polymers I named. Now, when your interview is going smoothly and suddenly you have the chairman intervene, you know it’s not normal, that’s too him saying something which is against what you were saying, more reasons to get worried. But, I was confident and said, “Sir, I am sure that it is used in space exploration vehicles.” He said, “okay, if you are sure then I might be wrong.” I am sure that he was testing if I was confident about what I was speaking and how early do I give up on my answer, a factual one, from my field of study. Anyways, it went well and he gave me good marks in my second interview as well.

Now, there is lesson for all the aspirants here. Mocks are good but then it’s your presence of mind and your calm that makes you sail through the interview.

[naveenkumarchandra]

UPSC CSE: What not to Read

For IAS/IPS/IFS exam preparation.

A good question, sometimes it is indeed important to know what not to do rather what to do. With a zillion different resources in the market, it’s natural if you are confused, so, here’s what you need to avoid:

1- Don’t read politics or crime:

Yes, Newspaper is very important but don’t just read anything and everything. You must be very careful and not waste your time reading the news about party politics or crime.

2- Don’t read all the NCERTs:

NCERTs are a great source yes, but then, not all of them are important. I personally read only 4–5 of them. Don’t waste your time on reading those which would be covered in other standard books anyways, pick one.

3- Don’t read Current affairs from all the websites available:

Follow one or at max two of them, that to one of them to be really followed to the fullest and the another one only to be used to fill the gaps.

4- Don’t read magazines like EPW etc:

EPW is a journal, for research purposes, though it is great and sometimes it does carry very useful articles, I read it for my PSIR optional, but anyways, it’s not needed for even that. Similarly, many other magazines like Pratiyogita Darpan, Civil’s Daily, Arihant’s etc are also not at all required, just read the newspaper.

5- Don’t read more than one book for a subject:

Though it’s true that one single book might not cover a 100 percent of the syllabus but then, even 5 books won’t do it. Rather than overburdening yourself and carrying too much information, trust me, it’s more harmful than useful, it’s better you read one book but read it well.

6- Don’t read entire books for small topics:

I see people reading entire books or reports for covering small topics but then, that’s just a waste of time. For example, don’t read ARC’s report in its entirety for GS paper 4, only it’s summary and that to of the relevant chapters. Similarly, don’t read books on Indian society, women empowerment, Science and Technology etc

7- Don’t read too many interviews by the toppers:

Though they are helpful, many candidates end up in the loop of reading one interview and changing their way. It’s just not the right way. You only need to get some overall idea and draw some inspiration if it’s lacking, other than that, strategy has to be your own. Don’t end up being an expert on how to prepare but prepare.

8- Don’t read books like India After Gandhi, Everyone Loves a Good Drought etc:

Though all of them are a great read, they must not be read for the sole purpose of preparation. Actually, it won’t be fair to the books as well, they are works which are needed to be appreciated. They are not meant for CSE preparation and could be read if you can afford that much time, like if you are appearing for 2021 attempt and started preparing now or they can be read once you are in service.

Hope this help, Good Luck!

[naveenkumarchandra]

UPSC CSE FIRST ATTEMPT: What Goes wrong.

An article about the mistakes generally made in the first attempt.

Having done it, I guess I can try to explain what goes wrong.

UPSC CSE is one exam which if not the most difficult to crack it is the most difficult to understand and figure out, that’s where the problem starts.

I have always maintained and I always tell my friends, juniors, aspirants that your first attempt is your best attempt and the best chance at this examination. Why? Well for starters, one is at least very excited by the fact that he is beginning something new and fresh, that he will read so many diverse books(book lovers think that way), that he will soon become an IAS or an IPS or an IFS etc, that soon everyone will be proud of them, and many more such thoughts make you work hard, at least at the beginning.

But, there are certain things which if not done properly, make this exam very tough to crack, specially in first attempt, they are:

1- Failure at time management:

UPSC CSE requires you to make a very compact time table, at least for the initial phase of say 4–5 months and follow it religiously. You must not think that your regular day, with hours on social media, a few with your friends, a few episodes of your favourite TV series etc will leave you time, absolutely not.

Aspirants fail to adhere to their time tables and thus, they fail to meet the deadlines they themselves make and this has a negative effect on their mind.

2- Piling up the work:

Even when aspirants do meet their time targets to study 7,8,9 hours a day, they often fail to meet the targets of the topics they wanted to cover. What happens next, they decide to do this one topic tomorrow with tomorrow’ topics, which never happens.

3- Prelims or Mains or Both?:

This is one of the very basic problems, faced by beginners. That they can’t make out if they have to first cover prelims or take mains simultaneously.

If one looks at the syllabus, it’s very similar for both prelims and mains, but, the demands are very different. Mains is a subjective exam and needs both depth and breadth in your knowledge, with an answering ability that allows you to say what the question asks in a very lucid and to the point manner, in a very simple language. While prelims is an objective paper, it needs practice at solving questions as much as mains, this fact is many times ignored by the students. It is not completely their fault either, coaching institutions have though made all the hullabaloo around prelims and mains test series, but in fact forgot prelims, which needs question solving as much. One needs to be in the mode, which aspirants often ignore.

4- Too Many opinions, too many plans and too many changes:

Hoarding books by asking about them from various toppers, teachers, fellow aspirants is one of the biggest problems. Students end up having multiple books, notes, sources for the same topic and they are then confused how to go about finishing them.

This is not only a waste of time and money but also harms them psychologically, to see a pile of undone work and books is a pressure of different sort, it is a constant reminder of the fact that you have not done so much.

This is not needed at all, just follow one source for one topic, that’s it.

Another issue is that too many opinions and strategies are available. I have always said that one must discover their own strategy, they can listen to all but not try and incorporate everything and be like all.

5- Patience, patience, patience my boy!:

This exam is a test of patience. Don’t expect results over night, it might take some time when you start scoring say 120 in prelims GS paper 1, so, be patient. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Don’t be disheartened, people fall and fall again, only to rise stronger.

6- Losing your Life:

Another crucial aspect is that one might go to an extreme of cutting himself of from everyone and everything but must not cut themselves from their own selves. They must take some time out to nourish their body and soul, develop a hobby and give some time to it.

It refreshes your mind and keeps you motivated.

7- Bad Luck:

This exam is also very much about good luck favouring you. The subjective nature of mains and the interview leaves a lot on luck and one can never be sure about their strategy or any planning. Many a times you get the lowest marks in the paper you thought you did the best at, many a times you get low marks in interview when you get more in written than many others and miss out, many times Prelims is such that it’s all but a guessing game after an extent, so, work hard to negate this factor as much as possible but it is there.

8- Bad advice/ Wrong Guidance:

I got some of it as well, when a teacher told me that you don’t need to join any test series for mains, for your optional and you will get the highest marks the way you were writing anyways, I took it, didn’t get a second opinion and had to pay the price and got a much lower rank than I could’ve gotten in my first attempt.

Another bad advice I got was that handwriting does not matter at all, and all that matters is that you finish the paper. Ridiculous, basic common sense would say otherwise.

THIS IS WHAT MOST PEOPLE MISS OUT ON, IN THEIR FIRST ATTEMPT. BUT THIS IS NOT ABOUT GLORIFYING THOSE QHO GET THROUGH IN FIRST ATTEMPT. ONE THING MUST BE CLEAR, FIRST OR LAST, ALL ARE EQUAL AND YOUR ATTEMPT SAYS NOTHING ABOUT YOUR ABILITY.

Hope this helps, Good Luck!

[naveenkumarchandra]

UPSC CSE: Some Bitter Truths.

Everything has a dark side.

Interesting question and one which I can take on.

So let’s see, here it goes:

1- LUCK MATTERS: Yes, no matter how hard you study sometimes luck does screw you up, you can only work harder the next time to increase your chances and make luck’s role minimal. Also, you can always make yourself lucky.

2- HARD WORK PAYS, SOONER OR LATER, MAYBE VERY LATE BUT NOT TOO LATE: Might sound opposite to what I said in point 1, but then, hard work will surely pay, remember, you can only even blame your luck when you have done a certain level of hard work.

3- NOT AN IQ TEST: This exam is not an IQ test and is more concerned with your common sense, patience and perseverance. Also, to all those people from so called “normal colleges”, you might even have a better chance than the IIT folks as you don’t have the burden of expectations.

4- SUBJECTIVITY AT ITS BEST OR SHOULD I SAY WORST: No one knows on what basis are marks given in mains or the personality test, it’s all a guess work and the one who comes the closest, succeeds. But yes, with practice, you can develop the skills to meet the hidden demands.

5- THERE MIGHT BE SOME BIASES.

6- HIGHLY UNPREDICTABLE: It is probably known to all that it is perhaps the most unpredictable exam ever and anywhere. You can never be sure about anything, more so in your interview, they can ask you about anything, yes, literally anything. But, confidence and calm will help you overcome this unpredictability.

7- UPSC ASPIRANT IS NOT EQUAL TO GENIUS: A lot of people fool around, many instances of even marriage and high dowry, which is absolutely wrong under any circumstances, have also come up. That does not mean a genius can go around doing any of this. But the fact that you have given or cleared an exam does not make you a genius.

8- LUST FOR POWER AND MONEY IS THE MAIN ATTRACTION FOR MANY: This is sad but true, many and there are a large number of exceptions to this, yes, many are trying for an UPSC exam for money and power, this is mainly because the image of bureaucracy has not changed over the years even when it has contributed tremendously to the cause of nation building.

9- WASTED YEARS: Sadly, due to failure of the system to provide jobs, the obsolete selection processes of other exams and many other reasons, people waste the prime of their youth running after this one exam. This is a national disaster, which occurs every year and needs some urgent attention.

10- LIFE AS AN ASPIRANT IS NOT EASY: I was lucky not to experience this but many batchmates and seniors have told me. Life is hell after a point of time specially if your parents and others are non supportive, you are alone in this battle. This is also a reason that the psychology of a successful candidate post this phase is affected in such a way that he/she might lose the sympathy towards others and treats them the way they were treated as aspirants.

All said, this exam is still the most fair and rewarding exam in the country. It is also a gateway to the finest opportunities you would have to serve the nation. It is also, in the end, worth all the trouble.

All The Best and Continue Fighting!!

[naveenkumarchandra]

Project “MaGiC”

“Malda Girls go Coding”

WHAT HAVE I BEEN DOING IN MALDA?

Read the full Post and support.

Introducing Project “MaGiC”- Malda Girls go Coding.

For the last two months, I have been working on this project and now is the right time to share about it. Malda is infamous for child Marriage and it’s the girls at the receiving end of it in almost all cases. Although many schemes are doing wonders to keep girls in school but a lot is yet to be done, more so when it comes to livelihood opportunities, skill development and empowerment.

Thus, I had only thought about it and mentioned about this project to the Hon’ble DM, who said, “it sounds good, go ahead and try.” That was enough for me. I decided that the next time I will talk about the project only after it started working on the ground.

Thus was born “Project MaGiC- Malda Girls go Coding. Two schools were chosen, a test was conducted for selection of girls, a Bengali speaking teacher, working independently at TCS, who could also serve as a role model was found, funds for infrastructure were found, people were convinced, guardians were convinced, Girls were convinced, schemes had to be converged, UNICEF taken aboard and what not.

Finally, we started the classes 3 weeks back and these 32 girls have been learning at a tremendous pace, adding another school and 15 more this week.

Another component of the project is regular psychometric tests and an app based tracking of the mental health and learnings of the girls. The tests are being rolled out and the app will be done in a few weeks. This will ensure that the project is easily scalable, it requires a sum of 5000/- to 7000/- to teach 30 girls how to code anyways.

Once they complete it, they will be certified and then sent off as summer interns in some big companies where they will see the world and their parents learn that there is so much than just getting married as a child for their girls.

You can visit the website, www.magicatmalda.in for all updates and details about the project, link in my bio.

You can also follow @magicatmalda on Instagram and follow their journey and cheer for them.

You can also follow their YouTube Channel- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLShEkYtNuCgIb_NhHsJP4A.