Srishti Kaul
“There will be decades where nothing happens, and there will be days where decades happen.”
Every year June comes as a first step towards achieving and fulfilling the dreams and hope for lakhs of civil services aspirants. But this year is different, not just for the aspirants who were all set to give prelims on 31st May, 2020, but even for those who are awaiting their final interview calls, for parents who have pinned hope on their hardworking children after years of hard work, for future aspirants who are left wondering whether to start studying on their own or wait for online coaching classes to resume. The times are such that there is no guarantee of certainty.
On June 05, 2020, it was announced by the Government that the UPSC prelims would be held on October 4th, 2020, due to the unforeseen circumstances related to Covid 19, which has engulfed the entire world. UPSC is considered one of the toughest exams in India. The ratio of success of this examination is approximately 0.1%. Every year enthusiastic aspirants while knowing the harsh truth of this exam prepare diligently for it. Many aspirants resort to help from the coaching institutes and live far off from their families in dingy rooms, there are some who despite fighting many odds study on their own and clear the exam. The nature of exams is such that from day one of the preparation, aspirants are subjected to unduly pressure, from making notes, to getting equipped with latest current affairs, to revising and practicing questions, to even fighting their personal demons. Considering the exam has been postponed to October now, it would become more difficult for aspirants to concentrate on studies, with confusion looming over the fact how to finish and revise syllabus related to extra current affairs of next few months. The zeal and gusto of studying and preparing for the exam might fade away. When you embark on a journey as tough as this and knowing very well how the odds are against you, it’s only the unwavering courage of aspirants throughout, which makes them a fighter till the end. There are aspirants who can’t cope up with the unnecessary pressure while studying; some have inferiority complex because the aspirant compares his/her life with an employed friend, some are disheartened because they are short of two marks in their last attempt, some fear that there is lack of information and guidance, and the most important is the fear of failure amongst the aspirants. No motivational speech from a career guru or counseling sessions can be enough to deal with these situations. If the aspirant has decided to choose this tumultuous path, it’s up to him/her to fight it out on their own. Sometimes even a glimmer of hope can push us out of our misery and that’s what keeps us going.
The current session (2019-2020) of UPSC exam has become extremely strenuous for aspirants from Jammu and Kashmir, who have been subjected to a prolonged lockdown and that too without any internet services for 7 months, and are now subjected to only 2G services. In today’s time when any information is just a click away, let’s not forget there are aspirants who had to make a list of topics or questions on a sheet of paper and go to the nearest cyber café to get the information about same. By leveraging internal strengths, the aspirants have been doing it for nearly a year now.
Today, when we open any newspaper or magazine, there are hundreds of success stories shared by those who have cleared the exam and also by many success gurus who share their wisdom and tips with us. Very rarely do we find articles written or shared by aspirants, who go through the daily ordeal of self doubt, pressure from family and friends and the burden of clearing the exam with little certainty. While preparing, I along with my friends used to share our thoughts about the same. Let me share some questions and doubts which go in the mind of every UPSC aspirant. Some of you might find it funny, but it is what it is. Here we go: Will I be able to clear this exam (it’s a ritual to think about it every day), how many times should I revise a subject to clear my exam? How many hours of studying is enough for a day? What if I skip maths completely, will I still be able to get 33% in CSAT? Is it necessary to learn and remember all the articles from the Constitution of India; is it possible to remember all the government yojanas, what are the tricks I should try to remember all the Indian rivers along with their tributaries, Are NCERTS compulsory to learn? Do we have to mug up the Tamil Nadu state board history text books too? Should I read each and every article of The Hindu or should I limit myself to the one-sided editorials? After exploring innumerable coaching websites, will I be able to clear my exam? How many books of economics should I refer, besides gorging myself with NCERTS, economic surveys, current affairs, yojana and kurukshetra magazines, which coaching institute has the best test series, will it guarantee my success? Should I make notes of editorials, or should I cut the page and keep it inside a book, or should I stock up newspapers for a year like a certain topper, which might guarantee my success, Should I simultaneously prepare for other exams (state PSC, bank PO, etc), If I gain or lose weight during the preparation process, would I look more studious? How many episodes of TV series should I watch every day? Should I completely cut off with my friends, will they understand my situation?
In summary, all I can say is that the dream of clearing the UPSC examination and becoming a Civil servant would indeed be a matter of great privilege for any aspirant. We really have to be methodical and systematic in our approach. Every aspirant’s journey is different than others, it’s better not to compare one’s struggle with anyone else’s. What might work for me, might not work for other person. Keeping a sound mind and body is indeed a key to deal with the preparation process. In dire circumstances, hoping against hope is the last resort.
As Martin Luther King puts it, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope”.
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.comSrishti Kaul
“There will be decades where nothing happens, and there will be days where decades happen.”
Every year June comes as a first step towards achieving and fulfilling the dreams and hope for lakhs of civil services aspirants. But this year is different, not just for the aspirants who were all set to give prelims on 31st May, 2020, but even for those who are awaiting their final interview calls, for parents who have pinned hope on their hardworking children after years of hard work, for future aspirants who are left wondering whether to start studying on their own or wait for online coaching classes to resume. The times are such that there is no guarantee of certainty.
On June 05, 2020, it was announced by the Government that the UPSC prelims would be held on October 4th, 2020, due to the unforeseen circumstances related to Covid 19, which has engulfed the entire world. UPSC is considered one of the toughest exams in India. The ratio of success of this examination is approximately 0.1%. Every year enthusiastic aspirants while knowing the harsh truth of this exam prepare diligently for it. Many aspirants resort to help from the coaching institutes and live far off from their families in dingy rooms, there are some who despite fighting many odds study on their own and clear the exam. The nature of exams is such that from day one of the preparation, aspirants are subjected to unduly pressure, from making notes, to getting equipped with latest current affairs, to revising and practicing questions, to even fighting their personal demons. Considering the exam has been postponed to October now, it would become more difficult for aspirants to concentrate on studies, with confusion looming over the fact how to finish and revise syllabus related to extra current affairs of next few months. The zeal and gusto of studying and preparing for the exam might fade away. When you embark on a journey as tough as this and knowing very well how the odds are against you, it’s only the unwavering courage of aspirants throughout, which makes them a fighter till the end. There are aspirants who can’t cope up with the unnecessary pressure while studying; some have inferiority complex because the aspirant compares his/her life with an employed friend, some are disheartened because they are short of two marks in their last attempt, some fear that there is lack of information and guidance, and the most important is the fear of failure amongst the aspirants. No motivational speech from a career guru or counseling sessions can be enough to deal with these situations. If the aspirant has decided to choose this tumultuous path, it’s up to him/her to fight it out on their own. Sometimes even a glimmer of hope can push us out of our misery and that’s what keeps us going.
The current session (2019-2020) of UPSC exam has become extremely strenuous for aspirants from Jammu and Kashmir, who have been subjected to a prolonged lockdown and that too without any internet services for 7 months, and are now subjected to only 2G services. In today’s time when any information is just a click away, let’s not forget there are aspirants who had to make a list of topics or questions on a sheet of paper and go to the nearest cyber café to get the information about same. By leveraging internal strengths, the aspirants have been doing it for nearly a year now.
Today, when we open any newspaper or magazine, there are hundreds of success stories shared by those who have cleared the exam and also by many success gurus who share their wisdom and tips with us. Very rarely do we find articles written or shared by aspirants, who go through the daily ordeal of self doubt, pressure from family and friends and the burden of clearing the exam with little certainty. While preparing, I along with my friends used to share our thoughts about the same. Let me share some questions and doubts which go in the mind of every UPSC aspirant. Some of you might find it funny, but it is what it is. Here we go: Will I be able to clear this exam (it’s a ritual to think about it every day), how many times should I revise a subject to clear my exam? How many hours of studying is enough for a day? What if I skip maths completely, will I still be able to get 33% in CSAT? Is it necessary to learn and remember all the articles from the Constitution of India; is it possible to remember all the government yojanas, what are the tricks I should try to remember all the Indian rivers along with their tributaries, Are NCERTS compulsory to learn? Do we have to mug up the Tamil Nadu state board history text books too? Should I read each and every article of The Hindu or should I limit myself to the one-sided editorials? After exploring innumerable coaching websites, will I be able to clear my exam? How many books of economics should I refer, besides gorging myself with NCERTS, economic surveys, current affairs, yojana and kurukshetra magazines, which coaching institute has the best test series, will it guarantee my success? Should I make notes of editorials, or should I cut the page and keep it inside a book, or should I stock up newspapers for a year like a certain topper, which might guarantee my success, Should I simultaneously prepare for other exams (state PSC, bank PO, etc), If I gain or lose weight during the preparation process, would I look more studious? How many episodes of TV series should I watch every day? Should I completely cut off with my friends, will they understand my situation?
In summary, all I can say is that the dream of clearing the UPSC examination and becoming a Civil servant would indeed be a matter of great privilege for any aspirant. We really have to be methodical and systematic in our approach. Every aspirant’s journey is different than others, it’s better not to compare one’s struggle with anyone else’s. What might work for me, might not work for other person. Keeping a sound mind and body is indeed a key to deal with the preparation process. In dire circumstances, hoping against hope is the last resort.
As Martin Luther King puts it, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope”.
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com
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