Road to IAS

So when they asked me during the CSE 2014 interview about my inspiration to get into the Administrative Service, I looked at their faces and all of them had that familiar shade. That shade when you know that the interviewee is just about to say the most cliched answer. The one which comes out of our instinct. Sometimes so damn naturally that it's hard to distinguish with the genuine one. Yes, you have got that right. Diversity, we all want that. Of course one can't deny that IAS is the most diverse opportunity of public service which provides you the platform to make the deepest and most widespread impact. In all possible spheres of the development discourse. But I thought I must share with them that day which incepted the idea of Administrative Service into my mind.

It was just another day in high school. We were all happy that it was a Saturday and the next day we would get to sleep as long as we want. Those were the days when the word 'career' was weightless and very much foreign to us. We had no idea what we would like to do or study post school. All we knew was that there was a lot of prestige associated with 'Engineering' profession. Looking back I wonder, how dumb can one be? Little did i know that our special guest that day at the school would make an everlasting impact. He was a Civil Servant who had proven his metal and served the society well. He narrated various stories from his experiences explaining how was he able to influence some major decisions concerning the development of our small district. We all were more than impressed. To be frank, I had never pondered over the question of becoming someone. I was perhaps complacent with the idea of going along the flow. But I wondered, after his lecture, that I would love to replicate what he had done for common people. I felt I would be satiated by that. Now this little impact did not result in a decision to pursue civil services but it got planted deep down only to germinate at some time in the future.

But as it happens we eventually are swept away by these strong currents of Groupthink. We feel that it is less risky to pursue what the majority pursues. And being good at Maths & Science in those school years is like a curse which inevitably results into unimaginable social pressure to pursue engineering. And I gave in. Subsequently it was discovered that IITs are the mecca of engineering. The entrance exam was touted as the toughest and ergo with the inapplicability of the Quotas(as I belong to General Category), I was sent to Kota for preparation sake. The affair with problem solving grew passionately every passing day. My chemistry with Maths and Physics witnessed an exponential high, almost asymptotic. And eventually I made it to Kharagpur (KGP).

Once you enter KGP, the span of next four or five years is like a rollar coaster ride. There is so much to do, so much to learn and so much to unlearn. And then there are classes and studies as well! It fills your time like anything and you drift away from the 'career' dilemma only to face it back in the last semester. Here is when i recollected that story again. Researched a bit about the civils and the idea of Administration. I had just gotten into the hang of reading about Public Administration when a tide of personal problems, a tsunami of sorts, swept away those couple of chapters. In light of this, I decided I must take up a job and then simultaneously prepare. But then Murphy was damn right about bad things happening to you. They all unite to give you a lethal blow. To our 'fortune', our placement season were blessed with the disaster of 'recession'. Ended up joining Deloitte Consulting.

I reported at the Hyderabad Office and the show began. It was a great opportunity to interact and work with such talented and diversified team at all fronts. The novel feel of it, the first inflow of money and the surrounding social clouds were enough to engage me. But not for long. The replication of ideas and the monotony of application bothered me. Restarted by stint with Administration and grew more and more fascinated by the depth of it. But the personal front made me continue for a while until the arrival of tripping point. The moment of truth. The self realization. "I must be a part of the Public Service", I told myself. Left Deloitte, marched away with that one phrase reverberating in my mind "Dilli Chalo!"

There are two types of Civil Service aspirants in Delhi. One who live in ORN and others who make peace with Mukherjee Nagar. I had to come to terms with the later because of my untimely and unplanned arrival in the UPSC battlegrounds. But was fortunate to get wonderful faculties and peers at ALS for those hyper-curious baptism days of preparation. The best way to learn is to teach. And hence, I continued my preparation along with conducting test series and taking a few classes as well. But on a frank note, I strongly believe that all you need is someone to guide you properly through the requisites. The ridiculously expensive courses at coaching institutions do not carry the worth they claim to have. A midst of my attempts, I qualified the CAPF exam and joined ITBP to draw the first blood of Public Administration. That turned out to be quite an experience which you can read HERE! And then in CSE 2013, I made it into the Indian Revenue Service (IRS).

Now the chase was partially realized. Some part of me wanted to lay down my weapons - the likes of Laxmikant and Bipan Chandra. But then I wondered, was this the primary objective? Would this be just a settlement? But then there is this age factor, family aspirations and desire of moving on. I eventually decided to put in one last show directly joining the professional phase of training at NACEN, Faridabad. Post-mains, I shed away that burden of those zillion booklets, notebooks and Xeroxes and decided to focus entirely on IRS. Couple of months into the training and the interview list was released. A large number of co-probationers had made it and that followed with very productive discussions for the interviews. I did my best but the odds were apparently placed against me. Or at least i thought so. Who wouldn't, when your optional is Public Administration and your Board was the "D" grill-house! That seemed like a devilish combo to me.

But God was kind enough. Finally the war ends. At this auspicious juncture, I would like to thank my Mother, the close ones, entire family, friends from Kharagpur , colleagues from Deloitte, ALS family, proud officers and soldiers of ITBP, the super talented 66th batch of IRS(C&CE) and all those whom I have missed. 

To all those who aspire to join the services, I have few things to tell.

1. Self Study is enough and the indispensability of coachings is a myth.
2. Give your full in the first attempt itself, don't fancy Five-years plans.
3. Is possible with a job also!
4. Discussing with peers and blogging helps bigtime!
5. As my friend Hrishikesh puts it "First know why you want to do it. Second, the real journey starts once you are through. Third, it is a very challenging and demanding job, takes it's toll on you".

At the end, would like to confess that there is a little part inside me that is sad for the fact that it will miss those preparation days. If you ask me, it was more like an enlightenment. A mist of awareness through which you come out as a more learned person. I am going to miss those lengthy discussions on Hindu editorials, the political debates and the tussle amongst ideologies.

Looking forward to do my best for my country and my fellow countrymen!