My journey as a student:
• 10th: 70%
• 12th: 57%
• NDA: AIR 18
-- Boarded out of NDA on medico grounds
• Graduation: 86%
• UPSC IAS: Interview all attempts,
AIR 53 in third
Journey as a human being:
Many miles to go, much to learn & grow, win over my own insecurities.
If I was an aspirant today I would NOT have watched Aspirants.
I would have mentally made a self-promise to NOT watch Aspirants TV series and instead given that time to studies.
That's the level of commitment, discipline and focus you need to pass the UPSC exam.
When the
My 2 cents to all UPSC aspirants this morning:
Please don't watch IAS IPS entry videos.
I can assure you, if you waste time on those, you might just be the first one to exit from the selection process 😬😅
Most serious UPSC aspirants are mostly not on Twitter.
Stay away from pointless controversies, whatever they are.
I was not on social media when I was preparing.
Use YouTube and Internet wisely for study purposes only.
Recently, there is a trend by many posting about how youth are wasting their young years in UPSC preparation.
Certainly, there’s some truth to it, but on deeper analysis of data, a different picture emerges altogether.
Here’s what it is, the truth about UPSC obsession:
Food for thought:
If being a Joint Secretary is such a dull and boring job, why do so many top private sector honchos apply every year for the job (for positions opened thru lateral entry)? 🤔😖
The beauty of UPSC Civil Services Exam. 📚🔖
It can lift anyone from anywhere from any background!
That’s why it reverberates so much with so many youth. 👦🧒
Instead of gaming he could have started a space tourism company as well.
But those kind of ventures require patience, hard work and actual skill.
I think decision to increase taxes on online gaming is fantastic. A large portion of young Indian pop otherwise had been destroyed!
Joined as Joint Managing Director, MSRDC (Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation) today.
Had a tremendous experience and honour to work at Zilla Parishad Thane
@ceozpthane
Now looking forward to exposure in the infrastructure sector across Maharashtra!
Polity is probably the most important subject for UPSC.
Good no. of Qs from polity come both in prelims and mains.
It is also highly scoring.
I always tried to get 90% plus questions correct from the polity section in prelims.
A 4 page thread to absolutely master Polity 🧵:
You fail, it's okay. What matters is what you do after failing.
I failed at NDA. I failed in many job interviews.
I still fail sometimes in things I do. But I don't stop.
One of the great things about UPSC exam is: It is a great equalizer.
Your education whether from not so well known institutions, Or IITs, IIMs, Harvard etc., everyone has an equal chance to make it.
This is what makes it a great aspiration for anyone aiming for a great career
So far I have had lengthy conversation with 2 toppers (top 4).
One thing common among both:
No Social Media in last few years and not inclined to go back.
Clearly, social media is a big NO NO during prep.
UPSC fundas every aspirant needs to know:
I am not going to give you any strategies or steps in this thread.🧵
Simple advice on why you need to get back to the basics if you want to excel in UPSC.
GS 3 Sources:
Economy
-- Economy by Nitin Singhania
-- NCERT XI macroeconomics to brush up
-- Current affairs from monthly compilations
-- Economic survey major points
-- NITI Aayog reports (especially 3 year plans)
Use Google Youtube extensively!
The simple thing that works for clearing UPSC:
1. Know -- the UPSC syllabus inside out, reverse engineer key topics from old papers
2. Plan -- your study for nxt 1.5 years
3. Do -- Learn, understand key sources & practice the hell out of old papers
‘Girls are weighted down by restrictions, boys with demands — two equally harmful disciplines’
What a wonderful topic to think and write about.
In today’s UPSC exam.
How would you approach it? Share in comments!
@GabbbarSingh
I don't know if you meant it in good humour, but this is a great initiative by the Indian Govt.
And Qutub Minar is 'no sasta' anything. It has incredible historical & cultural value, unique in its own ways, and an engineering marvel of its times!
I have said it once and again, I will repeat
Twitter is the worst place for any UPSC aspirants to be on
It is full of controversies, unnecessary debates, a stream of random information, which has no bearing to developing your intellectual spectrum
Be on it at your own cost
Mornings can be used to take UPSC preparation to the next level.
As aspirant I utilised my mornings like this:
• Wake up at arnd 6:15-6:30 am
• Sit down to study by 6:45 (without eating) and study roughly till 9:30 am
• These 3 hours put me ahead of rest of my day..
An IAS officer I met made an interesting observation. The days of scholar-bureaucrats with varied interests are over. Today’s crop of IAS officers are mostly coaching centre products with ‘mugged up knowledge’.
I had a thought on how to reduce the glamorization of UPSC results:
1. Instead of publishing the ranks, can UPSC just publish results of successful candidates along with service allocation.
2. UPSC will keep ranks confidential (marks only accessible to candidates through RTI).
No overtime payments, thankless nature of the job, tough working conditions, consistent fire fighting and pressure in front line jobs, especially Police is common.
Unfortunately such videos show only one side of the story & put blame.
They are also humans. Be sympathetic.
2024 की शुरुआत इन शब्दों से कर रहा हूं। अगर लगे तो आप भी करें।
—>
कोई दुख
मनुष्य के साहस से बड़ा नहीं
वही हारा
जो लड़ा नहीं |
— कुँवर नारायण
Re-Start, Keep Going!!
Why do some aspirants qualify UPSC in 1st attempt?
I try to decode and understand this. It is applicable for even your first competitive exams, job interviews, or college selections!
Here's a thread you can learn from 🧵:
Hope this helps! Retweet for maximum reach!
How our creative teachers are teaching 'Civic Values' in rural schools.
Here's a beautiful clip where students enacted scene offering seats to fellow needy passengers in an invisible bus..
Guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes.
The boundaries of mindless entertainment and education have blurred so much, it is impossible to tell what is what.
Should I feel sorry for today’s generation?
Or am I too old school?
A very happy new year to everyone!
To all the aspirants: SHUT OFF your Social Media this year.
It is one key way to focus on your goals. Action, not just words, matter!
🥳😄🎉
A very Happy Diwali to everyone 🪔
May this day bring to you new direction, new vigour and energy and of course, light that guides you through the journey that is our incredible life!
How did I handle my depression during my National Defence Academy days ? 🪖
Well, I didn't.
I tried to self-harm & was boarded out medically in my 2nd term.
I was a Gold torch 🥇 in 1st term, a topper
I was also NDA UPSC AIR 18.
Did achievements matter? no. why? Read further
@kunalrv
Bhai, I can tell from your resilience, no one can stop you from achieving your goals!
Best of luck and please let me know if I can help in anyway!
You don't need motivation to succeed..
More than that, you need:
1. Discipline
2. Patience
3. Self-criticism (only way to learn from your mistakes)
4. Ability to listen (95% of ppl i have come across, in civil services & pvt sector don't just listen)
5. Intense practice
I voted today!
Exercise your right given by our great and visionary Constitution makers who ensured that EVERY citizen of India, poor or rich, Hindu or Muslim, man or woman, regardless of any social suffixes, gets to vote.
• Saw these young students on a nice run in the evening on a road near house.🏃🏃♀️
• Requested my driver to not honk the horn at them, rather slow down
• I get extremely annoyed when vehicles don't give walkers & runners space on roads in morning and eve..🚗📣
Your thoughts?
Ethics continues to be a very difficult & lengthy paper for UPSC aspirants.
Especially because we hardly are ‘taught’ ethics, we mostly experience questions of morality during our lifetimes..
Here are 2 short pages to tackle the dilemma of Ethics paper.
No thread needed :p
Aspirants: Why you should not start Polity prep with Laxmikanth book, ever! 📖🔖
-- Start UPSC polity preparation with 'Indian Constitution at Work', class XI NCERT, if you have read social sciences before 🇮🇳
-- Otherwise, start with Class VI social science book & onwards
How to develop discipline & self control in our daily lives, in our studies, professions, or for any exam, even for UPSC?
Some lessons from the Bhagwat Gita's beautiful allegory 'The Ratha Kalpana'.
Here's the thread on how you do it!
I had a chat with Pranita Dash, who has secure 42 rank in UPSC CSE this year.
One thing I really liked & would like to share with all UPSC aspirants is, "Don't surround yourself with people who think UPSC is everything"
Here's the convo:
For those who prepared seriously for UPSC but still faced disappointment this year. Let me share something:
If you're feeling bogged down & disappointed or even ashamed. It is ok. I have also felt the same. Not once, multiple times.
October 3, 2023:
Got a message on WhatsApp from Jaywant Manjhe that there is no road till his home in his village.
He is a disabled person, and unable to travel because of this for pursuing classes and further studies.
April 17, 2024:
Got a message that road has been
I had the opportunity to plan, prepare & present Zilla Parishad, Thane Budget 2023-24.
Rs. 93 crore budget was allocated to 13 departments: Health, Educ, Works, Divyang, Women & Child development & others...
What an incredible learning experience!
A thread on how it's done: 🧵
For UPSC aspirants watching YouTube newspaper summaries:
Please do not do so. Do not watch YouTube videos of newspaper summaries and highlighted newspaper videos.
These are absolutely useless and would not serve you any good.
How you should do it:
Step 1:
READ the
UPSC: What to study and what not to study is a big dilemma for aspirants. 🔖📖
Today this post will solve that dilemma. 🤔
1. Context:
Many aspirants ask me, should we read Bipin Chandra Freedom Struggle or Spectrum.
Or, many educators post facts that seem relevant for UPSC
GS 4 Ethics Sources:
Aspirants should understand that there are two main parts of the Ethics syllabus:
(1) Theoretical
(2) Case studies based on real life situations
Sources & techniques for studying for both are totally different.
Here is the list that will help you:
Reading well is key to success in any exam. You will also need to read a lot as a civil servant 📚
This is the reading thread 🧵
As an aspirant, I developed little ways to enhance my reading and learning techniques.
These will help you too, if you're struggling with reading:
12th fail is not a movie just about UPSC or IAS IPS.
It’s a movie about rising from socially and economically most vulnerable sections & be able to dream.
It is about self-realisation: a kid who learns only to cheat in papers (socially accepted) to accepting and overcoming that
Unpopular opinion: A well-made film like
#12thFail
generate unwarranted hype around pursuing a career as an IAS/IPS officer....
Majority of IAS/IPS officers don't bring about change in the system; instead, they become a part of it... They hv to.
If you have the necessary
Boring stuff + Discipline = Awesome performance
Interesting stuff + Discipline = Legendary performance
Common factor being 'discipline' ⛏️
Keep that intact, because boring is inevitable..😪
I hated studying polity but eventually with discipline mastered it...you can do it too
Why 12th Fail is the best movie of 2023 🇮🇳❤️
1) Manoj sir’s struggle:
It’s not just about IAS IPS or govt jobs, but it’s about aspirations and having a belief in the system to be able to achieve those aspirations
Till the time young people of a country can dream to achieve,
Relationships are supposed to be happy, partners mutually respectful, patient, giving each other space to grow & be there when needed...🌹🪴
Any relationship that is toxic is characterized by constant manipulation, excessive demands (financial or otherwise), & constant fights😥
Not everyone wants be to an Ambani or an Elon Musk!
The interesting thing is we as a society measure ‘success’ on superficial scales, such as money or popularity.
However, a fulfilling life could very well having nothing to do with either money or popularity!
Money does not
1. There’s nothing in this picture to highlight arrogance.
2. On the field, generally officers are meeting hundreds of people who give applications, holding multiple diaries or papers, holding two phones, cont taking calls, directing other front line workers, writing directions
Condition,arrogance of bureaucracy in one frame.
So tax payer’s money is wasted in salarying a person whose only work is to hold the Umbrella during Rain.
1. Is it the Royal life style which attract UPSC aspirants for becoming IAS/IPS??
2.Are Ideal,Singham type Bureaucrats only
Why listening to Hindu newspaper or editorial analysis is a bad way to prepare for UPSC? 📰🗞️
How to read newspaper & editorial (last tweet of this thread)
1. Nothing can replace reading! 📖
-- helps you become a better writer
-- you need to make notes for revision later
Attainment of 'Self-Knowledge' is one of the highest goals in life.
Even Bhagwat Gita talks in length about this.
But how can we move towards getting more insights about our own self?
A few points that can truly help you along that path:
1. Conquering our 'senses': 🧐
Visited the ongoing works of Viaduct of Samruddhi Nagpur-Mumbai Expressway yesterday.
✅ This viaduct is built using the balanced cantilever method at a massive height of almost 180 meters at some locations
✅ Span at certain portions is as long as 140 meters, a huge
Congratulations to RBI Governor, Shantikanta Das sir!
A few years back, professional criticizers questioned this History graduate's qualifications.
I am a firm believer graduation has no bearing to expertise.
It is quality of experience that counts.
Every year, many aspirants emerge successful from the UPSC exam.
Last year, I interacted with almost 20 of them individually, and 95% of them told me how they were completely OFF social media for almost 2 years during their preparation. (Twitter, useless Whatapp groups, FB,
Mrunal sir as always hitting it straight, without mixing words, as it should be done!
Maybe many don’t know where “success" come from but failure definitely comes from: a temperament of complaint, the mentality of permanent victimhood, and a high propensity for lamentation.
Example of permanent victimhood mentality - ________ के चलते मेरा upsc क्लियर नहीं हुआ।
या तो मेहनत बढ़ाओ हो या फिर upsc छोड़ के कोई दूसरा करियर अपनाओ। पूरी दुनिया को कोसने से आपको सफलता कैसे मिलेगी ?
Our mind makes 100s of excuses not to start.
• Just before working out -- ah, aaj rehne dete hai.🚵
• when starting studies for UPSC -- oh, just one more episode of Friends. 📚
• Starting a new venture -- ah, how will I compete with the big guys 🐯
One key advice I give to all my team members as an IAS officer, mentees and UPSC aspirants I interact with is:
Trust the Process, Believe in the Process and Focus on the Process 🔖📖🧑💻
The recent win of Australia over India in the World Cup, the success of new entrepreneurs
Positive vibes is all that matters to move forward. Keep your head up as UPSC aspirants
Negativity will surround you thru such social, political, economic, environmental commentary
What matters is whether you see light that guides you to work hard today for bettering tomorrow
Finding your "Jambavan" ✈️🧑✈️
Self-doubt and Low Confidence are two imposters that work hand-in-hand to create doubt ('Shanka') in our minds about our own abilities. ⏩🔖🚀
To fight this crisis in our minds created by these two, these are the things I pushed myself, & perhaps
Had the opportunity to inspect the Nagpur-Mumbai Expressway in my new role serving as Joint Managing Director, MSRDC.
Visited the:
✅ New 8 km tunnel from Kasara to Igatpuri
✅ Safety measures
✅ Beautification works
✅ Quick response and ambulances systems
✅ Toll systems
Need to connect with some IIT Mumbai students to develop a concept for AI/Aerospace/Robotics lab for primary schools in rural areas.
Please get in touch if you know someone who may be interested..
Thanks.
What makes for a good plan for UPSC preparation?
The best plan is which suits your personal needs
It's tailored to your personal strengths and weaknesses.
A comprehensive thread that covers 7 main things that matter in UPSC studies📚📖📑:
I would like to share a little secret on how I stay sane, focused, stress-free & balanced in the flood of news & streams.
I hope civil services aspirants & working professionals can also take cues from this, just in case they also struggle with all unwanted of info!
A thread:
When you feel like giving up doing anything -> UPSC preparation, running, reading...
Remember, you've almost made it...
You're one step closer.
A bit of push & you will be so good at what you're doing that others will come to you for help.
Keep Going!
2 techniques that can take your UPSC preparation to the next level.
You can also use these to boost your professional performance, the process of your thinking and doing!
A thread 🧵:
1. Making a list of things you are doing and achieving tomorrow —> today before you go to
UPSC Answer Writing Bad Practices followed by some coachings and aspirants
Number 1 (one is sufficient per day ;)
Go with pre-prepared & memorized Introductions & Conclusions!
--> One of the worst trends I have noticed in the coaching industry!
Knowledge is overrated. Wisdom is underrated.
Outcome is overrated. Process is underrated.
Growth is overrated. Longevity is underrated.
Complexity is overrated. Simplicity is underrated.
Competition with peers is overrated. Helping our peers is underrated.
Large personal
Ceremonial attire which is Bandhgala is only for state functions.
I dress everyday in a clean shirt, pant to the office and even to the Honourable Court when required.
No tie is worn for such appearances, not required by any protocol whatsoever.
Stating the obvious.
IAS के कपड़ों पर भड़के हाईकोर्ट के जज, पूछा- आप सिनेमा हॉल में आए हैं?
नीतीश कुमार के चहेते IAS अधिकारी आनंद किशोर को पटना HC के जज ने ड्रेस कोड के लिए फटकार लगाई है. बिहार ��ोर्ड के अध्यक्ष और शहरी विकास विभाग के प्रधान सचिव आनंद किशोर को कोर्ट ‘पद के लायक नहीं’ भी कह चुका है.
Ganga hostel at LBSNAA.
Always feels like home, thinking about it. 🏡
The evenings of Mussoorie are just too beautiful to miss.🌲
Used to go for walks to nearby Dalai hills where Tibetan families are settled.☸️
Nothing can beat those walks in the mountain trails 🏔️
New Year 2023 is just 2.5 months away.
Many of us will be making new year resolutions.
But I believe resolutions are overrated.
Start what you've always wanted to today! Don't wait another 2 months.
Start doing what you've always wanted to before you think you're ready.
Think before you speak, Read before you think! How reading well will transform your life! (and your UPSC preparation)! 🔖📖
How to read anything effectively (for UPSC or even college texts)?
Context:
An aspirant once asked me, "Sir, why am I not able to remember anything
"It's Supposed to Be Hard"
Everything worth pursuing comes with a little pain. The trick is not minding that it hurts.
Yes, these lines from 'Same As Ever' by Morgan Housel are indeed true, and worth taking note of.
In UPSC or for that matter even as an IAS or IPS officer, a
3. Then, after finishing the chapter, actively recall the major learnings, points, subheadings from the chapter
-- spend atleast 15-30 minutes doing this
-- I used to do this during my evening walks to mentally recall whatever I learnt the whole day
Super efffffective!!!
@Ravi3pathi
I lost it where you said ‘he was transferred to Maharashtra’
No one is transferred inter-cadre like you mention. Made up story.
Secondly, zoning requires State Cabinet approval.
It takes multiple years to prepare new zoning due to complexities of Indian municipal and town