#lbsnaa

These things will get you to your goal.

Habits definitely make character and in this case can also make the difference. Apart from making a timetable and making it a habit that you follow it religiously, there are some minor things which if done regularly can help you in the process:

1- Always keep a book handy. It could be P.M. Bakshi or any other that you like but make sure that you have something to read for those times which otherwise are absolutely unproductive, like commuting in a metro.

2- Always make the timetable for the next day a day before, preferably at the end of the day, before sleeping. This way you’ll not end up wasting a lot of time each day, specially at the start of your preparation in deciding what to do.

3- Don’t try and learn to much from YouTube. Trust me, they might be helpful but in the end you’ll need to read a book, and YouTube also makes you waste a lot of time, you know what I mean.

4- Most definitely go to a gym or for a walk daily. Some form of exercise is a must, otherwise you’ll get lethargic with time and gain weight as well, neither is healthy and ultimately hurts your preparation.

5- Eat healthy, if not always, try to do the same as much as possible.

6- Always make small and precise notes, easy to revise and easy to carry. Remember you have the original book, you don’t need to make a copy of the book.

7- Use maps to study geography as much as possible. This will make you remember the physical feature and their locations.

8- Always drink a lot of water, during our preparation we tend to ignore it and the daily coaching and travel might just end up dehydrating you and it can be an issue to lose a few days to this.

9- Don’t get stuck in the preparation, do take small breaks and maybe even bigger ones once every month and hang out with your friends.

10- Always have people to talk to, always, keep your special people close and don’t isolate yourself completely.

11- Don’t think too much about the near misses of any and move on, don’t be stuck in the past.

12- Don’t always be in an advice seeking mode, you know what is needed and you know how to deliver it, get to work.

These are some small Dos and I wish all of you who are preparing for UPSC CSE would try to get as many as possible in your schedule.

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.

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.

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.

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.

One very interesting thing about LBSNAA is that you never get tired of the place even though it is situated in the mountains and needs daily mini treks from hostel to classes.

Then, you have all the facilities that you can ever ask for, yet the place has simplicity, maybe it’s the nature that surrounds the place.

Also, another very interesting thing about LBSNAA which you might not know is, it is also the home to civil servants from Bhutan who train with us. Also the many training programs see officers from other countries like Maldives, Myanmar come and train at LBSNAA. See if you spot any :P

Then, though it is the parent academy of the IAS, it is also the father academy of all the civil services as the FC sees more than 20 services do their foundation course together, tremendous diversity. See the pic below, my friends from the FC, it includes people from the IAS, IFS, IPS, IRS IT, IRTS, IIS, IRS C&CE etc

LBSNAA has a full time souvenir shop which sells amazing things like t shirts, tracks, sweatshirts, jackets, wallets, card holders, mugs, tie, cuff links, belts and many more with the famous LBSNAA logo over them.

LBSNAA has many heritage buildings, built in wood which absolutely floor you each time you see them, best example is the director’s office and the language block. Like the one below.

LBSNAA has two mottos written in gold as you enter it, the famous “Shilam Param Bhushanam” which is the logo of the academy and the equally famous “Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam”, the motto of the IAS, many people don’t know which one is which.

LBSNAA is actually what used to originally be a hotel, the Charlville hotel.

Apart from the main campus complex, the academy has 5 more major complexes and other 17 other properties around the main complex are also a part of LBSNAA, you would see LBSNNA logo on many properties and they are a part of the campus, spread over.

LBSNAA is also home to other institutions like Centre for Rural Studies and National Centre for Good Governance.