Preeti Kumari: UPSC CSE & Beyond

It’s been an unfortunate few days, can’t find any words to express how it feels. To think of what those moments felt for those who left us, and to think of their families who are grieving, it’s unsettling. May their souls find peace. 🙏

It could have been any of us, and that thought keeps bothering, to imagine you or I could have also drowned in drainage water while sitting in the safety of a so called library at Rau’s. It’s unheard of. 

Most of us have been in those very classes and libraries whether in the basements operating illegally or in classes without any fire safety norms. We never bothered while we chased our dreams.


But like most tragedies, maybe this will change things.

For those preparing,

You can create a peaceful space to study in your PGs itself or go back home if need be.

I did most of my preparation from home but also went to ORN for certain classes, tests and to a library for a month after my mains (also in a basement).
 
For most of my prep, whenever I used to struggle a lot in keeping momentum or schedule at home, in an act of desperation I would search for libraries around but could not find any decent ones.
I eventually gave up and made up my mind to study at home.

But that’s never the most easiest or ideal for many of us. So I will use caution to make any singular suggestion. 

Every place has it’s challenge and all we can do is choose the ones worth having and somehow manage to carve out a space to study peacefully.

Adding another perspective, many of my friends who were compelled to go back home due to covid-19 managed to focus better and study more qualitatively, so that could be something to consider. 

The decision will be personal, but atleast for the monsoons please consider staying indoors if in Delhi. Wherever you are, take care of your mental, physical, emotional health.

May justice take it’s course but may the lives of Shreya, Tania, Navin & Nilesh be a reminder of everything that must change. 

Congratulations to those who made it! Welcome to the Services. :)

Those who can/ are willing to try again: All the very best! May every force align with you.

Those who decide to walk away now / whose attempts are over—

If our lives are measured by the intangibles of what we give to this universe— you have already given it your all. Human memory might remember it’s victors, but there are memories etched in this universe too.

What counts in the space of the divine is— did you give your all? Did you do all you could? And if it’s all done now, let the universe reward you in unexpected ways. It will all come back in one form or another.

Our lives didn’t start here, we were not born to qualify an exam.

We were born to parents who happily welcomed us into this world. Our families loved and nurtured us to make us educated and independent. Our happiest moments of life are when we were loved and accepted and cared for.


In this path of life, we saw some dreams, aspired for xyz. This exam is just one of those aspirations. Whether this materialises or not has no bearing on how beautiful your life can be.

Somebody could be an officer, 20 years into their career, sitting at an office in Lutyens and be depressed. Somebody who didn’t qualify could be living the happiest life filled with the best people.

This one moment which feels like the end of the road, as heavy as a mountain, as dark as a moonless night—— it will pass. And in 5 years time all of this will be forgotten.

You will still have your life and health and your loved ones and that will matter.

Please take this as an exam result and nothing else. If this journey is over for you— forget, detach, walk away, give yourself time to heal, feel proud that you gave it your all.

You will never have the regret that you didn’t try. And that will always always matter— to you, to people who love you & to this universe.

One of the unknown realities of UPSC for aspirants is that every year, after the declaration of results, candidatures are cancelled when the service allocation is to be done.

This is often due to issues with OBC/EWS certificates, often malafide, sometimes bonafide.

People who get a rank within the general merit list and qualify prelims with the general cutoff do get a service according to general list, but others are not allotted any service at all.

I don't think anything else could be as cruel. To be able to find their name in the list, but never get the job.

Some end up as court cases, few with positive outcomes after many years, many with dismissals.

The details mentioned above are lesser known to most of us, it is better to carefully read them.

Good & reliable compilation for practising economy questions along with well explained solutions.

Won't recommend a necessary reading of the mentioned book if you are already doing it from any other source.

Many people go for a reading of very elaborate economy books/notes, but it becomes difficult to revise. I have also made the mistake of buying those 300-600 page notes and not being able to even revise it once. It’s good for your understanding but you’ll need something concise for last moment revision.

So my suggestion is to pick up any concise economy source for the last few months which you can revise multiple times- which has concepts, definitions in one place.

An understanding of concepts, and intuitive sense of trends along with a perfect hold over PYQs will sail you through for eco. Doing pt365 goes without saying.

Very helpful compilation. Going back to the IE Explained articles is a very good exercise in remembering the context and whole concept of the prelims CA revision you will do. I used to constantly go back to them so that I can remember the whole story and revise better.

Allocated the AGMUT Cadre of IPS 🇮🇳.