Transcription
[Music] [Music] [Applause] Yes, I welcome you all to the second session of the Yux UPSC Topper Talk Series. Unique, where yesterday, as you all know, Priyanka Mohite's first lecture and guidance concluded. And today, we have Ramya Rangaswamy with us, who has an All India Rank of 45. She achieved this unprecedented success in her sixth attempt. We will welcome her here. I request the Director of Unique Academy, Mr. Tukaram Jadhav sir, to please welcome Ramya Rangaswamy. Every year, after the UPSC results, students seek guidance from Unique. [Applause] Students who achieve their final rank. We all need guidance from you. We expect you to share your experiences about your study methods and overall preparation strategy. That is why Ramya Rangaswamy is with us today. Another person, Aisha Sheikh, who is a student of Unique Academy, and this year she is preparing for UPSC. She is facing some difficulties, but she has received a gold medal in MA History from Pune University. And similarly, she has also been selected in the Talathi recruitment. She scored 18 marks out of 200 and is at the top in Jalna district. I request Mr. Tukaram Jadhav sir to felicitate her here. Mr. Tukaram Jadhav sir will welcome and felicitate Aisha Sheikh. Thank you. Ramya Rangaswamy's journey to success is truly very inspiring. I request Professor Shivaji Ka sir to give a brief introduction about her. Shivaji Ka sir, please do it. Thank you, Bharat sir. Respected dignitaries on the dais and all my student friends. So, you all listen to us teachers quite a lot, or rather, you keep listening. But today, this platform is not just for us, but for students like you who will sit here someday, study, achieve success, and have become successful. We have invited some successful students here. So, Ramya is a student from our Delhi branch. Since she may not understand Marathi well, we will use Hindi and English so that she can also join our discussion. So, first of all, welcome Ramya to the Unique Academy Pune office, and I will give you a very short and sweet introduction of her. She is quite an example of dedication, persistence, and perseverance. So, she started her graduation in 2015 and her post-graduation in 2017 from a very prestigious institution in India. She will give you information later. From 2018, she started preparation for UPSC. In 2018, she failed prelims. In 2019, she failed prelims. In 2020, she failed prelims. In 2021, she failed prelims. In 2022, she failed prelims. In 2023, for the first time, she cleared prelims, and now she is sitting here with All India Rank 45. So, I will not take more of your time and will share my mic with Ramya. Now, please welcome Ramya. So, our new publication, Current Affairs Decoded, we request Mr. Tukaram Jadhav sir and all the dignitaries to release this publication. You all know that our team prepares current affairs every time. By integrating them, we have Current Affairs Decoded for the years 2023 and 24. [Applause] It will be very useful for everyone facing the preliminary examination. You will get new, powerful insights. This integrated publication is just for you. So, how is your prelims preparation going on? I want to know because I have been so used to giving prelims. Prelims had become a part and parcel of my UPSC preparation for almost seven years. Prelims was the most focused part of the whole examination process. So, I want to know what and all emotional swings you are going through in these months of upcoming prelims. So, having given six prelims, I want to briefly share how prelims played the major role and also a major obstacle or hindrance. We know the hype of the toppers and the media attention they were getting. So, everything was grabbing me towards the UPSC Civil Services. But then, only to realize that the world shows us there is a lot of dedication, there is a lot of commitment. We actually need to clear this UPSC exam. Also, let me also tell you the scores I've scored throughout these years in prelims because this being the first stage, anyone who has failed the prelims at least for two consecutive times, three consecutive times, would never actually try to give up the whole process and lose the faith in themselves. So, in 2017, when I wrote this prelims, thinking that I am going to clear this exam in the first attempt, and then I become this first youngest officer, and all these dreams and cajoles in the air that used to fill up my, you know, brain and heart whenever I used to think of UPSC. I did everything except study. I think that is the case for most of the people who are just stepping into this UPSC preparation. So, in 2017, I scored 70 marks while the cut-off was only, the cut-off was 105. So, there was almost 35 marks away from the cut-off for the prelims. So, then the only regret I had was not that I didn't perform well. I thought that I lost the opportunity to clear this exam in the first attempt. That was the only regret. So, it shows how immature I was in the preparation stage. The second year, in 2018, again the same mistake I repeated, and again the cut-off was 98, while I scored only 76. So, it was around 22 marks away from the cut-off. So, then slowly, it started to sink in that I am just living in a dream world. I haven't come back to the reality of UPSC. I think most of you must be going through, must have are going through this honeymoon phase of UPSC preparation, watching the YouTube. What happened then? I discussed with my friend, my senior. I explained everything regarding my UPSC preparation, how it started, and how I performed, and all these things. So, he suggested one thing, a very simple strategy. He suggested that the exam got over in June. So, he suggested me to grieve all that pain for the next one month, July. Whatever the sadness you have, whatever the anxiety you have, let it, let you take your own time to settle down all those feelings and emotions you are going through from the past two years because of the failures. But then, he suggested, from August, you have to be very serious. So, he said that there are five subjects in prelims. So, five subjects, static subjects like Polity, Economy, History, Geography, and Environment. Choose these five subjects and work on it for five months. And the basic rule is one subject, one book, nothing more. So, I followed it because I had become so helpless, and I would follow anything whoever suggested something because I've also seen many aspirants after failing a lot, a lot many times, they just go in haste to follow so many people and just end up in failures. So, always follow that advice which is close to your heart and from those who think that whom you think that they are the well-wishers, they want you to see in civil services rather than, you know, trying to exaggerate things of their preparation. This is, this is something you all have to take it with a pinch of salt. Never fall into such things. This I am trying to remind you all. So, one subject at a time, I started from August. So, for Polity, I chose only Laxmikant. So, I cleared all my desks. I had only one book, Laxmikant, on my table. So, day in and day out, I used to read Laxmikant throughout the whole month, all the weeks, all four weeks, 24 hours. 24 hours in the sense, I haven't seen any other book on my table. So, what this helped me to consolidate my static syllabus of the prelims preparation. There is also a major problem with UPSC aspirants. They always want to have a three-course meal in a day. Morning, they want to have Economics, afternoon Polity, and night Optional. No, you should have this focus. You have to be very focused and always try to focus on one subject at a time. And trust me, you have to believe my words. It's very easy to say that one subject, I can do this very easily. But what happens is the amount of focus and dedication you need to stick to that one subject for such a long period and hold on to your nerves. Reading the same book again and again is nothing less than a tapasya. So, by the end of December, when I was looking into the mock tests and all, I felt very happy because I knew that "ye toh mujhe pata hai." I had that kind of happiness and satisfaction. So, half of the work was done, and half was still remaining, that is the current affairs part. A huge chunk of the question paper is now current oriented. So, let me also tell you that while I was doing this exercise of failing, after failing the prelims for two consecutive years, of sticking only one book to one subject for one whole month, I didn't even look into the newspapers because I was, there was a fire in that. Whatever those questions I made wrong, I made mistakes in previous years, 2018 or 2017, I should not be making them in 2019. So, that kind of fire, that kind of zeal I had. So, I didn't even look into any of the newspapers. So, as the exam dates started approaching towards January, then I realized that now it's time for current affairs. So, I want to recall this memory from the past five years, how I got introduced to this academy. I was just reading the newspapers. I found a pamphlet saying Current Affairs Decoded. Then the fees were very minimal, like around 2.5. Still remember. Then it had a very enriching type of whatever they had written regarding the current affairs and all. I felt there was really a need for me to join this class because now I cannot risk myself to do current affairs on my own. I need some guidance. Just like someone guided me for static, I needed guidance for current affairs. So, I went. We had classes in Delhi. It was a very small batch, five to six people. And then it was the first batch. I am very proud that I belong to the first batch of Shivaji Kale sir. So, then Monday, Tuesday, there used to be classes. So, then once I started attending the classes, I realized the newspaper is very essential. Everyone knows what is important, but when you have to sieve through the newspapers, that is very much important for the examination perspective. That is where it makes a difference. So, I used to plainly read the newspaper, anything and everything. I used to read astrology also, hoping the year will turn out to be good. So, so, I used to make notes. Sir used to read articles from the newspaper, and he used to explain how these articles can be asked in the exam from the examination point of view, and what extra things you have to know about this particular topic because it has appeared in the newspaper. So, I had a complete notes of it from almost Feb to April, May mid. So, this is how my current affairs also began with 2019. And also, I want to acknowledge that now mentorship is a very big word. You always, you know, everyone is trying to find their mentors, you know, guide in this UPSC preparation. But knowing or unknowingly, Shivaji Kale sir had mentored me, and that is how I had found my mentor in Unique Academy. So, let me tell you what actually mentorship meant and how it actually happened. So, Monday, there used to be a class, and it used to be fine. At 2:30, it used to start, and then sir used to take us to "Chai pe Charcha." That was the most loved part of the classes. So, that was the most loved part of the classes. And then Tuesday, Tuesday evening, before sir left Delhi, I used to go to sir's cabin. I had maintained a diary. In that, I used to every week go on Tuesdays and tell that, "Sir, I have studied this much. I have taken Polity as a subject this week. Then I will study Polity the whole week, and whatever current affairs are in your class, I will revise it." So, simultaneously, my static is again getting done, and current affairs are also happening. Then, at the end of the week, Saturday and Sunday, I will be writing mock tests. Three or four institute mock tests I will be writing. So, this is how sir also taught me one of the best strategies which I used till now. It has always worked for me: how to analyze mock tests. So, I used to come to sir, and I used to say, "Sir, I am just getting 40 marks or 60 marks." So, he told, "Don't go with the marks, analyze it." How many? Sir had asked me to draw columns in the diary. So, test number so and so, and how many questions are correct, how many questions are incorrect. That doesn't end here. Then you have to analyze how many questions were incorrect because of lack of revision, how many questions were incorrect because of silly mistakes, how many questions were incorrect because of a minute mistake while guessing it. So, here is where I learned how to face the paper. Now, that it is not a guarantee that even if I have read all the subjects, static, even if I am reading the current affairs, it's not a guarantee that I would perform well in the examination because facing the examination paper, it's all a different game. So, there also, I will also share what you might have faced. I would, I have also faced before when I all of a sudden took those 100 questions paper, sectional test. It was very difficult for me to solve. It was very difficult to hold my mental stamina for those 100 questions. I used to get exhausted within 30 questions. I could not focus further. So, slowly, we have to build that mental stamina so that you focus those 100 questions equally. Your first question, whatever concentration you have, whatever presence of mind you have, in the 100th question also, you should have the same presence. You cannot simply go on ticking something just because you got frustrated in the middle of the paper. So, all these things, these works, very subtle. These things seem very subtle, but those two hours in the examination hall when you go and give the test, sorry, exam in prelims, let me tell you, those are the most loneliest hours in our lives because no one is around you, no one is there to console you, or no one is there to encourage you. It's all you. You are the only person sitting there alone for two hours and fighting for your career. So, try to practice all these things. This is how I started my prelims preparation. So, so, now I have told a lot about what I did. So, it did reflect in my marks. In 2019, I got 116 in my prelims, while the cut-off was only 98. That was an improvement of almost 18 marks from the cut-off, and also that was an improvement almost from of 35 to 40 marks from the previous cut-offs, like 70 marks I was scoring. Then I got 116. So, here I want to stress that a person like me has improved her marks in the first attempt to third attempt, scoring well above the cut-off from 70 to 116. So, what is stopping you all? Why do you have to fail prelims? So, try to be dedicated, focused. In UPSC preparation, we lose the child in us. So, I want to tell you, if a child, why do we feel so much of difficulty in clearing UPSC, studying UPSC, or optional, or mains answer writing? Because we have lost the child in us. We have lost the learning curiosity in us. This did not come immediately after clearing my, I mean, after writing my 2019, but this realization happened gradually in my preparation. So, that is what I want to put in front of you. Now, a child, that child is in three years, and he or she is in school, and the teacher starts teaching ABCDs. Will the child think that I cannot learn alphabet ABCD English because my mother tongue is different? Does it think about it? Then why should UPSC aspirants think that I cannot write English well, or I don't know Maths because I am not from an engineering background? Why all these preconceived notions you have? Try to be a school kid. Try to learn things as they are. Just like in school, we used to study very basic Maths in 10th, and in 11th, 12th, we studied calculus, differential equations. Science students, but we didn't face, we didn't have any inhibitions or mental barriers while learning. But why are we showing such kinds of mental barriers in UPSC? So, this is the first, this is the most important thing. You have to overcome, overcome your own limits. Keep a completely fresh mind. Whatever subject you study, just keep a fresh mind. If you have to take Mathematics Optional for a day, then you have to understand that I will do it. This is very new to me. I will start from ABCD. I will start from learning what is number systems. Then I will proceed with Mathematics Optional. You should have this much confidence. This is very, very important. Confidence means this. Confidence and faith in yourself. They say, a lot of people say this, "Have faith in yourself." This is my definition of having faith in myself. That is, I sit like a school kid, and if I don't know, homework was given, assignments were given. If we didn't learn anything, the teacher would say, "Write it 10 times," and we used to learn. I used to do that. I didn't start all from a topper. I also started from zero. I was not a topper even before I cleared the exam. So, and all this, and it's also that in my preparation, I didn't do any fancy things like making notes in digital things and all these things. So, I am not that kind of fancy person. So, I used to write down everything, pen and paper, wherever I am, however I am learning. So, everything was pen and paper-based because later on, in the exam, you have to write in pen and paper. So, you have to build that kind of attitude. So, there is nothing in being fancy. In the end, what you will do, that is what you have to start practicing in your whole preparation. So, in 2019, fortunately, I had cleared the GS paper, but unfortunately, I didn't clear CSAT. This is also a reason. When I look back now, what happened? So, 2019, sir had motivated me a lot, and he told all the students, "You will do it," and all these things. But I was motivated. I went, wrote the first paper. Then sir also, I think I texted sir that this paper went very well. Then I was so happy, I was so overwhelmed. I just forgot that there is a CSAT paper also to clear. So, in that happiness, when I went to the CSAT paper, I was still sailing in that happiness that wow, from 70, I am almost clearing prelims. So, I panicked, and again there were no results. So, after 2019, again, after the prelims, there was a batch started, Current Affairs Decoded. I attended the batches, and I explained it to sir. Sir said, "You have to start preparing for Mains." So, let me also tell you, there is this something called, you need to have a lot of clarity, and all these things. Clarity is overrated in UPSC because you don't get that kind of clarity immediately when you start preparation. It is a gradual process. I also didn't have clarity. Until I wrote my third attempt, I didn't know what optional I have to choose. I was a BSc Agriculture graduate, and I thought Agriculture, I used to fill Agriculture only.
When it was time to fill forms, because it was easy, so I was really fed up of reading prelims, prelims, prelims for the past three years. So I thought I need a break. I want to look for some subject which creates curiosity in me, which is very new to me. So there I found Anthropology. As for choosing Anthropology, I didn't do much calculation. Like, you know, love marriage, arranged marriage, it was a bit like love marriage. A boy next to me had chosen Anthropology for lunch. Then his syllabus book was on his table. I just picked it up and looked. Then love at first sight. So I wasn't that calculative in choosing. It just struck to my heart that this is the one I will be continuing my journey with. So I see, like, it's up to you if you really want to be calculative about the marks and all these things. But I just shared this is how I chose Anthropology. So after that, I started reading about Anthropology. It was very difficult for me because thinkers and all, I had come across all these things in my graduation. It was a purely new subject. But in Anthropology, there was a topic, marriages. So that was very interesting. I used to read for days together on marriages. So, then what happened, 2020, lockdown happened. Then their exam was postponed. So then I decided that I need some guidance. I have to try to focus my Anthropology preparation. So I started looking into reference books and I started making notes and all these things.
Then in 2020, I saw also the beauty of preparing for prelims with five to six months dedication. In the upcoming prelims, I had prepared prelims for only seven to eight weeks because static was ready. It was at my fingertips. It felt like I am still guiding a few of my friends. They bring their mock tests and all. They make some mistakes. I still know the answers that this is an answer for this because I clearly remember those books and those lines and all those things. So in 2020, this is what happened. I again cleared the GS cutoff. That was my score was 124, while the cutoff was only 92. So that was around 32 marks above the prelims cutoff. So then the scenario changed. In 2019, I was very happy. In 2020, again I got tensed. GS cleared, but CSAT not cleared, so how? So in that tension, in that panic, I again did not clear CSAT. So in 2021, I took a break because I was not able to handle too many failures. I think in success or topper talks, I am known by my failures rather than being successful. So in 2020, 2021, I took a break. There I consolidated my mains preparation. So also let me tell you all very honestly, 2023 attempt did not happen overnight. It's not like I cleared prelims and you know, I just cleared mains and interview because I have done a lot of work. When I didn't clear prelims, many people tend to fall and sink into this feeling of being lost after the prelims. But keep hope, keep that faith that one day you will figure your name in the prelims list. So then you should not be regretting that mains preparation was a bit lacking. So I had done a lot of work during 2021, 2022. 2022 also, again the same story. No need to repeat it. CSAT again I failed, and GS also I had a clear margin of 8 to 10 marks. So consistently I was failing CSAT. This thing, when I sat back in 2023, before giving the 2023 attempt, I just realized that why am I failing CSAT? Why has it become so difficult for me to solve math? The one thing I realized. It used to happen, they give the question paper, so I am just flipping the pages. I am not reading the question. And this was also that many people are still doing it. I also did it. Before reading the question, I used to assume that this question is very tough. So this is the most habit-creating thing, attitude. If you carry it to the exam hall, the question, even if you haven't completed it, you still feel that it is tough, unsolvable. Then reading comprehension. So I used to think, I'll do a bit of reading comprehension, but reading comprehension also needed that much of effort. It is not very simple like it used to be in 2016-17. People used to say that it will be done with reading comprehension. But then I realized the gravity of the importance of reading comprehension too. So I went to such an extent for CSAT, just like I told, I just wanted to be a school kid. I brought a ₹20 tables book and I started by-hearting those tables. This exercise may seem silly, or this exercise may seem over-exaggerated. But this was also that to do 19 * 5, it took me 30 seconds. So I developed this speed. There is no shame in buying and reading the tables book again. If you are facing difficulty, you have to get to the bottom-most level of the studies and then again start. So CSAT again this year, what happened? Again, yeah, this is all the preparation journey I have made. So I'll tell you about the 2023 attempt. I think many of you also have given the 2023 attempt. So I will tell you, I think we were giving it together. Something else was running in my mind, something else in yours. But today I want to tell you what was running in my mind. 2023 morning, I just opened the paper. The first question was from Ancient India, Medieval India. I was like, okay, because sir had told that if such questions come, just skip the question to the 50th page, sorry, the 50th question, then start again. Don't worry, I knew how to handle that. Even if the first few questions in my set were difficult, but the options were even more difficult. It was not the questions that were difficult this year, it was the options. Only one, only two, only three. So I then flipped the pages and saw, everything was like that. Then I looked around too, everyone's expressions were also like that. But one thing I understood, UPSC this time had set the question paper on a very psychological level. Everyone panicked. Everyone, most of them panicked. But I tried to tell myself, this is the game of mental presence and remaining calm. The cutoff, you will see, it's only 75. So you, even if you had answered like 45, 42 questions also, you could have clearly got through the cutoff. But why? Because this happens, in everyone's mind, I have not read this topic, so I won't be able to answer. So people are not using their mind that even if I haven't read it, there is a solution. There could be a solution, there could be a hidden solution in the options or questions. Let me try. So that is what you have to practice. When you face such questions, especially from current affairs, if you, it is not that any coaching material or anything can guarantee the unprecedented. It was coming. Even many of them were not even sure about where this question was picked from. We don't know. So that is how you have to train your mind that even if I don't know, let me also try this. There could be some hidden answer that I could get. So I started solving. And this whole paper, as far as I know, also tested the decisiveness of the candidates. Like, are you sure you want to pick this option? Are you sure you want to pick that option? The decisiveness and the mental resilience to handle that kind of surprise. It's all, it was all based on the personality of the candidate rather than the knowledge. It's possible that if we both write an exam together, maybe the knowledge level might, you might have better knowledge because you are in touch with the prelims preparation and I have lost the touch of prelims preparation with, especially the current affairs part, back when I gave the interview. So it is about handling the paper. So prelims, CSAT, then I knew that the whole country would have not performed well in this paper and it is a very difficult paper. This difficulty level assessment is also an art. You have to know how to assess the difficulty level of the paper. And this doesn't develop on that particular day. You cannot go to the exam and say that the paper was difficult or the paper was easy. You have to go through the previous year question papers. You have to go through a lot of mocks. Then you get an idea that okay, this paper stands somewhere in the medium level or easy level or in the difficult level. Only then you will be able to answer and pick the number of questions you have to attempt. So there is no set rule that you have to attempt 80 questions, or you have to attempt 98 questions, or you have to attempt 100 questions. So it depends on your own analysis. No one can teach you. You have to sit with the question papers. You have to analyze and you have to develop this habit of knowing where this paper stands. So this needs a lot of hard work. This doesn't just come in a day. This has to, you know, it has to develop and it takes many months, weeks together, and focus and commitment and discipline is very much necessary. So in CSAT also, again, this was the most difficult thing, the hurdle in my preparation this time. At one point, when one hour 10 minutes had passed, and I looked back into the paper, I had solved only 13 points questions. That's it. So only 50 minutes left. Then I decided, if I give up now, it is not even worth coming till here. I should not give up in the next 50 minutes also. So I told myself, the next two to three minutes, that I am going to clear this paper. And then I regained my confidence and I started searching for reading comprehension. I will also tell that once I went through the reading comprehension, fortunately, the passages were very difficult. The CSAT points and reasoning were comparatively easy. But this time the trend reversed. The passages were very easy, points were very tough. But many people almost realized very late. They realized that passages were very easy in the last 20 minutes. Most of them spent time in solving quant's which were very difficult this time because mostly questions were from permutation, combination, and probabilities. So even in the last two minutes, I felt like, now it's done. I have attempted 44 questions. Now I don't want to see the paper again. I just reminded myself, all these years of journey, for what? To give up in the last two minutes? No, I will search for a question and then I will solve it. And I solved it. And you know, that question got it, got right. And I got 80 in my CSAT. So that is the highest I have scored till now in CSAT. So I am very proud about it. More than my interview marks, more than my mains marks, or more than my all other GS marks, I proudly say that I have scored in CSAT. And that too, that was the toughest year of CSAT in 2023. It surprises me that after failing all these years, I cleared in one of the toughest years. So this also happens that many candidates think that this time vacancies are less. But fortunately, the journey and mains preparation, as I said, I didn't wait for my prelims to be cleared and then, you know, start my mains. So GS, well, GS papers two, three, four, ethics needed a very concentrated effort because that is not overlapping with any of the GS papers. So, history and geography, environment, all that I had completed in my prelims preparation. So when it comes to answer writing, let me make a comparison between cooking biryani and answer writing. What you need for cooking biryani? The most important ingredients are not there. All the spices are there. So how will you cook? Biryani? Answer writing. They don't have any content. They really know how to beautifully present the paper, how to present, how to structure, all that they know. They don't know the content at all. So first, work on the content. This content working comes from the prelims preparation only. So this is the major drawback I have seen with people who are practicing mains. They won't even study anything related to that topic. Suppose there is a topic, all societies. They won't even, you know, study or related topics of women's issues and all these things. They just come and write the answers, anything and everything, and they just sit and cry that sir, two marks, three marks out of 15 marks. So you, please, you have to take out this notion that in mains answer writing, you just need presentation, structuring. All that comes. That is the next stage. You know, when you are garnishing with cashew, butter, and all this saffron. That is the next stage of taking the biryani. First, have rice and chicken. And it is slowly cooked. And let me also tell you, it doesn't come in one day. The answer writing. Why am I, I am sorry to offend vegetarians here. I just got lost because I have a lot of friends, especially from Andhra Pradesh and Telugu people. You may take any other dish, any dish which is very slow-cooked. Any other dish which is slow-cooked is always the taste. So any other. How much, how slowly you take your mains answer writing, you don't sit there and start crying. You have to, suppose international relations, a question comes, Indo-Pakistan relations. Read on that. Don't just go with, you know, this notion that I will write five points, then I will divide the question. No, those things don't happen at all. I have seen a lot of answer scripts also that has helped me to understand where exactly the students make mistakes. So this is the part of mains answer writing. So I took it very slowly. I had enrolled in a test series. But this was that there was an inhibition. Even in also, test series, I had enrolled, but in writing the tests, it felt like I will better prepare, much better. Maybe next test, I will prepare much better. So it kept getting delayed. I think most of you also have this kind of fear that this test, no, I will give the next test because I am not yet prepared. But why are you not preparing? Where is the time going? You have to question yourself. I also questioned that after one week, one week, every week to have mains test, then still I gave this excuse that I haven't prepared. And I used to think that what did I do the whole week? What did I do instead of preparing? So if you ever feel that I haven't prepared, question yourself. Why were you not able to prepare? Is it because you were really focused on other subjects, or is it because you simply didn't want to prepare? Okay. So optional preparation also, Anthropology. This was that I never read it from the examination perspective. I really enjoyed the subject a lot. I tried to internalize the subject. It was like, this time, only Anthropology, very few people will understand. A question came about glottochronology. So I had been into the depths of Anthropology. That was glottochronology. A word, a term, a concept that is nowhere mentioned in the syllabus. But I knew it in the examination hall because by reading, reading, I had reached that stage of glottochronology. That depth. If anyone wants to know about glottochronology, very briefly, I'll tell. By analyzing language, we trace human migrations. So this is a concept. So that on that day, when I saw the question paper, that question really gave me that confidence. That hard work doesn't go waste. If you read something today and feel that it didn't come in 2024, then this current affairs is waste. No, maybe in 2026, when you are again giving the attempt, then you might find a question from there. So nothing goes waste in this UPSC preparation, unless and until you are not studying and dedicated towards it. So I will also tell you, one, I used to watch a lot of movies because after prelims, what else was there to do? Mains preparation, mains writing, it was not there. So I used to watch a lot of movies. There is a movie called Chasing Mavericks. Have anyone heard of this movie? It's a very underrated movie. I think you go back and watch it. I won't give the spoilers. But one of the very closest to my heart. In Chasing Mavericks, Mavericks, some big surfer person. They, there are very big waves. In layman's terms, those are very big waves and surfing. The whole movie is based on surfing. So that person is also someone like us who has aspirations to surf those big waves. They, there are waves larger than life, something you cannot imagine. So he will also go to the teacher. He will pester him a lot. Teach me and all these things. One day, what happens? The waves hit him so hard. He will touch the bottom of the ocean floor. So then, he then he will slowly realize that this is the bottom I have touched. There is nothing more beyond. I can go even if I fall. This is already, I know. I am very familiar with the rock bottom of the ocean floor. So in the final, there will be a championship where he will write a letter to his master saying that everyone will give up on that day because the waves will be so demonic. Everyone will give up. And he will be the last person who says that I want to ride these waves. So he will write a letter to his master that I want to ride these waves because I have touched the bottom of the rock floor and I know the depths of the ocean. Where else can I fall? I have lived that life. So I don't fear falling. I only love to rise up. So this is what my preparation, I always, you know, try to rewatch that scene and think that, so many prelims, I have not cleared. When I came for the fifth attempt, clearing prelims, fifth attempt, prelims not cleared. What will happen if I go for one more extra year? One more attempt. Nothing much is going to change. If I had given up, if I had given up in the fifth attempt, one year before, what, how successful would I have been in other areas, in other spheres? So anyone who is thinking that I can't go further in this UPSC preparation, and I think by now, most of them already have heard these comments saying that there are many failures in UPSC. Why are you preparing? I want to ask these people, go and ask them. Which career is there that has a 100% success rate? No. If you want to become a sports person, there are so many struggles. Not everyone will become a sports person. If you want to become a film star, there are also so many failures. Even the best film stars have given so many back-to-back failures. So even if you want to begin a startup, 95% of the startups are failures. Then why are you fearing this UPSC preparation as a failure? You should not give up just because someone advised you to give up. Because we don't know, like after it is 50 years or 60 years, you should have a regretful life thinking that I gave up because that person advised me. If I had gone for one more year of preparation, maybe my dream would have come true. So don't live a life of regret. But this is that if you felt that UPSC is, I am done with UPSC. I have given all my.
Efforts to UPSC. Then, if you are feeling that I want to explore other fields, please go. Please listen to your heart. Don't go by someone else's talk. And also, I, being a woman candidate, why so few women? Like girls usually, okay, very young faces, pretty faces. Yes, I can see myself sitting seven years ago in a classroom like this. Definitely, there is a lot of pressure from society. Everyone is trying to tell you what you have to do and what you should not do. Everyone is more concerned about your age, right? Not your career. I don't know from where, all of a sudden, they get all this love at 23, 25 years to all girls of the household. They just want them to have a good, good home. And all. But this is that we can be UPSC aspirants. Maybe you, you all might have lots of cousin sisters and all. Please go back and give this some message. We are reading about gender equality in UPSC, right? We want to bring equality between male and female. Now, all female candidates who are aspiring to be civil servants, if we ourselves have given up at 25 years, 26 years, saying that I cannot become a civil servant, then where are we trying to bring gender equality? At the administration level, we are here for a cause. Remember that we are not here just because we want to, you know, pursue a small career and settle our lives. There is a bigger cause beyond yourself for the society. So it has to begin with us. The female candidates have to take a stand that that gender equality thing, I will pursue the UPSC Civil Services. I will also stand next to those officers and I will prove. I will inspire other women to take up this exam and be equal. Otherwise, sitting here and just ranting about gender equality doesn't mean much. Certain sacrifices are necessary. Please understand, without sacrifice, nothing will happen. Our forefathers have sacrificed many things. I think it is this time that UPSC is giving an opportunity that ladies have to come up and sacrifice certain things to stand equally with other genders. I am not going very feminist, please don't misunderstand. But I want to instill the confidence among women. So this is the whole journey I have faced. And also, one more major question is asked to me that, "Ma'am, I am from this background, like, you know, my upbringing is from a very humble family. So, either I have been preparing for 10 years straight, Ma'am, I am not employed." The people have so much of inferiority complex. Let me tell you, my interview scores are 206. That is one of the highest. What happens in the interview? They test you for the qualities of a civil servant. Do you have it in you? Do you have that officer in you? That is all that matters. You might be poor, rich, from a reputed university or a third-tier university. So it doesn't matter much. They all just need that one officer who can handle and who can change the lives of many. So think that, keep away all your mental barriers. Don't suffer in your own mind. Don't develop this kind of inferiority complex. Your job is to present yourself, your personality, in front of the board, in front of the members, and prove your worth. That yes, you are the officer type of person the society really needs. So this one confidence, please keep it. You never have to think about your background with inferiority. Okay? So let me, you know, I think I have shared a few of the thoughts I had. But if I want to wind up my talk, this number 45, right? I don't think I can claim this 45 forever. Last year, someone else's rank was 45. Next year, someone else's number will be 45. The rank might be 45 for one of you. So, yes, rank, this is all just a number. I represent myself now. But you remember, in history, history hardly remembers the victors, but history celebrates those warriors who have stood in the battlefield till their last breath. That is the message. I want to thank you. Thank you, Ramji. We can take a couple of questions. Only three to four questions you can take. But before that, it will be good if you elaborate about your interview experience. Yes, let me tell you that Ramya has scored 206 marks in the interview. Okay, okay. When the Mains result came, the only thing I was really worried about was which saree to wear. So, until now, no family members were involved. Until now, no wishes were coming. All my cousins, all my family members started getting involved to select a saree for me for the interview. So that is the kind of recognition, that is the kind of love it draws to you when you become successful. So, the interview, it was very difficult. I used to call sir and say that, "Sir, my transcript is poor, and I don't think I will be able to answer all these questions." So sir used to remind me that, "It's not about your knowledge, it's about your personality. Work on that. Try to be balanced in your opinions and all these things." So I kept this, had a leap of faith. I went to the interview, and I just felt this one happiness, very good. On the interview day, I took a photo near the UPSC Bhavan. So it was like, it was more beautiful than a pre-wedding photoshoot. I think everyone wants to be best dressed for the first occasion. It's for the interview, and the second occasion will always be marriage. First will be for UPSC interview. All these aspirants, I can tell that. So, Chairman sir, he started going through my DAF and all these things. First question was that I had briefly worked in one of the institutes. So he asked me, "How are you going to motivate others? How are you able to guide others when you yourself have not cleared the exam?" Sir's question was direct. So I said, "Sir, maybe by the parameters of the examination, I might have not cleared, but I want to share all this guidance. I want to share all these experiences I have gathered through the years to the students." So sir said, "That's good, but what if your students clear, your students become IAS, and you remain like this? Are you okay with that? Don't you feel bad about it?" I felt that answer was instant. I did not have to make that answer in my mind. I said that, "Sir, if it happens, I still don't have any regrets if I don't clear this time also. And I will wear it on my shoulders, saying that I have helped someone to clear this exam. I have done at least some minuscule part in this preparation of someone who has cleared this exam." So sir, with a compliment, he said that, "Mother Teresa-like people want to enter bureaucracy." And also, so this is that, interview preparation doesn't start after your Mains result. Interview preparation is like a constant process. How your personality is getting molded throughout the years of UPSC. If you, in UPSC, maybe during preparation, you are taking a lot of responsibilities with your flatmates, or you are trying to stand by your principles, all that. It doesn't happen overnight, immediately after you get your Mains result. Because there are a lot of candidates who really ace the Mains but fare poorly in the interview. So, don't think too much about the interview, but develop your personality in a way that you become a civil servant. It's not that you just get ready or imitate someone's work or someone's style of speaking, but it has to come internally. That personality molding should happen within yourself. So, and also, there were certain questions regarding my hobbies. He asked me, "If your hobby is making bread, do you have any ovens and all these equipment to make bread?" That I was a struggling candidate. You know, I told him directly, "Sir, I am trying to save some money. Hopefully, in another two to three months, I will be having enough money to buy an oven." I was not judged for that. I was just being honest with whatever I am. And there were a few questions, you know, the kind of amount of knowledge the board members hold. They were asking about anthropology, analysis of particular tribes. I have read anthropology for only two years. So it would be very naive of me to really even try to answer such questions because the member himself has done a lot of fieldwork. So I humbly accepted, "Sir, this I really don't know. Maybe this is a very new thing to learn from you today. I will go and study." So, how much you keep your ego down in UPSC preparation, that much is better. And also, for Prelims preparation, exams are coming up. So keep your ego down. While attempting questions, don't just go by, "I have to attempt 100 to 100 questions because I have done all this preparation." No. Be humble at every stage of the preparation. And also, I want to tell you, a few of my friends, a few of my colleagues came and told me that many people in their flatmates or their relatives also got interview calls. Their personality changed. They became so arrogant. They started treating people very badly. The final result is not even out yet. They are just in interview preparation, but then the final results, they failed miserably. Nature is watching you. Nature knows everything about you. You can fool others, you can fool your, you know, your family, friends, but there is something supernatural above you. He or that supernatural power judges you by what you are doing. So keep your personality humble. Keep your personality always loving and kind, and it will come back to you. All the goodness you have done, it will come back to you one day or the other. It might take some time, but just trust these words because I have experienced it. So thank you. [Applause] You are asking for the Mains preparation. Okay. See, mostly, first thing you have to know about the static part. Whatever it is, how you connect current affairs. You are adding a bit of data and examples. All these will be derived from the current affairs part. Suppose you say there is a Uniform Civil Code, that you know through DPSP, right? But the current affairs part, you are connecting it through judgments and you are connecting it through how these UCC implementations have taken a turn throughout the past decade and all these things. So your examples, the main content comes from your static. Your examples, your data, your presentation, and all these things, substantiation comes from the current affairs part. So that you will gradually develop. So that is why even in my strategy, I had taken this current affairs and static parallelly. Once I was, once I had consolidated the static syllabus, current affairs was a part and parcel of it. So, it may happen that today there is an issue going on, and maybe this year it won't appear in the Mains, but contemporary issues from the past five-six years can appear in the next three years. So, but you have to bring in judgments and substantiation of the examples and drawing maps. And also, during Mains preparation, please don't neglect the handwriting part. It is not a, it's not a cool thing to say that my handwriting is bad, but I write well. No, that's not something to flex about. Please, you start writing well. Use a gel pen, it brings a little bit of good handwriting. Because that also matters. And also, increase your speed. All this comes only when you have content. If you start thinking too much on one question, then you don't get time for all these things to do. So you have to be instant as soon as you read the question. And that comes only from strengthening your content part. How to motivate you? [Music] Okay, you watch movies. I have a list of movies that are very close to my heart. You go and watch "Chasing Mavericks" today, then "The Shawshank Redemption." And there is one more underrated movie called "In the Name of Father." So these movies actually tell the mind of the director where the main character is so persistent and has a lot of patience to even wait for years together for that one single cause. I told you earlier, you have come to civil services for a reason. Stick to that reason. And also, it is said that you should know this "why" factor. Why you want to clear civil services? You should be clear about it. There is nothing like that. The "why" part develops gradually. So, from the first ones, if I ask or if I recall myself, many movies, like Rajkumar's movies, where he becomes an IAS, so that will be there, "why" in the first attempt. But that is not the "why" you have to pursue for. You have to look for a greater cause. And it doesn't come in a day. Buddha also, after how many years did he get enlightenment? Did he become Buddha overnight? So it takes time, but you have to be very consistent for this. UPSC, nothing happens overnight. How to manage time pressure in exams? Because a lot of time, you know the questions, but due to lack of time, you are unable to solve them. For this, you have to start practicing in mocks. So, in CSAT, I used to do it like this: first one hour 10 minutes, I used to solve the Quant. Next 50 minutes, I used to solve the Reading Comprehension. So everything was very structured. So, time management in mocks also happens like this: there are certain questions, 100 questions. So, in any given year, there are 20 such questions you cannot challenge. UPSC will deliberately put such 20 questions which no one will be able to answer. So you have to recognize them and then you have to clearly mark in your first reading itself that you are not attempting those 20 questions. So instead of the second time when I come to again reread the paper, there I will save a lot of time. Instead of spending time on something which I clearly don't know. If I know that answering this will definitely lead to a negative mark, then don't answer those questions. Instead, spend time on those questions where you have a little bit of doubt, A or B. And it also happens that we get stuck at 50-50. When we will not be able to eliminate those options. For this, one simple remedy is, go back to your previous year questions. Then look why the examiner has put such close options. So that you will deliberately fall into that trap. These are very minute things. If I have told them, it will not be of much use. You have to realize it. And if it's the 2023 question paper, before you go for 2024, go back to your question paper and look. The answer keys are also coming. Next official answer keys. Go back and see why you made a mistake and why you got stuck in these two options, and how you could have easily guessed the right answer. So this mental exercise is very important. So all these things cumulatively will save a lot of time. Ma'am, being a female aspirant, I wanted to ask, like you said, societal pressure comes, it must have come to you too. So how did you handle it? This is my life and my decision. [Applause] Ma'am, how did you practice essay writing? Okay, essay writing, I didn't practice essays like dedicatedly. What used to happen is, Ethics paper, and you have a lot of examples from the philosophical side of Part B. So from there, I derived a lot of content, especially my essay this year, I had written this essay of "Thinking Game." So I started with a mythology example of "Kshir Manthan" of two people and opposite sides, they are thinking. So all these examples I derived from the Ethics part. And also, mechanical people are writing essays. There is a formula that is very, you know, famous in the market. Don't go with that. So what I used to do is, I used to think in multiple ways. For one essay, I used to think in multiple ways. Like how reporters ask the same thing in so many different ways. So you have to know that is the dimension. Social dimension, political dimension. It's not that. Example, last year's question, what was that? Like, "Full thinking is a mind game," and it happens from opposite sides. So next dimension. So first, I substantiated that essay part, that yes, thinking is a mind game. Then the next thing I wrote was, is thinking really inherently possible only for humans, or is it happening with animals also? Why only humans are involved in thinking? So all these things. And also, is it really a mind game, or is it a natural process for a human to think? And I had, and also, you, you most of your sociology students, please pick case studies from sociology and do it in your essay. They will enrich your essay like anything. I had done the same thing, especially the second essay I wrote was regarding the boys and girls and some customs and all those things. In anthropology also, there are female anthropologists who have done gender studies on these things. So I really picked examples from there. I have explained how, what is the stark difference between the gender equations in modern societies and also pre-societies and all these things. So these are two areas, from Ethics and also from your optional, try to pick examples and put it. So slowly, even essay also, it was not an overnight thing. I just started writing 15 pages. It used to be, I used to think for the introduction only. I used to think a lot, like for days together, I used to think. So it will come. But first, try to take examples and how you can substantiate and justify from various walks of life. Sociology, Ethics, and even newspaper, some case studies like that. This issue happened with me also, especially while reading the Polity book. It used to feel very easy. When I closed the book and then again I used to study, I used to attempt the questions, I used to make a lot of silly mistakes. This repetitively, as you keep reading, then you will try to figure out some connections, some links, and it doesn't happen in one day. If, if I can recall, from 2019, I am reading Prelims. So today also, that has become so strong in my mind, all these facts and figures. So it took me six years. How can you even fear about UPSC that within six days I am not able to retain? Just have patience. Patience is the paramount thing in UPSC. It will come to you. Don't, and don't have this fear that I am not able to retain it. Just keep reading. If you watch a movie, then you will retain it because it is very enjoyable. So similarly, just try to enjoy the process. Keep reading, and one day it will come to you automatically. Okay, Ma'am, how many papers are sufficient to solve? First, I did the sectional tests. So sectional tests, because I used to read every subject. So in sectional tests, maybe I gave six-seven sectional tests for one subject. Then after that, I also gave previous year question papers. This is also done wrong, that you don't look at previous year question papers until the end. So don't make this mistake. If you have read Polity, or if you have read Economics, please go back to your previous year question papers and then solve the questions. Then you will know whether what I have read is the right way, and whether my questions will be solved from this, or not. If your questions are not solved from previous year question papers, that is an indication. You have to read that subject again. Okay. So there is no hard and fast rule. Sometimes I have solved a few years ago, around 40 also. Sometimes I have solved 10 also and gone. So I just don't remember much. When I used to sell them to the scrap dealer, it used to become so much. So you estimate, around 40. But now, there is no need to do that much. Why did I have to do this 40? Because I was a beginner. I had faced a lot of issues with Prelims. So I had to dedicate so much amount of time. But Prelims preparation, remember, in UPSC, it's one-time preparation. If you prepare very well for Prelims for six-seven months, then in the coming attempts, you will have this Prelims streak, a winning streak is formed. So Prelims is always done. So it will be very difficult for me to give an exact number. But whatever I have told, work on that. Mentally, how will you face the paper? Yes, in Mains, I did not write at the center. Because I was so feared that I had this kind of perfectionist mind that I want to be perfect, and only then I will go and write the Mains. But sometimes, if I felt like it, so I used to take the question paper and I used to start writing. So writing, maybe I was the only thing I focused on was time management. Whether I am able to complete the paper. And completing the paper is not an easy task. You don't get it that day. You have worked on all the content structuring, everything, but if you haven't worked on your speed, then again, it is not sufficient. So I want to remember something. Mains GS, essay written. Because I had this burning fire in me that I didn't get a chance to write Mains even once. This time I will write it. I have this enthusiasm. GS 2 also went very well. GS 3, in the morning, I had so much of sprain in my hands that I could not move my fingers. So GS 3, GS 4, I just had to complete the paper for the sake of completing, and I got a little less marks in that. But trust me, when you endure the pain of writing, that is where you feel that yes, this is the most satisfying, most fulfilling thing in your whole preparation. Everyone has to feel the pain in the rest of the arms, the mental exhaustion you will face during the Mains. Your marks will be throughout. Okay, you want individual? Okay, I got 804 in the Mains. By the way, I got under 50 also because my interview marks pulled my rank to the top 50. So don't have so that is why every stage is very important. Every stage, you can make a difference. It's not that interview matters so much. In Mains, we can do it. There are many people beyond 150 also who have scored extremely well in Mains, but their interview marks were low. So always take every step very seriously. And tests, I also, after Mains, this time when Prelims cleared, I started directly writing Mains questions. And that was also that first I used to write the answers to the Prelims previous year question papers. Like, hardly I used to make some points on each question, that I can write like this. Then I used to go to the institute and then write. That happened only last year. From the previous past few years, even though I used to enroll, I used to write it at home, fearing that my answers would be very substandard. So, essay, last essay, when I wrote it in the institute, they had given me 125 or something. So then I knew that my essay is like, okay, not bad. For UPSC, Ma'am, if you could please share your CSAT strategy. Okay, for CSAT, I had to go through a lot. So I felt that I needed guidance. So I enrolled in one of the CSAT classes. And then first, I used to do the sir's class notes. Whatever he used to teach me. Then I used to, he used to also give assignments. So I used to do that too. So a systematized way. To refer the previous year question papers, because I also wanted to check whether their classes were helping me or not. And it was very helpful to me that I could solve previous year question papers. Let's say, if I read about clocks today, sir's notes from the coaching institute and sir's assignments. Then I will go back to previous year question papers and look for questions from clocks. Then I used to solve it and keep it. Then a confidence comes that yes, I am doing the right way. I never kept the previous year question papers analysis to the end. It used to go simultaneously along with my preparation. Then after that, I used to give some sectional tests from the same institute. Then full-length tests, I used to give. So there also, I tried to develop this mental calmness and all these things. And also, the time management thing also, I had divided: one hour 10 minutes for the numericals, 50 minutes for the reading comprehension. So a system. I told you, I took the tables book and I started by hearting. So I did not neglect that. I read in class, and I don't want to go and revise the classes. No. Even the simplest of sums, convert 3/5 to decimal, I used to practice that too. It's not that, "Oh, 3/5, I won't do this. I will only do the most Newton and Einstein-level problems." No. I used to do the most simple things. I used to even write, "Okay, 2, 100, these many prime numbers, what are composite numbers?" So, very basic, I started like a school kid. I have told you. Thank you. Thank you. I was just reflecting on what am I supposed to say in the form of, let's say, conclusion, speaking, presiding over this session. And then my heart told me, it is better not to comment on anything. Okay? Because I want all of you to take something with all of you. The takeaway. Okay? But still, since I have this opportunity, I am not going to waste it. A teacher has a very good quality, whether it's good or bad, it has a characteristic. The biggest takeaway, and this is not just in the form of a cliché, but when such words are used. The honesty. Okay? And this has come not by just reading some theoretical stuff, but this has come through a lot of experience. Okay? And I think her experience and her effort in the last seven years. So, Plato, Aristotle, you read them. Plato defined a good life as a virtuous life. So sharpness of a knife. So sharpness is very important for Plato. What do you call virtues in Marathi? But his own student, Aristotle, sort of forces him to come down to reality and argues. So he does what? Okay, fine. The sharpness of the knife is no doubt important. But the sharpness acquired. [Music] Cut things. Whatever we want to cut through the knife. As long as that knife, the knife, whatever it is, its virtue is important. But that virtue gets meaning only when it changes. If we start talking too much, for many days, we talk. So Aristotle believes that the initial state, it's not like a conventional idea of a knife. It's rough. And as we keep using the knife, what happens to the sharpness? It wears out. I think her whole experience manifests the process. Okay. So, I mean, I can clarify, but a lot of us don't believe in reality. It's not like, "Oh, there's a lot of glamour, etc., etc." It's not so. And whenever we think that the process has to be paid a price for it. I think that's the biggest takeaway. I don't think after listening to Ramya's experience as well as just the sharing of experience for not even one minute, I think so you would now require any instrument to motivate you. You don't need to ask again, "Ma'am, what did you do to keep your motivation going?" After all this, if the question is still in our mind, that there is a high time to reflect on ourselves. Okay. So with these words, I should say this. But as a part and parcel of formality, I must thank Ramya for accepting this invitation, coming to Pune, all the way from Delhi, and sharing this wonderful experience very honestly with all of us. Okay. Wishing you the best. And I wish all of you the very best for the coming Prelims. And best wishes to Ramya, not only on behalf of The Unique Academy but all of you. Thank you. [Applause] [Music]