To Learn, Teach

A couple of years ago, as I was lunching with a friend, he asked me a simple question. If all life started with one simple organism, how did so many complex species evolve? By this time, I had already begun studying Anthropology (my Optional subject), so he naturally assumed that I should be able to handle such basic… Read More »

Dear Junior

Greetings on the successful completion of FC and Phase- I. Do you feel that your time at the academy just flew by? Not surprising. That first walk into the campus, the arduous trek to a nearby hill, the odd nap in the lecture hall, the lovely meal at the Officers’ Mess. And the jokes and the laughter with batchmates over a warm cup of coffee under an overcast sky. What a journey!

On Being a Civil Servant

Every year, on the 21st of April, India celebrates Civil Services day, to commemorate the famous address by Sardar Patel to the first batch of civil servants of India. In the speech, he called them the Steel Frame, as a reference to an enduring structure meant to build and protect a young nation. “India observes National Civil Services… Read More »

UPSC Prelims Strategy by Abhijeet Sinha, IAS [AIR 19, CSE 2017]

Hello everyone, I am Abhijeet Sinha. I have secured 19th Rank in Civil Services Exam 2017 and joined the Indian Administrative Service in 2018. I gave two attempts at CSE and scored good marks in both my prelims: 163 in CSE 2016 and 152.66 in CSE 2017. My Prelims strategy was slightly different from others. I almost always attempted over 95 questions, even though I barely knew more… Read More »

How to Answer GS 4 Ethics Paper in UPSC Mains

Note: This is a free chapter from my book, Fundamentals of Essay and Answer Writing. I have previously published two excerpts on GS-2 and Introductions to Essay. The book has similar detailed chapters on Essay and answer writing for GS-1,2,3,4, including the Anthropology optional. You can get the book here. GS-IV can be confounding. That’s because the questions in this paper tend to… Read More »