When I was a kid, I didn’t really enjoy school. I felt burdened with the subjects, homework, and all the expectations of me. I thought once school is done, I’ll be free. But in my 11th and 12th, I pursued something else— cracking the competitive exams and getting into a good college. I worked towards that singular goal.… Read More »
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 »
The following is an interview with Shri Deepak Gupta about his new book, ‘The Steel Frame: A History of the IAS.’ Sir joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1974, and among his many accomplishments, he is known for his leadership role in driving the ambitious National Solar Mission. Besides his distinguished career in the IAS, he also served as the… Read More »
How I picked my next book has always been a matter of impulse or accident. Sometimes I’d find myself at an airport with time to kill, so I buy a book. At times I see a lady at a coffee shop deeply engrossed in a novel and her accidental smile while reading it compels me to read it.… Read More »
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to start a blog. Whenever I thought of it, I used to be gripped by a strange sense of timidity (and lethargy) to pen an article and put my thoughts in public. UPSC success finally gave me the readership and the motivation to overcome my reluctance. It was five… Read More »
After my UPSC results, someone came up to me and asked: “Now that you’ve succeeded after a long journey, you must have learnt a lot of lessons along the way. If you were to meet your younger self who is starting his preparation just now, what advice would you give him?” I wrote this speech trying to answer… Read More »
Dear All, This is Aparajita (AIR 40, UPSC-CSE 2017). I haven’t done a lot of public appearances or interviews because I have no special life-altering third-eye opening sort-of Jnana to impart. A lot of other top rankers out there may have much better academic advice to relay than I. I do however have a unique journey like everyone… Read More »