Interviewing the Toppers: Anuj K Jha.

Name: Anuj Kumar Jha.

Age/DOB: 05.12.1981.

Educational Background (with passing year):

10th 1996 Kejriwal High English School, Jhanjharpur, Madhubani, Bihar (53%);

Intermediate, 1998, (Math, Phy, Che, Eng), MLSM College, Darbhanga. (67%);

B.Sc. (Mathematics), 2002, C.M. Sc. College, Darbhanga (75%),

MA (Public Administration) 2005, Annamalai University (63%).

Exam: CSE 2008.

Roll number: 77367.

All India Rank: 52.

Category: General.

Service Allocated (probable): IAS.

Service Preference (top 5):IAS, IFS, IRS, IRTS & IC&CES.

Number of Attempts: 3.

Prelims Score (for 2008): It was around 70 (Pub Admn.) and 65 (GS).

Score (for 2007): Essay: 88, GS: 338, Pub. Admn.: 285 , Maithili Lit.: 364, Total: 1075, Interview: 156, Total: 1231, Rank 446 (IRTS).

Score (for 2008):

Essay: 112

GS: 309(162 & 147).

Optional 1 (Public Administration) 320 (161 & 159).

Optional 2 (Maithili Literature): 354 (181 & 173).

Total: 1095.

Interview: 185.

Grand Total: 1280.

Q: Did you start early, since when you were motivated to be an IAS officer?

A: Well that was quite early, even if it sounds clichéd to say that it was my childhood dream.

Q: Is there any significant event that motivated you to join civil services?

A: My adjacent village had an IAS officer, who was very well known and was respected in the society. That sowed seeds of this dream. Also, working in different government departments, I realized that civil service is the platform where I can realize my fullest.

Q: Please tell us about your family background?

A: I come from a village Madhubani district of Bihar. My father (Sh. Badri Jha) retired as an Asstt. Manager in Hindustan Steelworks Construction Ltd. and my mother is a housewife. I am the youngest of the six siblings, one of which works with Central Bureau of Investigation and the other is an Asstt. Commandant in CRPF.

Q: For how many years you have been preparing for this examination?

A: Specifically for IAS I started preparing in 2005, when I decided that I was going to take 2006 exam. Otherwise, background preparation of general awareness and writing style etc. goes back to years before when I was interested in such things as general knowledge and when I was trying for some government job for sustenance.

Q: How did you choose you optionals?

A: As I was only interested in a career in government, I enrolled for a master degree in Public Administration (related to affairs of government) in 2003. When I decided for my attempt, due to my natural interest, this happened to be my first optional. At that point of time, I started psychology for my second optional. But in the notification for 2006 exam, Maithili was notified as an optional which happens to be my mother tongue. As I knew it was going to be my strong point, I decided for it.

Q: What was your strategy for prelims?

A: For prelims I focused on optional paper. For the GS, I did certain blocks like modern history and polity. Current affairs I always did by priority. Other than that I had an advantage of doing questions on permutations & combinations and probability.

Q: What was your strategy for Mains?

A: My strategy was to cover the whole syllabus, so that even in the worst case scenario I should be able to write the whole paper. So coverage I prioritized above quality. I did a lot of writing practice which honed my answers.

Q: What is your view on Coaching Institutes? Did you join any or referred to their notes? Please tell us about the role of coaching institutes in your success. Why should one join them and how did you make your decision?

A: I did not join any regular coaching classes. But yes, I took guidance from a lesser known institute in Kolkata and wrote test papers there. Notes I did not refer to. My thinking was that they reproduce the contents of various books so why not do those books itself.

Coaching institute can play important role especially if you do your own job of sufficient self study. In my case, paucity of time (being in job) also induced the decision of not joining regular classes.

Q: How did you prepare for Interview? Role of Coaching, Mock Interviews, Internet, Orkut, etc. in it.

A: For interview, I had last year some sessions with my sir in Kolkata coaching which helped me a lot. This year I went to a Delhi coaching institute for classes and mock interviews. I had extensive discussions with my aspiring friends. Internet was a big help supplying instantly information required on any of the topics.

Q: Give us a brief overview of your interview.

A: Interview lasted for only 16-17 minutes. It was in Purushottam Aggrawal’s board, first in the morning. Major questions on my hobby of reading novels, discussion on Inheritance of Loss, IPL, NREGA, newspaper (Hindu), youth’s problems etc.

Q: Any interesting question or happening from your interview.

A: They asked for my views on IPL going out of the country and the party to be blamed for it, govt. or BCCI. When I blamed BCCI, they asked me to defend my country on security adequateness. I felt as if was trapped, but then I recovered well.

Q: (On Interview) some say be neutral at all cost, don't criticize the goverment, some say be tactful, criticize intelligently, what's your say?

Ans: The answer has to be as according to the question. But I thought it was important to be honest about your views.

Q: What takes one from rank 446 to rank 52? What changes you made in your strategy and yourself to make it to the top?

Ans: After having a look at the mark-sheet I knew immediately that if I persist with my efforts I am going to do it next time, because I suffered in essay where I had done well in first attempt, so it was going to take care of itself. Also about the interview I was sure that I will be better off with the confidence of selection in my previous attempts. So I must say persistence is the only thing I demanded from myself.

Q: What was your backup plan in case you failed?

A: I was already in a grade-A job and I had still a chance to go for.

Q: Did you appear for any State PSCs as well? If, yes, of which states and with what outcome? Please tell us about your experience with the State PSCs. Is this option a good backup in case you fail in CSE?

A: So far I had appeared in a couple of State PSC PTs and cleared them as well. But, I never filled up the mains forms. Yes, they can be a good option, particularly for the candidates who are not having any professional education.

Q: Did you face any difficulties while preparing for the exam? How did you deal with being far away from the so-called center of civils prep (i.e. Delhi)? How did you allay your fears and confusions?

Ans: I am sure every civil service aspirant faces many difficulties during his preparation due to the long-term preparation requirement and tough nature of this examination. For me the most important was managing time for preparation along with my job.

As for being away from the so-called center of civils prep, I managed by getting through courier whatever magazines, books and note supplements from Delhi by my friends in Delhi. Then, I had a very good friend circle in Kolkata for discussions and sourcing materials.

For confusions, again friends were there. Fears one has to win over oneself. You get confidence through your own hard work and small victories in the process (like some results and appreciation by teachers and friends).

Q: What is your opinion about necessity of going to Delhi for CSE preparation?

A: Delhi gives you all the facilities, so it can be helpful. But, it is not necessary as I have cleared without spending a long time there (my preparation and centre of exam being Kolkata).

Q: Do you subscribe to the view that engineering and science subjects are penalized by UPSC?

Ans: I never had any of these subjects, so it would be unfair to comment.

Q: Tell us about the books you referred for 1) GS, 2) Public Administration, and 3) Maithili Literature.

A: GS:

History- NCERT for ancient and medieval, for modern Bipan Chandra (Penguin), NCERT and Spectrum;

Polity - D D Basu.

Sc & Tech – Spectrum.

Economy – Pratiyogita Darpan (Extra Issue), a few chapters from Dutt and Sundaram (Indian Economy).

International Affairs – Pratiyogita Darpan (monthly issues) and Wizard (Mains Issue)

Current Affairs – Wizard (Mains Issue)

Statistics – Spectrum.

Public Administration:

New Horizons (Mohit Bhattacharya), Administrative thinkers (Prasad & Prasad), Some chapters of Nicholas Henry’s book, Rumki Basu, Awasthi & Maheshwari, S. R. Maheshwari (Indian Administration), Rajni Goyal & Arora (Indian Administration), Awasthi & Awasthi etc. Articles from Indian Journal of Public Administration, Some of the reports of the Administrative Reforms Commission. M. Laxmikant.

Maithili Literature

Maithili Sahityak Itihas by Sh Durga Nath Jha Shreesh, Jaikant Mishra, Dr. Dinesh Kumar Jha. Maithili Patrakaritak Itihas by Chandranath Mishra Amar, Tirhuta Lipik Vikas by Dr. Rajeshwar Jha, Maithili Kathak Vikas, Maithili Gadyak Vikas, Maithili Padyak Vikas etc. by Sahitya Academy, New Delhi.

Q: Tell us about the magazines and newspapers your read and how much time did you devote for it daily.

A: Among the magazines I read Pratiyogita Darpan regularly. I did the main issue of Wizard thoroughly. Then I did some issues of Yojna and Civil Services Times. I read The Hindu almost regularly preferably for a couple of hours in the office. All the magazines I redid during my main exam days.

Q: How did you manage time during preparation? Can you give a glimpse of your daily and monthly schedule? For how many hours did you study?

A: As throughout I was in job, time management for preparation was tough. I generally took leave after the prelims results till main exam. My strategy was to study for 6-7 hours during the whole of the year and slog it out for three months before mains exam. Also, somebody said me that utilizing even the smallest of chunks of time can give good results and I believed in that.

Q: Tell us about your hobbies and how were you able to integrate them to your preparation.

A: My hobbies are reading novels and listening music. I listened soft music like gazals during my travels and offdays. And novels I have been reading intermittently since long. So there was no problem.

Q: Would you like to share any insights into this exam and its process that people failed to notice but you did?

Ans: I just want to say that people in the beginning consider it invincible and underestimate their own potential. If someone starts with an open mind and is honest to himself about his efforts, it can be done rather easily.

Other thing is that people say coaching is essential for clearing this exam. I don’t deny but even then a comprehensive coverage by self-study is always necessary.

Q: Sum up your tryst with UPSC in a couple of lines.

A: When I started preparation I thought I was not an IAS material but I wanted to use my chances so as not to regret later. But I knew for sure that irrespective of result I would be a better person. Ultimately it could not have been more true.

Q: Give a small motivational message to the community especially the newcomers?

A: As is evident from my case, even being in the most adverse conditions, not having the best background, not going to the best of institutions for preparation, it can be done. Just what you need is the passion for it.

Q: What is your opinion about this initiative? Is something lacking or are there some areas where we can improve to make these interviews more informative and useful? Would you like say something else which we might have missed?

Ans: A great initiative. All the general aspects have been covered. Individual aspirants may have opportunity to ask more pointed questions.

(Thank you Anuj for sharing your experience with us. We wish you all the very best for your future.)