Bharat SainiLast Updated on December 23, 2018 by Bharat Saini
“Consistent hard work, right strategy and very good guidance are the secrets of my success.”
– Kalyan Anand
‘Pratiyogita Darpan’ arranged an exclusive interview with Shri Kalyan Anand who has been selected in Bihar Civil Services Examination. He deserves high admiration and our heartiest congratulations on his glorious success. This important, thought-provoking and highly inspiring interview is being presented here in its original form.
PD—Achieving top slot in the CS Examination is no small feat; accept our heartiest congratulations on your splendid success.
Shri Kalyan—Thank you very much.
PD—Were you confident of your success in this examination and how did you react to this news ?
Shri Kalyan—I performed well and was confident about selection. I was very happy because it was like a dream coming true.
PD—What preference in services have you opted for and any particular reason for that priority ?
Shri Kalyan—BAS, BPS, BPS (vigilance)
PD—What were your optional subjects ?
Shri Kalyan—Optional Subjects : Public Administration and Philosophy.
PD—In how many attempts have you achieved this success ?
Shri Kalyan—Ist attempt.
PD—You must have read IAS Toppers’ interviews in newspapers / magazines; what inspired you the most ? Any particular success story which influenced your journey to this result ?
Shri Kalyan—I used to read toppers’ interviews to know their strategies and perseverance. No particular story inspired me though their right strategies, hard work and perseverance used to keep me motivated.
PD—What was your approach towards Paper I (General Studies) and Paper II (Aptitude Test) during Prelims preparation? How long time and how much effort did you divide for each ?
Shri Kalyan—I read NCERT text books and classroom notes of Achievers IAS Academy, Patna. For current affairs I read Hindu news-paper and Pratiyogita Darpan. The basis of selecting optional subjects is interest in the subject, availability of study material, proper guidance and ability to work hard on the subject.
PD—What shift did you adopt in your strategy for MAINS (Written) ?
Shri Kalyan—I used to read classroom notes for General Studies and Public Administration. I took some help from magazines, Hindu newspaper and Pratiyogita Darpan.
I relied on writing practice and suggestions and comments of Upadhyay Sir of the Achievers, Patna.
PD—Was there any special effort for effective preparation for Essay Paper ? Which topic did you pick up this time and why did you choose this particular topic ?
Shri Kalyan—There was no paper for essay in BPSC.
PD—‘Time-Management’ is a key factor while making preparations as well as in writing examination papers, be it Prelims or Main Exami-nation. How did you manage things ?
Shri Kalyan—I prepared notes of important topics and revised them frequently. I read one newspaper and Pratiyogita Darpan for current affairs. I relied on mock tests.
PD—How did you manage to tackle the ‘Negative Marking’ in Prelims ?
Shri Kalyan—There was no negative marks in Prelims and so I attempted all questions.
PD—The first step is the most difficult; how to prepare ? Which optional subjects to pick up ? What to read ? How much to read ? Many such questions come to your mind when you really get serious about Civil Services Examination ? From where did you get the right advice ?
Shri Kalyan—I used to read toppers’ interviews in the Pratiyogita Darpan. I consulted my friends. Some of them advised me to meet Sanjay Upadhyay Sir of the Achievers IAS Academy, Patna. I followed their advice and today I am here.
PD—You achieved the desired success in this attempt; how do you visualize your previous attempts ?
Shri Kalyan—This was my first attempt in BPSC.
PD—While making final choice for optional subjects, what’s impor-tant and what’s not ?
Shri Kalyan—The most impor-tant thing is interest in subject, avail-ability of guidance and study mate-rial. Every optional is scoring if proper hard work is done.
PD—How did you prepare your-self for Interview ? When and which Board did you face ? How did your interview go on, how long did it last and what were the questions asked during the Interview ?
Shri Kalyan—I prepared probable questions from my DAF and prepared model answers for them. I heavily relied on mock interviews in the Achievers IAS Academy at Patna. Upadhyay Sir of this institute not only conducted several mock inter-views, he groomed me through various classes on enriching my approaches and concepts over several national and international issues. He also made me familiar with problems of Bihar and prepared me how to tackle them.
I faced the Board of Dr. Shakti Samant Sir. The interview lasted for 15 minutes. The questions were mostly related to my present job, optional subjects and my educational background.
| Bio-Data |
| Name—Kalyan Anand
Father’s Name—Shri Devanand Prasad Mother’s Name—Mrs. Maya Prasad Date of Birth—September 30, 1986 Educational Qualifications— 10th—2002, Saint Francis School, Deoghar (86%) 12th—2004, DAV Kapildev Public School, Ranchi, (78%) B. Tech—2006–10, NIT, Jam-shedpur (70·83%). |
PD—Were you preparing for other career opportunities as well while preparing for your ultimate goal i.e. Career in Civil Services?
Shri Kalyan—I was already working in State Bank of India so my entire focus was on Civil Services examination.
PD—While the changing economic environment offers immense lucrative career opportunities in various sectors, still what kept you motivated towards Civil Services?
Shri Kalyan—The job diversity, opportunity to serve the citizens and influence their life and social recognition, kept me motivated to work hard for this exam.
PD—In your opinion at which Educational Level should one start preparing for Civil Services and what should be the minimum period of time required to prepare for Civil Services Examinations?
Shri Kalyan—I think the best time to start preparing for Civil Services is during the final year of graduation or immediately after graduation. How-ever, it is never too late to start if the aspirants are ready to work hard with the right strategy. It requires minimum of one year of hard work to prepare for civil services examination.
PD—What is your opinion regarding the general view that Science subjects have a better chance to score than Humanities?
Shri Kalyan—Any subject in which the candidates have interest and can work hard with right strategy can help them to fetch marks. The Science subjects have objectivity but humanities can help in GS paper. So every, subject can be good. It depends on one’s inclination.
PD—What is the importance of medium of examination for exams like CSE ?
Shri Kalyan—Any language in which we are comfortable and confident in expressing our views and thoughts clearly in mains and inter-views can help in fetching good marks.
PD—Can you recall the exact moment when you realized the importance of Civil Services ?
Shri Kalyan—A few of my friends in college were preparing for civil Services. By seeing them, I realized the importance of civil service.
PD—Finally, at what point of time did you make up your mind to make a career in ‘Civil Services’?
Shri Kalyan—It was only after completing my graduation and joining the job, I made up my mind to prepare for civil services examination.
PD—Did you keep in mind some time-frame for the examination preparation and number of attempts?
Shri Kalyan—My mind was to work hard and give my best. I had not made any time-frame but I always kept my ultimate aim to clear civil services exam.
PD—Was CSE your planned decision or your parents’ wish ?
Shri Kalyan—It was completely my decision but my parents always supported me and respected my decision. They also motivated me during my preparation.
PD—Does the educational, financial and demographic status of the family of an aspirant have any impact on the preparation ?
Shri Kalyan—I do not think educational status of family has any impact on the preparation if the aspirant is willing to work hard.
PD—In your opinion, what role do the Competition Magazines play when you are preparing for an examination like Civil Services ?
Shri Kalyan—I think they play an important role because of growing importance of current affairs.
PD—How do you find Pratiyogita Darpan ? Do you find it close to your expectations ?
Shri Kalyan—I find Pratiyogita Darpan to be quite useful and may be relied on it for current affairs preparations. The toppers interviews published in Pratiyogita Darpan motivated me and helped me explore right strategy.
PD—As a reader of PD, do you read IAS Preparation-related articles published in it and do you find them helpful ?
Shri Kalyan—Yes, I read them and found very useful in my preparation.
| Personal Qualities |
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Favourite Person—My parents Strong Point—Hard work and perseverance Weak Point—Easily trust others Hobbies—Travelling and listening to music |
PD—Please give your comments on the PD Extra Issues Series on ‘General Studies’ and a few Optional Subjects ?
Shri Kalyan—PD extra issues cover current affairs with important data and facts. This can help to authenticate our answers and help in better presentation of the answers.
PD—Did you refer to Pratiyogita Darpan Year Book ? What is your opinion about the contents, size and the time of publishing ?
Shri Kalyan—Yes, for some topics, contents are good, comprehensive and reliable.
PD—What is the secret of your success ?
Shri Kalyan—Hard work with right strategy, writing mock answers, preparing notes and frequent revision and appropriate guidance.
PD—To whom would you like to give the credit for your success ?
Shri Kalyan—I would like to give the credit of my success to my parents and wife for supporting me and my teachers for motivating me during preparations.
PD—Any suggestion/advice you would like to give to the future aspirants.
Shri Kalyan—There is no short cut to success. So I advise all aspirants to work hard with right strategy, keep yourself motivated, be patient and learn from failures.
PD—Thank you very much and wishing you all the best for your future endeavours.
