The Civil Services Forum had the pleasure of interviewing M. Divya, [IRS(C&CE), 2015 batch] who is presently serving as Deputy Commissioner, Chennai Customs. Read on, as she talks about her preparation strategy, the importance of family support and financial independence and the commendable work done by her and the officers of her service during the Covid-19 pandemic.
1. Greetings ma’am! It is indeed a privilege for the CSF to have got an opportunity to interact with you. As you know, all of us are going through tough times due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. How are you coping up with these difficult times?
Thanks for the greetings and I convey my wishes to CSF for their excellent initiative. The COVID-19 pandemic situation has caused a lot of hardship to many. The second wave of COVID-19 pandemic cutting across the country was especially worrisome as many were affected. Coping with this difficult time was tough.
As a Customs Official, we were part of essential services and although many of our personnel got affected, our department worked 24/7 for providing uninterrupted clearances to medical equipment, medicines and passenger movements. Helping the Nation during this difficult time gave me the mental strength to cope up with the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, timely vaccination to all front-line warriors made us feel secure to work on-field. Health food and a positive attitude had also supported the cause.
2. Please tell us something about your background. When and why did you make up your mind to prepare for UPSC CSE?
I did my UG from Anna University, Chennai. After completing BE(ECE) with placement in an MNC, my father told me about the civil service examination and about the scope of getting into 21+ different central government services by sitting for 1 examination, i.e. the UPSC Civil Services Exam and the same sounded very attractive to me. So, I decided to give my best for UPSC CSE.
3. While preparing for the examination, did you have any backup option or was this your singular aim?
I started my preparation with no backup option. But, after 2 failed attempts I decided to support myself financially while continuing to prepare for UPSC CSE. I was working in the PSB public sector bank till I finally cleared UPSC CSE.
4. What was your strategy for preparation of the preliminary examination, the main examination and the optional? Which books and sources did you consult for the same?
According to me, the preliminary exam is difficult as the competition is very high. However, when the pattern of the exam shifts from objective type to descriptive type in the mains exam the level of difficulty increases.
Holistic preparation aiming at both prelims and mains will be better in understanding both static and current parts of the syllabus. A printout copy of the syllabus is a must to constantly review preparation.
One needs to start with the basics for UPSC CSE preparation by referring to NCERT books of class 9th to 12th. To analyse topics in the news, one must read the newspaper, a magazine like Yojana and also refer to the PIB Website. AIR news and Rajya Sabha TV are other good sources. I also referred to the following books for preparation:
● Polity - Lakshmikant
● Geography- Goh Cheng Leong
● History - Rajiv Ahir
● Ethics - Lexicon
● Indian Economy - Ramesh Singh
● Ancient India - RS Sharma
Once can prepare topics related to foreign policy, national institutions, environmental issues and related current affairs by visiting the relevant websites, WB, IMF etc. Writing one-page answers to all topics of the syllabus will also help in the mains exam.
5. What was your experience with the personality test? What would be your advice to candidates appearing for the Interview?
I had an excellent experience in my personality test and I scored 212/275.
The personality test is all about the expression of the person we are. I had a great learning experience and cleared this exam on my very first interview.
My sincere advice to the aspirants for the personality test is to be yourself with confidence and open-mindedness, as your knowledge has already been tested during the prelims and mains.
6. What would you advise students who wish to start preparing for the examination from college itself? How can they make the most of their college experience, especially now with classes shifting online?
It is ideal to start UPSC preparation during college days for one can choose their civil services optional based on their UG course. During the initial days, aspirants can start with NCERT and newspaper reading.
Nowadays, online classes in college also give ample time for students to prepare for UPSC exams.
7. There has recently been a spike in the number of resources available online for UPSC CSE preparation. How did you utilise such sources for your preparation?
It is good to have ready resources available for all syllabus related topics but at the same time, this may create information fatigue for the aspirant.
So, my personal advice to the aspirants is to study from basic material like NCERT & standard books then to prepare their own notes. Further, they can read the online ready-made material as a reference to know about how to frame an answer and gather additional points which may be useful for exams.
8. What was your approach towards note-making and revision?
Many a time, aspirants feel happy to read hundreds of articles on the same topic. But it is not of much use. Having one self-made note with all relevant points is enough. Making self-notes gives clarity of concept to the aspirant and eases revision.
Constant revision gives confidence in subjects. Revision with regularly attending test series gives a boost to clear this exam.
9. Analysis and understanding of current happenings from multiple angles is crucial for the examination. What method(s) would you suggest to understand a plethora of news from a holistic perspective?
True, analysing the concept and connecting the different aspects of the same issue gives conceptual clarity and helps in critical thinking which is useful for both the prelims and mains exam.
The method I would suggest is that, for example, while studying inflation we need to concentrate on the policies aimed at reducing inflation and RBI's regulation to monitor inflation and government subsidies to counter inflation etc.
10. How can one master the art of answer writing? What would be your advice to the aspirants to enable them to write answers which are exceptional and impactful?
Regular self-note preparation is the key for answer writing. For every topic, the self notes are supposed to be condensed in one single A4 sheet. Further, the use of diagrammatic and flowchart representation will enhance the content quality.
11. Time management is crucial for the exam as one has to cover a large syllabus in a relatively shorter time. How did you manage your time during the preparation?
The duration from prelims preparation days to the main examination is sufficient for covering the major portion of the syllabus. However, 100% syllabus coverage, although pretty difficult, is still possible. Ideally, one must be focusing on their strength area of the syllabus (say optional subjects like Geography which has its impact both in optional and GS1 paper can be given much priority). Following the trend of the previous year question paper along with the current affairs will give a hint of the focus area of the syllabus.
Sticking to a test series will help us to manage time better and focus on coverage of the entire syllabus.
12. The examination process is long and tedious. How did you keep yourself motivated and focussed all through? Did you continue pursuing your hobbies for leisure?
Indeed, keeping oneself motivated is important to sail through this tedious journey. At the same time, this journey is for the betterment of our future and this path is self-chosen too. Aspiration to serve the nation is a major motivating factor that keeps us focused and result-oriented.
I pursued my hobbies during preparation times, as it served as a source to destress myself.
13. What role did your family’s support play in helping you tide over the difficult phases and lows during your preparation?
My family played a major role as my support system which helped me sail through my initial failures. My father, Mr A Mani, is my philosopher, who guided me throughout my journey. My mother, Mrs M Kala, insisted on financial independence as a woman and leading an independent life.
Many times civil service preparation creates a stressful situation when also combined with societal pressure on women to settle in life at the earliest. Being the second daughter in our family, my parents never clipped my wings as mandated by society, rather they gave me the power to fly high. Every woman must be independent economically before getting married.
My sister, Mrs M Sujeetha, is my counsellor to keep me motivated and to stay positive. My sister cleared the Tamil Nadu State government exam and I cleared the central government exam.
14. How did you stay committed to your decision when faced with adversities? What would be your advice to candidates who have given multiple attempts at the examination?
Staying committed in the long run is a major challenge in this exam and this period provides us with the maturity to have the patience to handle any adversity.
Aspirants who face many attempts need to stay positive and focused. Personally, I had experienced failed attempts in the civil service exam which made me take up one job as a financial backup plan and I also learnt a lot from my failure, which gave me lifelong lessons. Moreover, in the end, this is just an examination and it’s not going to change the way we love to live.
15. What were your sentiments on the days of the examination? How did you maintain your emotional and mental equilibrium under such tense situations?
On the day before the examination, there will be a lot of anxiety and getting a good night's sleep will be a major challenge for me. But the moment I enter the examination hall, I try to be composed and neutral and don't think about what the result of the exam will be. This gives me the confidence to face the exam with a positive attitude. Especially during the personality test, this approach gives more mental stability and a focused approach for swift responses.
16. The Covid-19 pandemic has created many uncertainties around the examination process. Seeing the air of ambiguity, what advice would you give to the candidates to keep persevering?
COVID-19 has created a lot of hardship for everyone including civil service aspirants and the only thing I want aspirants to focus on is that someone somewhere is preparing for this exam with the aim of seeing their name in the final successful candidates' list. Instead of thinking about matters that are not in our control, aspirants need to focus on their preparation. Further, whatever the situation may be, successful candidates emerge at the end of every year's civil service exam, who also face the same uncertainties.
17. What does the training of an IRS officer entail? How was your experience of this phase?
I belong to the Indian Revenue Service (Customs and GST), 2015 batch and our training period was of 18 months which included foreign training with WCO, WTO etc.
Holistically, training touched on areas like taxation law, border protection, customs clearance, weapon training, attachment to the border security forces and ITBP.
Training has created self-confidence to handle any challenges that come and to rise to the occasion.
18. As an IRS officer, what are the challenges you face regularly, especially given the Covid-19 pandemic?
Being part of essential services during the Covid 19 pandemic has given me a lot of experience.
Managing 24×7 customs clearance for goods- medical equipment, medicines, passenger clearance has been a major challenge when many of the customs personnel were also infected with Covid. The ground situation was tough but gave a life lesson of fraternity, bonding and humanity rather than focusing on revenue collection.
19. What are your hopes and aspirations for the future of India?
India with a net positive result in all spheres of human development would be a major achievement. Women empowerment and child welfare with proper education is the major aspiration for WIN INDIA. The movement of India towards being an export hub is the major hope for a progressive nation.
20. As this interview draws to a close, what would be your final message to those reading your interview?
My final note would be to stay focused, stay motivated and believe in yourself. You are the person who has the capacity to write your future, not the situation, not your peers- no one except you. Believe in yourself, believe the greatness in you. Stay focused, stay alert.
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