Patil Bhuvanesh Devidas, attained 59th Rank in 4th attempt in Civil Services Examination-2017
“Firm belief in my self-focused hard work are the secrets of my success.”
-Patil Bhuvanesh Devidas
“Pratiyogita Darpan” arranged an exclusive interview with Shri Patil Bhuvanesh Devidas, who has been selected in Civil Services Examination-2017. He deserves high admiration and our heartiest congratulations on his splendid success. This important, thought-provoking and highly inspiring interview is being presented here in its original form.
PD—Achieving top slot in the coveted Civil Services Examination is no small feat; accept our heartiest congratulations on your splendid success.
Shri Bhuvanesh—Thanks a lot.
PD—Medium for writing in examination
Shri Bhuvanesh—English.
PD—Medium for Personality Test.
Shri Bhuvanesh—English.
PD—In how many attempts have you achieved this success ?
Shri Bhuvanesh—4th Attempt.
PD—You achieved the desired success in this attempt; how do you visualize your previous attempts ?
Shri Bhuvanesh—In the 2nd attempt I couldn’t clear pre and instead of mourning over it, I took that as an opportunity as that gave me more time to prepare for the next attempt. So firstly, I changed my optional from Public Administration to Anthropology. Then, I started making notes of every subject starting from history. I also started writing daily answers (4-5 answers) that improved my answer writing skills. This helped me to clear Prelims as well as Main examination. But I could not get into the final list and missed it by 12 marks. After that when I analyzed about my failure I improved upon my weak areas which were Essay, Optional Paper 2 and the Personality test in which I got 103, 111 and 143 respectively.
PD—What was your optional subject ?
Shri Bhuvanesh—Optional Subjects : In first two attempts it was Public Administration and then Anthropology.
PD—While making final choice for optional subject, what i;s important and what is not ?
Shri Bhuvanesh—While making final choice one must keep in mind following things :
l Aptitude—A candidate must have required aptitude regarding that subject.
l Interest—You must have interest in that subject.
l Scoring—Optional must be scoring enough otherwise people get stuck with an optional which doesn’t fetch good marks.
l Syllabus—One must read the syllabus carefully and also see previous years’ question papers to get an idea about optional.
l Guidance and Study Material— Also one should check whether guidance from coaching institutes or from seniors is available or not.
Things that you shouldn’t do :
l By choosing optional subject which your close friend has chosen without giving a thought.
l Choose an optional based solely on its scoring basis.
PD—What preference in services have you opted for and any particular reason for that priority ?
Shri Bhuvanesh—IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS(IT), IRS (C&E).
Reason is that I gave Indian Administrative Services 1st priority because I think being an IAS I can effectively work among the people and be an effective change agent in the society.
PD—‘Success is sweet’ were you confident of your success with top ranks and how did you react to this news ?
Shri Bhuvanesh—I had a feeling that I would get a rank this year but I was not sure that it will come into 2 digits, so it was quite surprise for me and when I heard that news over a phone call, I was literally shivering and was not able to receive phone calls and then eventually I got stable when I actually saw my result with my own eyes.
| Bio-Data |
| Name—Patil Bhuvanesh Devidas
Father’s Name—Patil Devidas Pandit Mother’s Name—Patil Seema Santosh Date of Birth—4 January, 1992 Educational Qualifications—— 10th—87·6% 12th—82·17% BE—68·6%. |
PD—Today, IAS Toppers are icons and lots of media coverage makes them popular. Before your success, what was your opinion about these toppers ?
Shri Bhuvanesh—Yes, toppers definitely make an impact on the journey of the aspirants as they boost their confidence and also help people in their studies by providing valuable guidance and sharing their strategies. And I would love to continue that strategy and help as many aspirants as I can.
I got motivated by reading the success story of Mr. Rajesh Patil’s (IAS).
PD—Can you recall the exact moment when you realized the importance of Civil Services ?
Shri Bhuvanesh—I used to observe various things happening around me. For example, The India against Corruption drive of Mr. Anna Hazare and I felt that instead of complaining from outside and being a passive observer I should be the part of the system which works for the people and has service motive as their goal. When I discussed these things with my parents, brother and friends they encouraged me to prepare for the civil services.
PD—Was CSE your planned decision or your parents’ wish ?
Shri Bhuvanesh—I think it was both. I took that decision by taking advice and support of my parents and they fully supported my wish as it was their wish too.
PD—Did you keep in mind some time-frame for the examination preparation and number of attempts ?
Shri Bhuvanesh—I was ready to give as much time as possible for clearing this exam and getting a service that I wanted.
PD—The first step is the most difficult; From where did you get the right advice ?
Shri Bhuvanesh—From Friends, Seniors, coaching class which I had joined, some online sites and also various magazines like Pratiyogita Darpan.
PD—What was your approach towards Paper I (General Studies) and Paper II (Aptitude Test) during Preliminary Examination preparation ? How long time and how much effort did you divide for each ?
Shri Bhuvanesh—For GS Paper-I (General Studies) : I focused more on Paper I because Paper II is only qualifying.
l Then I used to make rough plan, divide that plan into various micro plans. First I used to cover basics (NCERTs and Standard books), then read other materials.
l I focused on current affairs because UPSC asked many questions on current affairs in the previous examinations.
l Making notes for each subject and revise those regularly.
l Solving as many question papers as I could and also daily I used to solve questions on the subject which I was reading that day.
l Group Discussion-I had a very helpful and sincere friends. We used to do focused GD daily.
For GS Paper-II (Aptitude Test) : For Paper II I did not do any specific readings but I used to solve last 2-3 years’ question papers.
PD—What shift did you adopt in your strategy for Main Examination (Written) ?
Shri Bhuvanesh—During my first two attempts I made many mistakes which cost me 4 attempts to crack this exam. After 2 attempts I made some changes which helped me a lot.
l I first analysed the syllabus and divided it into various topics. Then studied those topics.
l Then I made detailed notes of those topics with standard framework.
l Writing the answers of atleast 4-5 questions daily. This helped me to write good quaity answers with proper time management.
l For optional also I made topicwise notes and micro notes which helped me to revise optional within a/the short time.
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 Bhuvanesh—I did not read any specific book for preparation of my essay and I feel there is no need to read any book for that like we read during our school days. But I did following things to improve upon my essay writing :
l I prepared some of the topics which UPSC likes to ask (for e.g., Education, Health issues, Women, Children, old age, Federalism, Social Media and Indian Diaspora etc.)
l Collected some quotes, case studies, examples and facts regarding them.
l Read essay papers of some of the toppers so as to get an idea how they used to write.
| Personal Qualities |
| Favourite Person—Sachin Tendulkar
Strong Point—Staying happy andhaving strong self-belief Weak Point—Being noctural some-times affects my health Hobbies—Watching Biopic Movies and Candid Photography. |
PD—How did you prepare yourself for Interview (Personality Test) ? 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 Bhuvanesh—PT is not an exam but just a process to check what qualities the aspirant has to be selected for Civil services. I did following things for my preparation :
l I gave enough number of mock interviews (5-6) as practice and to know the process in a better manner and to reduce anxiety that we face during actual PT.
l I worked upon my communication skills by having group discussions with my friends and mentors.
l In the PT, questions are asked from the Detailed Application Form and some from current issues. So I gave attention to these things and prepared the issues related to these.
Interview Board :
Bassi Sir (2017).
Questions asked :
l What qualities do you have so that we should select you ?
l Difference between Equity and Equality.
l What do you mean by proactiveness and how will you use it in administration ?
l What problems various tribes are facing and how far government is able to handle it ? (Anthro-pology Optional),
l What is Shirpur Pattern ? Where has it been replicated ? (as my hometown is Shirpur),
l How will eVehicles affect fuel economy ? (My graduation Mechanical engineering).
l Electoral Reforms (Current issue)
l What is Candid Photography (My hobby). How is it different from Natural Photography? (My Hobby).
l Which biopic movie did you watch recently ? Have you watched Darkest Hour ? Where was Mr. Churchill during WW1 (My Hobby).
It went well. The panel was really cordial and comforted me at the start of interview only. It lasted for around 25-30 minutes.
PD—Were you preparing for other career opportunities as well while preparing for your ultimate goal i.e., Career in Civil Services ?
Shri Bhuvanesh—I focused only on CSE during the entire process. But I gave other exams too like State PSCs, CAPF, IFos which have similar syllabus and exam pattern like CSE.
PD—While the changing economic environment offers immense lucrative career opportunities in various sectors, still what kept you motivated towards Civil Services ?
Shri Bhuvanesh—I think it was the will to become a person that I wanted to be kept me going and I had immense support of my family and friends which helped me a lot to sail in the ocean as this was the dream that we all saw together. Though money is an important factor in our life yet it is not everything so in the end what matters is the purpose you choose in your life as your goal.
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 Bhuvanesh—CSE requires at least 23 years of preparation and that is why I think it is better if we start during our graduation period whenever we get time.
PD—What is your opinion regarding the general view that Science subjects have better chance to score than Humanities?
Shri Bhuvanesh—Both areas are equally scoring but if an aspirant has good aptitude regarding science subject then he/she may choose it as optional.
PD—What is the importance of medium of examination for exams like CSE ?
Shri Bhuvanesh—I think medium does not matter for CSE and many candidates are getting selected who have local language as the medium. But before choosing any medium one must find whether proper study material is available in that language or not.
PD—Does the educational, financial and demographic status of the family of an aspirant have any impact on the preparation?
Shri Bhuvanesh—These things do have some impact on the preparation of an aspirant. And nowadays due to internet revolution and syllabus of UPSC which also takes into consideration the needs of rural aspirants. These things don’t matter much but what is more required is sheer dedication, continuous effort and patience.
PD—In your opinion what role do the Competition Magazines play when you are preparing for an examination like Civil Services?
Shri Bhuvanesh—Competition magazines also do play an important role in CSE. They provide information and analysis regarding current issues, also provide fodder material for Essay and GS.
PD—How do you find Pratiyogita Darpan? Do you find it close to your expectations?
Shri Bhuvanesh—Many aspirants follow PD and it not only helps UPSC aspirants but also those who prepare for State PSCs and similar competitive exams. Current affairs has become an important part of the CSE and PD is doing good in providing current affairs to the aspirants and many times motivates aspirants by sharing success stories.
PD—What is the secret of your success?
Shri Bhuvanesh—First step towards the success is to believe in yourself and I believed that. I went from one mistake to another while making sure that I do not repeat them. And those mistakes turned into experience and failures into Success.
PD—To whom would you like to give the credit for your success?
Shri Bhuvanesh—To my family (Parents and elder brother) and my friends. They supported me throughout my preparation.
PD—Any suggestion/advice you would like to give to the future aspirants.
Shri Bhuvanesh—Perseverance and Patience are required during the entire process. Always believe in yourself and that is the important thing. In this process don’t give heed to what people say because they don’t know your capabilities but you do. (and keep in mind what Rajesh Khanna said, “kuch to log kahenge”).
And finally I would like to say quote of Winston Churchill, ”success is not final, failure is not fatal but it is the courage to continue that counts.”
PD—Thank You very much and wishing you all the best for your future endeavors.