Srishti Singh

  “ There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” ― Maya Angelou   As I am entering the last month of my District training, there are stories which I want to carry with me for years and so we now are taking up this journey of story telling, straight from the heart of Assam.  It was my 2nd week of training in Assam, I was fairly new, both to the state and the profession. Being my first job, and the immense gravity attached to my profession, I wasn't dealing with things so easily. The first loss which came with me joining the leagues of my fellow compatriots was the sudden loss of right to complain or ask questions. No, it wasn't about the questions about work or about the day to day management of my district, but questions which would only pertain to me. My doubts, which I always thought, were quintessential for my progress. But suddenly, in a month or so, I was supposed to feel sorted in whatever I was doing, as if I had figured it out. And adminis...

 “Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” ― Abraham Lincoln  I have a cloth hanger with MUSSOORIE inscribed over it in wood in my room. It is a priced possession of mine and was gifted by one of my batchmates when I was leaving the academy as a farewell gift. It hangs in my room on two nails, which are too long to be pierced into the wall. Thus every time I hang more than one piece of clothing on the hanger, one of the nail gives up and the hanger comes off. I take my hammer and fix it, making it sturdy enough for a week or so, but as soon as I hang some extra stuff there, it comes off again, making me redo the hammering again and again.  Life has lately been the same! And before you all jump to the conclusion that I am a young officer, making it into this premier service at a fairly young age and thus put all my complaints into the box of first world problems OR decide that I am probably unsettled in my present life and looking ...

  “And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.” ― Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore   I just realized that half of my DPT is over, and contrary to what I thought, I have loved the past 6 months to bits. Assam has been too kind to me, I have met some beyond amazing people and adulting, has slowly grown on me. That being said, it hasn't been a cakewalk, there have been days filled with anxiety of what am I doing, the constant feeling of directionlessness, and extreme loneliness which denies to go away, even after hours of phone calls back home. Having said that, I have gotten some important lessons in this short span, which I want to share with all of you. You may or may not relate to them, but these ...

'' That age is best which is the first, When youth and blood are warmer; But being spent, the worse, and worst Times still succeed the former. Then be not coy, but use your time, And while ye may, go marry; For having lost but once your prime, You may forever tarry … '' - Robert Herrick,  ‘ To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time’        Recently I came across a discussion with a friend on how time flies. How as young adults, it is infused in us to perform and attain all that we can, before we reach 30. As if a clock is ticking, as if whatever we need in life-be it personal or professional, has to happen now. As a young individual in services, which is arguably one of the most demanding jobs of this country, I have something to add to this. And I may or may not convince anyone reading this to my views, but yet again, it is only about starting a conversation. I am a person of varied interests. I like to see the world in every capacity I can. I am chatty to peo...

  "There are just too many things we have to think about everyday, too many new things we have to learn. But still, no matter how much time passes, no matter what takes place in the interim, there are some things we can never assign to oblivion, memories we can never rub away. They remain with us forever, like a touchstone.” ― Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore   A lot of people keep asking me, how life after UPSC is. How things change as you move to new places and witness things which you've only heard of. People do talk about the better parts, the glory and respect associated with the profession, the inherent ability to bring a change to lives, the enormous number of places this job takes you and the plethora of knowledge and intellect you witness on the way. As I keep mentioning to these people, I came from a place where the general aspirations of people lay low, for me this life is beyond my imaginations at times. I often wonder if I deserve the...

"Everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” ―  Sylvia Plath The essay paper of CSE is unequivocally the most yielding part of Mains examination. With minimal efforts, one can secure the most marks, if he/she knows the right way. This blog is an attempt to comprehensively discuss  the Essay preparation of Mains examination. Why is essay writing in UPSC tough? This is the first question one should ask to themselves once they dive into Essay preparations. We all have written essays in our school days. But when it comes to UPSC, there are few constraints: Length : Essay paper consists of 2 essays each of 1000-1200 words. This word limit allows you to cover variety of dimensions, but restricts indefinite flow of thoughts. Themes : Usually there are 2 types of essays asked: GS based and Abstract philosophical essays. Both require a little different set of approach. Time ...

  "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” ―  Aristotle      While preparing for the optional paper, one might face a plethora of questions. This blog aims to answer them and help you conquer the subject. This is the third part of the Optional Blog series and specifically deals with Paper 2 strategy of Anthropology paper. My story:      The real struggle with Paper 2 of Anthropology laid in creating a distinction between a GS answer and an Optional answer. Like most humanities subject, Paper 2 dealt with the Indian perspective and hence had tribal problems and administration as a course matter. But since the optional subject requires a more academic outlook, it became vital to supplement my knowledge with  deeper intellectual understanding  .     After going through my Coaching classes in Sosin Anthropology, I began thorough reading of Advanced books(mentioned later). I saw various documentar...