IIT Guwahati graduate Devendra Meena is a good example of how language barrier cannot come in the way of achieving UPSC success. He cleared Civil Services Examination three times in a row, and that too in Hindi medium. He opted to write his exams in Hindi and, also, chose Hindi literature as his optional subject. In an interaction with Indian Masterminds, Devendra shared his experiences of his Hindi UPSC journey and how he handled the small obstacles on his path.
I WAS ADVISED NOT TO CHOOSE HINDI
Devendra Meena, who did his mechanical engineering from IIT Guwahati, said that he was cautioned not to choose Hindi as the medium when he decided to prepare for UPSC exam. “In the initial stage of my preparation, my seniors warned me about the problems I might face in my journey with Hindi as medium. But after reading some books of History and Political Science, I felt that I’m more comfortable with Hindi,” he revealed.
The boy from a small obscure village of Rajasthan’s Dausa district, whose father is a government teacher and mother a homemaker, always had civil services in mind ever since he completed his graduation. With this aim in view, he went to Delhi to start preparing for CSE. In 2018, he got AIR 705 which left him disappointed. So, he appeared again in 2019 and made it to IPS, but he was still not satisfied as he wanted to enter IAS. He attempted again in 2020 and, this time, he scored AIR 471.
He hopes he gets to enter IAS this time. However, what really matters is the journey so far. To clear a tough exam like CSE three times in a row, and that too in Hindi medium with Hindi literature as optional, is a challenging task. But he did it and is an inspiration for all those students from vernacular medium who are not so confident about UPSC exams because of their perceived lack of English proficiency.
STUDY MATERIAL AVAILABLE
Was there a lack of study material in Hindi? Devendra says no, he never really faced any such problem. “For current affairs, I followed two bilingual YouTube channels that helped me to prepare well. I can say with confidence that if you have a good understanding of concepts, then whether it’s Hindi or English, it doesn’t matter.” He said there are some good books on Political Science and History, Ecology and Environment in Hindi.
He is an early riser, getting up at 4am everyday and dedicating at least 7 to 8 hours to studying before Prelims and 12 to 14 hours before Mains. He says one needs to invest more for the Mains exam as it is all about testing one’s analytical capability and fact-based knowledge. “I went for two test series (Vision and Drishti) that helped me prepare for answering questions in a comprehensive way. Your answers should not be monotonous, they must include some creative flavor in the form of diagrams, flowcharts and even maps, as and when required,” he advised.
HE WAS GRILLED ABOUT HINDI IN INTERVIEW
According to Devendra, the crucial interview round is “not about checking your knowledge, it’s all about checking your personality, and how you handle and react to a stressful situation. It’s basically a test to find out whether you are the one for the position you applied for”.
He goes on to share one of his experiences: “I greeted the board members by saying, ‘Good afternoon’, but one of them tried to grill me by saying that ‘since you are from Hindi medium, don’t you respect your own language? You should have greeted us in Hindi bhasha.’”
This time, Devendra was asked about the Northeastern states and mechanical engineering since he studied in IIT Guwahati. He says of the interview: “It was a good experience of interacting with the panel for 30 to 35 minutes and it went well.” According to him, the best way to prepare for an interview like this is through group discussions. He insists coaching is just for guidance as the candidates have to face the final battle alone.
GO FOR IT, HE URGES STUDENTS
He urges all Hindi medium students to go ahead and write the UPSC exam in Hindi. “First of all, you don’t need to listen to anyone who demotivates you. Just do whatever you feel comfortable. There comes a time when you start to have self-doubts, but they will pass. You need to consistently put in a lot of hard work, but it’s all worth it, as the final destination is really beautiful!”
