An indomitable spirit marks Vishwajeet Singh out as a cut above the rest. The 4th rank holder in RAS has had to struggle with health issues from a tender age. Yet, he not only fought back hard but also never pushed his dreams aside.
Even if he had to pop pills before writing an exam or get injected with a painkiller before an interview, he made sure he showed up and gave his best shot.
Despite facing many health issues since childhood, ranging from asthma to fissures and fistula, his competitive spirit never died. He failed 4 times in UPSC in a row, and he did not get a good rank in his first RAS attempt. But, in his 2nd attempt, he cracked RAS with rank 4 in 2021.
Speaking exclusively to Indian Masterminds, he explained what keeps him going.
JOURNEY SO FAR
“Never lose hope. It will give you courage and force you to look ahead. Always think about what you have gained so far, not what you have lost.” This is the mantra he applied to keep moving forward despite struggling with health problems and exam failures.
He gave his first UPSC attempt in 2017 but could not crack prelims. Same was the case in 2018. Already struggling with many health issues, he left Delhi and moved back to his home town. He gave his third attempt in 2019 but failed again. His fourth attempt in 2020 also ended in a failure, though he cracked prelims.
Meanwhile, he had cleared RAS 2018 with 281 rank. He was allotted cooperative service and joined in December 2021. However, it was his second attempt that finally gave him the post of his choice, that of a deputy collector.
GIVING EXAMS WITH PAINKILLERS
The biggest struggle of his journey till now has been with his health. Before every exam, he faced health issues. But, he never let these issues break his spirit. By the time of his third UPSC attempt, his health had deteriorated further and he developed fissures. He has had inherent asthma from his childhood and after coming in direct contact with Delhi’s pollution, it got worst.
In his fourth attempt, he injured his shoulder vein during answer writing practice and gave the mains with the help of painkillers. For all the nine papers, he took a painkiller before each exam.
Just as he feared, he could not crack the exam but his perseverance did not end. In the winters, his asthma problem increased. And just before his RAS interview, his fissures got worst and converted into fistula. He took a painkiller injection before going for the interview. And the very next day, he had to undergo an operation.
BACKGROUND
Vishwajeet originally hails from the Pali district but now his family lives in Jodhpur. He comes from an affluent family. His father works in the agriculture department while his uncle is a RPS officer.
He studied in Jodhpur till his 10th and went to Kota for intermediate and JEE preparation.
He completed B.Tech in Mechanical from MNIT Jaipur in 2016. It was here that he developed interest in the civil services. In the final semester, he interacted with a few seniors who were preparing for UPSC and he also made up his mind to do so and joined coaching in Delhi.
PREPARATION
He hustled between UPSC and RAS but this did not bother him as he took a smarter way out.
His main focus was to understand the pattern of the questions in both the exams. After completing the syllabus, he used to make questions himself and write the answers.
His optional in UPSC was Psychology which also helped him to safeguard his mental health.
He took the help of few teachers who checked his notes and gave him tips. For RAS, Springboard Coaching’s notes helped him lot. “Pramod sir guided me lot for RAS exam. He got rank 6 in RAS 2013. Whatever he taught, I followed as it is,” he said.
He also followed a strict schedule. He used to prepare a time table for the next day before going to bed. He woke up at 6 am every morning and before lunch maximized his study and covered as much as he could. His target was to complete 50 percent of his daily goal before lunch.
INTERVIEW
His interview was cordial. He was asked questions on current issues like women reservation, Khalistani movement, etc. There were also questions on local things like Lok Devta (Folk God) of Rajasthan.
One interesting question was about Chandrayaan 3. “After failure of Chandrayaan 2, it’s good that Chandrayaan 3 has ben successful. But would it not have been better if we had invested such big money in the social sector or on removing poverty, rather than on such a project?”
His reply was: “I don’t think so. It has given impetus to our diplomacy. Along with NASA most European space agencies have shown interest in this project and are looking at future suggestions from India for their moon projects. They also showed interest in joint ventures with ISRO. The commercial benefits that we will get from this project can be invested in the social sector later.”
And for a question regarding leadership, he replied with a quote of John C. Maxwell. “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”
MESSAGE FOR ASPIRANTS
Giving suggestions for RAS aspirants, he said that since it is a long journey, to sustain the energy, health should be a priority. He also advised to give at least two attempts seriously and then decide whether to try again or try for some other career.
He even added a beautiful thought: “Apart from failures, whatever good things you are doing will ultimately guide you towards perfection. So never let yourself think negative for whatever you did not get.”
FUTURE AIM
As for future aim, he still has one attempt left for UPSC, which he hopes to give after full preparation.
And, as a RAS officer, his priority will be hunger and health issues. “If health is bad, nothing good can happen. I will try to implement government schemes and policies smoothly, so that they reach every person,” he said with conviction.
