At the age of 8-9 years, Viraj used to accompany his father to the zoo, plantation drives, and sometimes the forest. He was mesmerized with his father’s work and at a very young age, he understood how human existence is dependent on the forests. While he marveled at the majestic jungles, at the same time, he also witnessed the ugly side – the devastation and extinction of various species. It was then that he decided to become a DFO (District Forest Officer) and be the voice for the voiceless.
He noted this aim in his diary as a daily reminder not to waver from his goal. The child grew into a young man, but all through the years, he remained faithful to his dream until it was fulfilled with his entry into the Indian Forest Service.
This is the story of Viraj Shrikanth Hosur, who secured AIR 9 in UPSC IFS 2022 exam. The road till here was not easy as he had to encounter multiple failures before finally cracking the exam in 2022.
Speaking to Indian Masterminds, Mr. Hosur said that he is thankful to his family and the Almighty who has given him the opportunity to be part of such noble work. After completion of the foundation course at LBSNAA, he is currently undergoing specialized training at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA) in Dehradun.
CIVILS WAS BACKUP
Born in Dharwad and brought up in different parts of Karnataka, Viraj completed Mechanical Engineering from RV College of Engineering. He had chosen this subject as it is an optional choice for the Indian Forest Service Exam. After completing B.Tech in 2014, he came to Delhi and joined a coaching institute. Unlike many aspirants, his first choice was forest service but since the cut off in Prelims is higher for it, he also appeared for the civil services exam.
In 2015, he gave his first attempt and only applied for civil services as he didn’t want to lose the attempt for forest services. He cracked the prelims and even sat for the mains. In his second and third attempts, he applied for both but could only crack the prelims for CSE and couldn’t make it to the IFS cut off with few marks. The failure in the third attempt broke him. He was devastated and unsure about the journey ahead. So, he took a break and joined a start-up.
However, just 2-3 months into work and he realized that this was not what he really wanted to do, and IFS is his dream service and he shouldn’t give up on it.
Thus, he gave his fourth attempt in 2019. This time, he changed his optional from geography to zoology, to be completely focused on the forest service exam. However, the same story was repeated and he could only crack the prelims for CSE and not IFS. Same was the case in 2020. He fell short by 2-3 marks and could not clear the cut off for IFS.
SUPPORT OF FAMILY
The consecutive failures hit his confidence hard. He decided to break away, and took up a job in an Edu Tech company. He also got married. Looking back today, he gives all credit for his success to his wife and family. They were part of his struggle and motivated him when his confidence had plummeted.
“When you are in such a situation, your struggle becomes the struggle of your family. Even after many failures, my better half never lost confidence in me and always supported me. My mother, father and sister stood by me through thick and thin throughout the journey. I would also like to thank my extended family, friends and everyone who helped me, without whom this would not have been possible.,” said Mr. Hosur.
This time, he only applied for Indian Forest Service as he didn’t want to shift his focus or rely upon any backup. It was a do-or-die situation for him and he didn’t want to take any risk. This clicked as he not only cleared prelims but went on to clear the exam with AIR 9.
The result brought relief and happiness to his family. His father is very proud of him. “The result day was very emotional for all of us. After a long struggle, I was finally being able to live my dream. So, we were all overwhelmed with joy after my selection,” he shared.
PROTECTING FOREST WEALTH
Allotted home cadre, he is very excited to be back in Karnataka after the training. About his future plans, he said, “My focus will be in creating awareness among the community. One person can act as a catalyst but to safeguard our ecology, we need community support.”
He also said that though afforestation is important, but conserving original forest is more important his aim is to protect and conserve the original virgin forests that already exist.
