How a small incident can trigger something big in life and catapult you to bigger heights is proven by the UPSC success story of Shishir Gupta. An IIT chemical engineer who was never satisfied with his job and life abroad, Shishir finally decided to leave his high salaried job and come back to his own country “to do something which synchronized with his purpose in life”.
Indian Masterminds brings you certain glimpses from the life and career journey of CSE 2019 AIR 50 rank-holder, Shishir Gupta, who finally found his true calling after leaving foreign shores and returning to his motherland.
AN INCIDENT THAT SHAPED HIS LIFE
In 2014, when Shishir was earning a fat check as a Chemical Engineer in Abu Dhabi, something happened that made him think of leaving everything and going after his true calling. Speaking to media, he once said, “One of my friends who used to teach girl children in an NGO called me one day and told me to sponsor the entire education of a child. I was happy and agreed. I experienced real happiness in this. From that time onwards, I started to think that I was not born for whatever I was doing doing at that time. My purpose is to serve the citizens of my own country instead of working on a foreign land.” And he made up his mind to join Indian Civil Services.
BACK TO INDIA
Shishir hails from the pink city of Rajasthan, Jaipur. After completing his early education from Jaipur, he joined IIT Bombay. Armed with a degree in Chemical Engineering from here, he joined a company in Abu Dhabi. It was here that that the incident of sponsoring a girl child happened that made him realise that his true calling lies elsewhere. He decided to sit for Indian Civil Services Exam and began preparing for it after job hours. He started reading newspapers, NCERT books and began reading up on important issues related to India. His interest grew with time, and after 2 years in the job, he left Abu Dhabi and returned to his own country.Once back, he made his first attempt to crack UPSC in 2016.
UPSC JOURNEY
Shishir shared what made him opt for mathematics as an optional. “I had appeared in JEE, so I was aware of the level of the examination. I used to teach in IIT Bombay as an associate professor, so some of my fundamentals were already clear. Finally, I decided to opt for Mathematics as my optional and focused my energy on covering 50 to 60 % of the essential syllabus and spent the rest of the time in GS preparation.”
When Shishir was preparing for his first attempt, he had to undergo a surgery just a few months before his Prelims. Also, his grandmother suddenly expired. All these things disturbed him, but he didn’t give up. He couldn’t clear Mains this time. He appeared again in 2017 and fell short by 6 marks in the interview round. In his 3rd attempt, he could not even clear the prelims.This was the most difficult phase for him, but he didn’t let his morale sag and started his preparation again and finally got selected with AIR 50 in 2019.
3D MODEL
According to Shishir,his failures taught him what books couldn’t. He adopted a unique 3D technique to clear CSE in his fourth attempt – Data, Diagram, and Definition. “I started to work on data, which I consider as a tool one can use in almost every answer to strengthen his views. I started using micro diagrams, primarily maps, that I not only used in geography but also in history, concept-related internal securities, disaster management, etc. I went through the syllabus thoroughly and picked some important terms and prepared their separate definitions that eventually became so helpful while writing answers.”
Shishir also said that the UPSC journey teaches one a lot about oneself. One goes through different stages and gets to know about the reality of people – who wants to see you succeed and who doesn’t. “Cut connections with the people who let you down. Always appear in every stage of life seriously. Remember, failure is equally important as success. When you believe in yourself, the world starts to believe in you.”
