Growing up in a small town of Odisha called Baripada, Ms. Pranita Das had always been empathetic towards people with lower income. She used to urge her parents and family members to give money to domestic helps and guards. During one such instance, when she was insisting that her uncle give money to someone, he told her that if she really wants to help them, then she should become a civil servant. This stayed on her mind and she made UPSC her goal.
Even though life took her to London, she came back to India to fulfill her dream, and cracked UPSC CSE 2022 with an impressive AIR 42.
TWO WORLDS
Ms. Das did her schooling from Baripada which is part of the Mayurbhanj district, which has a significant tribal population, 5th and then moved to Bhubaneswar. This transition helped her to see the stark inequality in our society. Speaking to Indian Masterminds, she said, “It was the first time I really saw how two places can be totally different. While people were struggling for basic amenities in my town, the lifestyle in Bhubaneswar was fairly comfortable.”
This made her resolve to join civil services even firmer. After finishing 12th from Bhubaneswar and graduating in Economic from St. Xavier’s Kolkata, the time came for her to decide between preparing for UPSC CSE or go for Master’s. Around the same time, she got a scholarship for Master’s in Economics from the University of London. She went, and at that very time, Covid hit and the world came to a standstill. This gave her ample time to start her UPSC preparation.
STARTED TO DOUBT HERSELF
She gave her first attempt in 2020. She was not prepared fully, so couldn’t clear Prelims. In 2021, she missed the Prelims by just two marks. These failures made her doubt herself, but her family kept motivating her and boosting her confidence.
However, she was now unsure about a career in civil services. So, as a backup, she applied for M.Phil in Cambridge University, and got in. “My goal was to be part of policy making. Other than civil services, academia can also provide such an opportunity. Besides that, I like research, so I opted for it,” she said.
Before going to Cambridge, she had given her 2022 CSE attempt, and this time, she cracked both the Prelims and Mains. After giving the Mains, she had to immediately leave for Cambridge. It was here that she prepared for the interview while, at the same time, continuing with her studies. About juggling both, she said, “I devoted fixed time to both. The morning was for M.Phil and evening was for CSE. I tried to stick to that routine. This helped, and I believe anyone in such a situation can get through with a proper routine,” she said.
CRACKING ANSWER WRITING CODE
After Prelims, most aspirants struggle with answer writing. Too much knowledge won’t work if it’s not executed on paper properly. To tackle that issue, she advised, “First thing that one should remember is, don’t go deep into any topic. Have basic understanding and facts. And, always support your answer with examples and graphs.” She said that it didn’t come to her naturally. Only after going through the process, she learned.
IT’S OK TO FAIL
She further said that each one has their own journey and should focus on that. Others can only provide guidance. She wants everybody to get used to the idea that it’s okay to fail. If one is passionate about civil services, they should learn from failures also, and put in the hard work. Even after that, if they don’t make it, then civil services is not the only way to serve the society, she said. “There are too many options and opportunities, using which, you can be an asset for our society and the country.”
