A famous quote goes something like this, “Deputy? What is the point of being a Deputy? I want to be the Leader.” Having spoken to the budding IAS officer and the Deputy Collector from Odisha’s Bargarh, Mr. Prajnanandan Giri (AIR 24, UPSC CSE 2023), Indian Masterminds realized that no level of comfort can prompt an ambitious man to settle for anything less than what he truly deserves.
Hailing from a small town named Karanjia in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, Mr. Prajnanandan Giri was fairly pragmatic about his life choices. His father works as an Assistant Executive Engineer in the Integrated Tribal Development Agency, and his mother, a homemaker, has a small fly-ash brick-making startup.
He did his schooling at Saraswati Shishu Mandir in Mayurbhanj before pursuing an integrated MSc. Degree in Chemistry from the coveted National Institute of Science. Education, & Research (NISER), Bhubaneshwar. During his final year at the institution, Mr. Giri had an option to actualize his American dream when he got the opportunity to pursue a PhD from universities in the US and Europe owing to his research publications in MSc. At this juncture, a confident yet humble Prajnanandan decided to traverse the ‘road less traveled’ and work hard to achieve his childhood dream of becoming an IAS officer!
While preparing for the UPSC CSE, Mr. Giri chose to appear for the examinations under the Odisha Public Service Commission — his Plan B. Needless to say, he cleared the state PSC examination twice in his two attempts, joining the Odisha Revenue Service in his first attempt and the Odisha Administrative Service in his second attempt, respectively.
During his stint working under the state government, Mr. Giri interacted with many eminent Odisha-cadre IAS officers. He utilized his service hours in an optimal way that catered to his UPSC preparation and inspired him to join the ranks of his seniors.
He appeared for the UPSC CSE 4 times and appeared for the interview twice, before cutting the Gordian knot with an all-India rank of 24 while already serving as a Deputy Collector (Odisha Administrative Service) in the District Bargarh.
Mr. Giri’s initial reaction to the news of him acing the exam was fairly emotional. He said, “I was expecting a rank in the top 200. Initially, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I downloaded the PDF multiple times to verify, and by then my inbox was filled with congratulatory messages. Then I realized, yes, it is true.”
UPSC JOURNEY
Out of his four attempts, Mr. Giri chose to appear for his first two without any formal assistance from any coaching. He studied hard and utilized his local resources to build the foundation that would eventually help him clear the UPSC Prelims and the Odisa PSC-standard examinations.
After joining the ORS and OAS, Mr. Prajnanandan Giri was hardly left with sufficient time to take offline coaching, so he opted for online coaching and made it a point to study for at least four to five hours a day while simultaneously working under the state government. However, when he approached the mains, he battled extra hard and dedicated whatever time he could manage towards his studies. His love for traveling, world geography, geomorphology, and maps prompted him to choose geography as his optional discipline during this arduous journey.
Strategy to ace the exam and advice for aspirants
In 2023, Mr. Giri’s vision was clear, “Cover the entire syllabus (Mains and Optional) at least once and focus on content enrichment — broadening the horizons of knowledge.” He took to online coaching and enrolled in mock tests for both preliminary and mains. For each GS paper, he took four sets of GS mock tests (total 16) and thoroughly devoured the optional syllabus.
The UPSC CSE 2023 topper’s advice to aspirants is simple yet profound. Speaking to Indian Masterminds, Mr. Giri said, “Don’t approach the exam with a steadfast dedication to study for X amount of time each day, instead, choose to make daily, weekly, and monthly plans and conquer the entire journey in small parts.”
FUTURE MISSION
With a laudable rank of 24, budding officer Prajnanandan Giri expects to join the bureaucracy through the Odisha cadre. Having served in the OAS for the last two years, he is familiar with the hurdles faced by the people of Odisha and also by the state’s bureaucrats.
He said, “I have traveled to all the districts of Odisha and have faced many problems myself. I know that I can work well here. My goal or future mission that I wish to achieve through the bureaucracy is to minimize people’s grievances and address their needs. I shall strive to improve the people’s overall standard of living.”
Indian Masterminds wishes Mr. Prajnanandan Giri a glorious future in Indian bureaucracy!
