Rasika Islam lives in her family home in Matiabag village in Assam’s Dhubri district. Her parents built a house there 30 years ago after they decided that they would make this village their home after the retirement of her father, Colonel Shahidul Islam. But, they had to move in sooner than they had thought, as the Colonel took voluntary retirement.
For Rasika, other than this being the family home, there is another emotional attachment that binds her to it – her specially abled younger brother Shaisul Islam. She wants to be always close to him so that she can be his primary caregiver.
Today, from this house, she has topped the Assam Public Service Commission CCE 2022 exam, securing Rank 1 with self study, and is on her way to becoming an executive magistrate. She is already working in government service as Inspector of Taxes after having cleared the 2018 CCE exam.
In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, Ms. Islam gave details about her journey till here.
ARMY BACKGROUND
Having studied in schools all over the country because of her father’s army postings, Rasika, however, decided to finish her boards and graduation from Guwahati. She passed her 10th from Sanskruti Gurukul and 12th from Narengi Army School. Thereafter, she graduated in Botany from Cotton College in 2016.
“Right after graduation, I started preparing for civils. I moved back to Matiabag village to study as I wanted to be close to my 25-year-old brother who has cerebral palsy, and be his primary caregiver,” she said.
Having the daughter at home made it easier for mother Mrs. Raihana Islam, a homemaker who has devoted her life to taking care of her family.
UPSC EXPERIENCE
Rasika had appeared for UPSC CSE four times, but could not clear Prelims. She even took coaching in Chennai for few months, which ultimately helped her to top the state competitive exam.
“UPSC is the mother of all exams. My recurring problem was the CSAT paper. However, the coaching helped me in the state exam by creating a certain clarity in me. I returned home after the coaching as I felt that being with my brother would be better for my mental health,” she said.
She has given the UPSC Prelims this time too. However, she is not sure about going any further. She said, “I want to see how this works. I am going to become an executive magistrate. That is close to what an IAS officer does. So, it is the second best option for me.”
PRAISES PROCESS
Rasika had cleared the 2018 state civils too, after a long drawn process. Final results were declared in 2020 December and she joined as Inspector of Taxes in February 2021. She could not clear another attempt in 2021. This time was, in fact, her third attempt, and she emerged the topper.
Praising the last exam process, she said, “It was extremely timebound and smooth. The entire process took less than a year. Prelims was held in March 2023, Mains in July, and Interview in November. And, results have come out in Jan 2024.”
TRADITIONAL APPROACH
She followed a traditional studying approach this time, and it worked. “The key is to keep it simple. There is so much noise around competitive exams. So much information overdose! What one needs to do is cut through the noise and just cater to the basics. By basics, I mean the syllabus and previous years’ questions papers. And, of course NCERTs and Laxmikant for Polity, the backbone for any competitive exam.”
She added that the Assam government’s monthly newspaper, ‘Axom Borta’ was one of the focal points for her Assam paper and it helped her in all stages of the exam.
FOCUSSED ON ‘TWO’
While preparing, she mainly focussed on two things – conception clarity and answer writing practise. “I focussed on understanding the topics in the syllabus And, then, being able to express what I understood, through my answers. This changed the game for me.”
She explained that a lucid style of expression in her writings helped. “Questions are very subjective. Anybody can answer them. However, aggressive questions demand the right ingredients in answers. I wrote most of the body in points and numbered them so that the examiner could know that my understanding is thorough. I also added small garnish wherever I could, like current affairs, renowned names, diagrams, to give that extra edge.”
TACKLING INTERVIEW
Her interview was smooth and to her satisfaction. One of the questions that touched her heart was, “What steps can be taken to take Assam to the top 5 states in the country?”
“I gave a multi-dimentional answer, focussing on economic as well as social aspects. I pointed out our strong sectors like multi-model logistics in tourism and the Dhubri-Phulbari bridge which will connect Assam to South East Asia. As for social aspects, I talked about maternal mortality rate and women safety. That made the difference. They could sense that I had a multi-pronged approach,” Rasika said.
She never counted hours while studying. Someday, she would read newspapers for an hour in the morning. Some days, she would study for 10 hours straight. “As I am married and am working, even if I could fit in half an hour of study, I made sure I had a proper understanding and made extensive notes. And, towards the end, I focused on these notes,” she said.
In a message for aspirants, she added that “if you understand the demand of the exam, you will clear it.”
COUNTING BLESSINGS
Rasika got married in March 2022 to an ACS officer from her previous batch, Roushinul Alom. He is posted as Election Officer in Bilashipara in the same district as hers. Although he gets government accommodation, the couple prefers to live in Rasika’s parental house to allow her to be close to her brother. “I thank my husband and my in-laws for being so supportive. A week before my marriage, I was writing the Mains!”
Her brother is thrilled and has not stopped smiling ever since the result came. And this makes her happiness double.
“He is the light of my life. Everything revolves around him. That I was able to be close to him during the preparation and my work, is a blessing! When he got to know about my result, he called me for a long hug. And, we were just silent. In moments like this, what do you tell each other?” she asked, her soft voice quivering with deep emotions.
Indeed, it is rightly said, when the heart is full, words are few.
