When IPS officer Ashok Kumar, DGP Uttarakhand, learned there was no separate source for the UPSC Civil Service Examination Ethics paper, he realized the need to produce a single book that would assist candidates in overcoming this problem. Thus, his recently released book, ‘Ethics Made Easy,’ was born, written exclusively for the Ethics paper.
Indian Masterminds spoke exclusively with the senior officer to get details about his latest book and also know about his other publications as well.
ETHICS MADE EASY
According to Mr. Kumar, it is critical for an aspirant to grasp what kind of ethics they should practice in order to become a better administrator. He wrote ‘Ethics Made Easy,’ a 350-page book, to provide a one-stop answer for everyone.
The book primarily focuses on practical questions from the Ethics examination, similar to those asked in the UPSC exam, so that aspirants thoroughly understand what they would face. The book also includes PYQs from the 2020, 2021, and 2022 exams, with the rest accessible via a QR code in the book that candidates can scan and read.
“We also have answers from previous years’ toppers who excelled in their Ethics paper in particular. Mr. Rajesh Mohan, a friend and colleague, assisted me in co-authoring the book, and it was a fantastic experience,” Mr. Kumar shared.
A PASSIONATE WRITER
A reader turned author, the IPS officer has published four bestsellers, ‘Humans in Khaki’, ‘Cyber Encounters’, ‘Ethics Made Easy’, and ‘Internal Security Of India’, so far.
His love for writing began while he was a student at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. His college conducted several writing and poetry events and the officer first tried his hand at writing poetry during that time. His work was appreciated by one and all which motivated him to write more and work towards his passion.
However, his responsibilities to the country required him to wait for over 20 years before publishing his first book, ‘Humans in Khaki,’ in 2010.
HUMANS IN KHAKI
His book ‘Humans in Khaki’ is a collection of anecdotes and experiences as a police officer across numerous districts. The book has been translated into Bengali, Gujarati and Marathi and was awarded ‘Pt. Govind Ballabh Pant Award’ by Bureau of Police Research and Development, Ministry of Home Affairs.
“The book is about policing, and I want to demonstrate that even though we wear khaki uniforms, we are still humans at heart, and there is no reason to be afraid of us. We are here to protect, assist, and secure the common man. This British tradition of dreading the khaki should be broken,” he told Indian Masterminds.
The book is a collection of 60 stories in which the officer depicts incidents of humanity and assistance exhibited by the police and how they handle severe cases of kidnapping, robberies, rapes, murders, and so on in the most humane way possible.
CYBER ENCOUNTERS
The officer’s second book, ‘Cyber Encounters,’ delves into the world of cybercrime and gives you twelve intriguing stories that highlight the difficulties the police face while dealing with cybercrimes. The book’s foreword is written by Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan.
“Many people deceive others through cybercrime. When we talk about cybercrime, we cover a wide spectrum of frauds that occur throughout the country. My book tells true experiences of cybercrime that we have experienced and teaches how to avoid such crimes in the future and stay safe on the internet,” Mr. Kumar said.
His third book, ‘Internal Security of India,’ was again written with the nation’s UPSC candidates in mind. Because internal security in India is a crucial topic for the UPSC exam and is covered in GS Paper 2 of the Mains and GS Paper 1 of the Prelims, this book will be immensely valuable for all UPSC CS aspirants.
