https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

When Two IPS Officers Shared Their Motivational Journey With CSE Aspirants

IPS officers Dr. Ravinder Singal and Mr. Dinesh MN recently took part in an interactive session organised by UPSC Guide. Dr Singal who is Special IGP, Aurangabad, is also Ironman Triathlon winner, TEDx speaker, and recipient of President's medal for meritorious services. Mr. Dinesh is ADG, Anti-Corruption Bureau, Rajasthan, and is popularly known as the Singham of Rajasthan.
Indian Masterminds Stories

What can be more inspirational for a civil service aspirant than witnessing two senior IPS officers, who have served their country for more than two decades, sharing their experiences and talking about various aspects of their journey, hardships, and positive approaches to life. This happened in an interactive session organized by UPSC Guide recently with Dr Ravinder Singal ,Special IGP, Aurangabad, and Mr. Dinesh MN, ADG Anti-Corruption Bureau, Rajasthan. Both are 1995-batch IPS officers, and they enlightened and delighted the UPSC aspirants and others who attended the session with interesting glimpses of their life. Here’s what they said during the session.

THE BEGINNING

Mr. Dinesh MN completed his engineering in Electronics and Communication from Mysore, Karnataka, and cleared UPSC CSE in his first attempt. Dr. Singal is an academician who cleared CSE while working with Gale India. Both the officers cleared the exam in the same year,1995. Dr. Singal said, “The CSE preparation journey is so beautiful, and its charm is the same as it used to be at our time. One should not consider it as a burden. Everyday there will be a war within yourself and conquering that war of self-doubt is important.”  Mr. Dinesh said that “If I can clear the exam even without reading my optional ever before, anyone with proper strategy can do it.”

HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED

ADG Anti-Corruption Bureau Rajasthan IPS Officer MN DINESH

Both officers shared their experiences on their professional journey. Mr. Singal said, “I try to compare myself with the younger generation to keep myself learning and doing my best. Running, swimming and shooting are my hobbies. Dignity of uniform and personality development always matter for an officer.”

Mr. Dinesh had gone through the bitter experience of suspension due to 7 years of jail for alleged role in encounter killing of a Lashkar-e-Taiba member in 2007. Finally, in 2017,CBI dropped the charges. He talked about motivation as he shared, “I was in jail for 7 years and I realized the fact that we live only once, and one setback cannot decide how I’ll lead the rest of my life.” He quoted Viktor Frankl: “Reacting to circumstances is always in your control.” He was an IPS but without duty, without salary in jail, but accepted that fact and kept himself fit, reading a lot of books, keeping a positive attitude. To do this was under his control. He said, “Jail is like a university for an officer and living with criminals, knowing more about them, later helped me to solve many crime mysteries, especially in mining operations.”

FACE ADVERSITY WITH OPTIMISM

Dr Ravinder Singal, Special IGP, Aurangabad

Both officers see adversity as an opportunity. Mr. Singal said: “Life can’t be rosy all the time as it’s a package of work, marriage, love, rejection, hate, success, failure, disease, death and debt. For a blind person, happiness is just getting his vision back. Everyone has different levels of adversities. So, we need to be prepared for battles.”

Mr. Dinesh shared one of his experiences from jail: “A gangster in jail who had a very good physique used to teach us different kinds of push-ups. One day he asked me how I got into this service and shared his desire to make his son an IPS officer. That touched my heart at how a prisoner who’s been in jail for at least 10 years was so hopeful about the future of his son who was just a kid in nursery school.” By citing this example, he stressed on the kind of optimism that is needed not just for UPSC preparation but for every tough time in life.

DO NOT ENTERTAIN DOUBTS

The officers also shared their mantras for a good life. They quoted ‘Sanshyatma Vinashyati’ from the Gita to indicate the adverse effect of self-doubt. They said that imagination is a tool which, if used in a visionary way, can do wonders. But, when one starts to think more about negativity, the fear multiplies in a thousand ways and can destroy him. They advised not to doubt oneself, and if someone is fearful because of the lack of knowledge of a particular topic or subject, he should just get to work.

They went on to say that not only mental, but physical fitness is equally important. They emphasized on the need for stress-releasing activities like running, exercising, playing, yoga and meditation. According to them, enthusiasm is the key to leading an energized life. Mr. Dinesh said, “The only certainty is death. We have a beautiful life to live. As I lost those precious 7 years of life, I understand the importance of working more and working hard. The service is beautiful and provides lots of opportunities to serve the nation.”

WILLINGNESS TO SERVE SOCIETY

On what should be the ideal qualities of an aspirant, Mr. Dinesh said, “The only qualities are concern and willingness to serve people. If you have them, then other qualities will come with them.” If someone badly wants to join the service, then every battle can be conquered with consistency, perseverance and patience, he remarked.

Mr. Ravinder said that he is a die-hard fan of uniform and if someone wants to serve society in different ways, he or she must join it. “The kind of satisfaction one can get by serving as a first responder is unparalleled,” he added. Both the officers wholeheartedly agreed on one thing: that they derive their strength from the fariyadi that comes to them, and the satisfaction on his face is their only motivation.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Hindustan Shipyard Limited HSL
PESB Declines to Recommend CMD for Hindustan Shipyard; Ministry May Extend Current Chief’s Tenure
IAS Ajitabh Sharma
“80% of Time Spent on Non-Core Tasks”: Rajasthan Principal Secretary Ajitabh Sharma Questions IAS Work Culture, Calls for Reform
Nitin Gadkari
India to Become Net Energy Exporter in 6-7 Years, Highlights Hydrogen and Biofuels: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari
Bank of India - BOI
Bank of India Plans to Raise Rs 20,000 Crore via Infrastructure Bonds in FY 2025-26
BEML Limited
For Operational Excellence, BEML Lays Foundation of State-of-the-Art Central Warehousing Centre in Bilaspur
rec-logo
Green Energy Boost: REC Forms New Subsidiary for 3GW Ananthapuram-II REZ Transmission Project
Bhupendra Patel CM Gujarat
CM Bhupendra Patel’s Pro-People Move: Uniform House Tax of ₹200 Annually for Rural Government-Assisted Homes in Gujarat
CM Nitish Kumar
Bihar: Gaya to Become Bihar’s Largest Industrial Township Under AKIC; ₹16,524 Cr Investment Expected
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-25 at 5.07
Why Has the DGCA Fined Air India Rs 5 Crore Since Privatisation?
Former Diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar
Iran Is Weakest Now, Needs a Face-Saver
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-23 at 12.39
Retired Officers Lead 7-Day Mission to Revive Betwa River with 55 Check Dams | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Sanish Kumar Singh
“If you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way,” Sanish Kumar Singh AIR 8, UPSC IFS 2024 
The real interview, he says, was much more humane. “The board was conversational. The chairman opened...
Raju Wagh
When the Battlefield Became a Study Room and a Dream Took Flight
Amid IED blasts and anti-Maoist operations in Bastar, CRPF Commando Raju Wagh taught village kids, studied...
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-18 at 10.31
"I Just Wanted to Breathe Again": The Man Who Fought Death and Made It to UPSC
Struck by COVID at the peak of his UPSC prep, Devanand Telgote spent months on ECMO, unsure he'd live,...
Social Media
Shailaja Chandra
“Nanis & Dadis Have a Brain”: Former IAS Officer Shailaja Chandra Weighs in on 1970s vs 2025 Life Debate - “This Generation Has It Better”
Responding to Viral Post on Middle-Class Struggles, Ex-Bureaucrat Offers Candid Reflection on Then and...
Tigress Arrowhead
The End of an Era: A Queen Falls - Ranthambore’s Iconic Tigress Arrowhead (T-84) Passes Away at 14, Hours After Daughter’s Relocation
Ranthambore mourns the loss of one of its fiercest and most beloved tigers, Arrowhead, the granddaughter...
Screenshot 2025-06-13 194001
Wild Elephant Disrupts Riverside Picnic, Sparks Debate on Human Encroachment; IFS Parveen Kumar Shares the Video - Watch Here!
Mr. Kaswan used the viral video, which has garnered over 1.5 lakh views, to highlight the risks of human...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Hindustan Shipyard Limited HSL
PESB Declines to Recommend CMD for Hindustan Shipyard; Ministry May Extend Current Chief’s Tenure
IAS Ajitabh Sharma
“80% of Time Spent on Non-Core Tasks”: Rajasthan Principal Secretary Ajitabh Sharma Questions IAS Work Culture, Calls for Reform
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-25 at 5.07
Former Diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-23 at 12.39
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT