At one time, the news of students failing to clear IITs or other prestigious institutes committing or attempting to commit- suicide was not an unheard-of thing. Unfortunately, this fear of failure is now spreading to civil services.

Very recently, Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) aspirant Swapnil Lonkar took away his own life. The 24-year-old allegedly committed suicide at his residence due to frustration caused by the delay in conducting his recruitment interview. According to his family, he felt dejected and was in a state of depression as he could not get the MPSC job despite putting in hard work.

The fact is that lakhs of aspirants- many of them moved by burning desire bordering on desperation- register themselves to give UPSC examinations every year, with the dream of becoming an IAS or IPS officer. But very, very few of them are actually able to achieve the goal. What happens to the rest of them? They either start preparing to give another attempt or move on in life, into a different service and a different life.

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But some can’t take the failure and opt to snuff out their lives.

IT’S A JOB, TREAT IT LIKE ONE: IAS ANDRA VAMSI

In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, the District Magistrate of Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh Mr. Andra Vamsi considered the death of Swapnil Lonkar unfortunate and reiterated that the youth should not rely only upon civil service exams to make their careers.

He said, “Civil service is just a job and therefore, the aspirants should treat it like one. Moreover, it is not the only job opportunity in the world. The society gives innumerable work opportunities to people and one should not assess their capabilities by judging themselves on the basis of an examination.”

Mr. Vamsi believes that one’s life is bigger than the service. “Service is just a part of their life; life should not be a part of their service. Nothing is bigger than life; therefore don’t give it away just like that.”

IPS ABHISHEK YADAV’S TAKE ON THE MATTER

Indian Masterminds talked with the Senior Superintendent of Police of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Abhishek Yadav in this regard.

“Someone must be fresh out of college or still in their graduation and start preparing for the examination, while another person may have quit after few years into a job to pursue the examination, stated the officer.

He stressed that, “the aspirants must be able to assess their family responsibilities and their financial condition, that if their efforts don’t pan out, then what else should they.” In short, they should have a plan B- so as not to fall into the quagmire of dejection.

Mr. Yadav believes that one’s dedication and commitment should be such that they are able to prepare whole-heartedly but their mindset should not just stick to that one thing, as this all-or-nothing-at-all attitude can be self-destructive in case things don’t work out.

“Even the parents and families, because of whom the child might feel under pressure, should be able to motivate them and let them know that clearing an examination is not what their life is all about. Not being able to clear it doesn’t mean the end of the world. There are various other options you can select from and work hard in,” he emphasized.

MAHESH ZAGADE ON MAHARASHTRA GOVERNMENT

Immediately after the news of the aspirant’s death came to light, the Maharashtra Government announced that all the vacant posts in civil services would be filled by the end of July.

Retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Mahesh Zagade has criticized the Maharashtra administration, saying it “does not keep track of the vacant posts or makes advance efforts to fill them up.”

“It seems the government administrative machinery wakes up only after a tragedy. The vacancies should have been filled much before,” Zagade told The Indian Express. “This is a sign of perverted administrative culture, waking up only when a youth has died by suicide, a precious life has been lost… We have to do away with such a warped culture,” he said.

“The MPSC should have a list of posts which will fall vacant in the next year so that it can commence the recruitment process in time. This will also help ensure that the post does not remain vacant even for a day,” he added.

Swapnil Lonkar’s death is an unfortunate event and will not be forgotten. Our only word of advice to all the competitive examination aspirants would be to not consider their failure as the end of the world and to always keep a backup option in their life to fall upon.