It always seems impossible until it is done – these are the words of late Nelson Mandela. Visually impaired Sparsh Gupta translated these words into his success story when he cleared the toughest exam of the country, UPSC CSE, with flying colours and went on to become an IAS officer. Indian Masterminds presents his story today – how a positive attitude and determination to succeed can overcome all perceived obstacles in life.
GETTING INTO IAS
Mr. Sparsh Gupta is from Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh. After finishing his B.A.LLB (Hons), he worked with ONGC Gujarat for a few months before deciding to appear in the UPSC Civil Service Examination.
In an interaction with media, he had said, “From being the all India topper in Special Category in my 12th class boards for which I was awarded by the then President, to finishing my B.A.,LLB (Hons) degree from National Law School of India University, Bangalore, despite all odds, and now getting 562 rank in CSE 2018, which is the most competitive and prestigious exam in the country, it has been a roller coaster ride so far.”
In the special category, he ranked 3rd, which made him eligible for IAS.
THE JOURNEY
The journey to IAS was filled with difficulties, but they could not deter him from reaching his goal. He said, “Having cataract by birth and gradually losing vision in both eyes actually inspired and motivated me to achieve greater heights. It is my strong belief that there is nothing called physical disability, disability is always a mental barrier. If one can break that barrier, there is nothing that one cannot fulfill in one’s life and make it meaningful. And if someone has doubts about that, my journey so far is a testimony to the same.”
Being a law graduate, Mr. Gupta opted for Law as his optional. Although in his first two attempts, he could not clear the Mains, with some changes in his third attempt, he cleared the Mains convincingly and went on to crack the CSE exam with AIR 562.
MANTRA FOR PREPARATION
According to Mr. Gupta, “One needs to get a fair idea of the depth of the field in which he is going to enter, and this is not only for CSE but applies in all areas.”
And to measure the depth of the CSE exam, the only tool is its syllabus, he stated. “Syllabus is like a Bible for aspirants, and they should go through it as many times as possible. After that, one needs to do his homework in understanding past year papers. Going through previous year questions helps in understanding the syllabus better as it is so vast. It also helps in note making and creating the list of books.”
ON READING NEWSPAPERS
Emphasizing on the importance of reading newspapers daily, he said, “I would suggest reading news or editorial in the newspaper in such a way as if you yourself is the one who is going to set the question paper. Accordingly, develop your notes so that, at the same time, you can prepare for answer writing, too. Prefer quality over quantity of the content. This is really helpful while you are revising your syllabus close to the exam.”
IMPORTANCE OF MOCK TESTS
According to him, the reason for failure for most of the aspirants is less attempts at mock tests. “In my first two attempts, I couldn’t clear the mains because due to the issue in my eyes, I was unable to practice answer writing through mocks. Doesn’t matter how much you have read and how your knowledge base is, ultimately the thing that matters is your practice of writing and how you format any answer.”
ON ANSWER WRITING IN ETHICS
He further said that answer writing in Ethics is like putting one’s own experiences and values in answers. “So, it is important to have some backup points to argue your views, as it always gives you an edge when you have a practical situation to back your argument.”
TIPS FOR INTERVIEW
His tips for the interview are: “Fill your DAF with full awareness, and always maintain a positive attitude. Think, you are the few select ones to go inside the UPSC building from the front gate! If you go with this kind of attitude, you will definitely come out with flying colors.”
