The word ‘excelsior’ can very well be used to describe Shubham Bhaisare from Maharashtra, for he has cracked almost every competitive exam that he has attempted. After a long journey covering not only UPSC CSE but also other exams such as IES, IFS and IRTS, Shubham achieved his dream of becoming an IAS officer when the results of UPSC CSE 2021 came out.
In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, Shubham talked about his achievements and more.
EARLY LIFE
Born in Armori tehsil of Naxalite affected Gadchiroli district, Maharashtra, Shubham did his schooling from several schools, as his father, Ashok Bhaisare, was a district judge and was transferred a lot. However, he feels privileged that he could receive a chance to study in so many wonderful schools and receive a quality education, something which is not so easily available to other students.
After completing his schooling, Shubham went on to pursue Engineering in Mumbai in 2016. It was at this time that he decided to prepare for Indian Engineering Service (IES) since he wished to work with the government and contribute to society.
“I gave the examination in 2017 and cleared it. I became an IES officer of the 2018 batch by bagging GATE-17 and AIR-57 and served for almost two years in CPWD, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. During that time, I also gave UPSC CSE in 2019 and got selected for the Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS). But since it was my dream to become an IAS officer, I decided to keep on giving the examination, while working on a full-time job simultaneously,” he told Indian Masterminds.
THE MOMENT THAT CHANGED HIS LIFE
Then quite young, Shubham faced a situation in life that paved the way to becoming an IAS officer. Being the son of a judge, Shubham usually came across people wanting to meet and talk to his father. But one such person – an extremely old woman – changed his life. She came to his house looking for his father and seemed easily above 75 years of age. She was carrying a bag of vegetables with her which she wished to gift to his father. While refusing to accept it and asking her to leave, Shubham happened to have a little chat with her, when the lady told him about her agony.
“She was a widow whose son was away. So, she had no one there to support or help her. Moreover, her relatives were trying to capture her property and farm, and she was stuck in the dispute deeply. Seeing her condition, my heart was filled with sympathy and I realized that the only way that I could help more people like her was by becoming an IAS officer, which gives a person the opportunity to make a visible change in someone’s life,” stated Shubham.
SACRIFICES MADE
The biggest challenge that he faced was handling both his job and preparation for UPSC together. He used to read newspapers on his way to and from work. He hardly took any naps and set about to study almost immediately after he reached home.
He kept a calculation of all the office leaves he could accumulate and utilized them to study. He could only go to his home to meet his parents once in 6-8 months. He decided to sacrifice every source of entertainment and social activity and did not attend any festival, family function, or even his best friend’s wedding during that time. He also completely stayed away from social media and uninstalled any app that could distract him from his goal.
CLEARED UPSC FIVE TIMES
Shubham gave the UPSC Civil Service Examination six times and cleared it five times. He failed one attempt by just one mark. After getting IRTS in 2019, he gave the exam again in 2020 and bagged AIR-727.
The same year, he gave Indian Forest Service Examination and bagged AIR-63. He received the Telangana cadre in the same. He was finally able to achieve his dream of becoming an IAS officer in UPSC CSE 2021 by bagging AIR-97.
Shubham wishes to contribute his services to the education sector especially. He wants every student to receive a quality education, irrespective of their social status, caste, creed, or gender.
MESSAGE FOR ASPIRANTS
In his message to all aspirants, Shubham wants to say that there is no shortcut to UPSC and one has to work really hard to achieve that goal. “Stay dedicated to your preparation and study sincerely, and at the end of the day, the sweet victory would be worth it.”
He also wants to remind them to keep a backup in hand, in case things don’t pan out the way they expect them to. He says that the journey can be a bit longer, but one shouldn’t lose focus from one’s goal.
Indian Masterminds wishes Shubham Bhaisare the best of luck in all his future endeavours.
