Today, Indian Masterminds brings to you the story of Mrs. Pushp Lata, who broke out of the stereotypical image associated with a woman and proved that she can excel in multiple roles at the same time. While smoothly playing the roles of a wife, a mother and a daughter-in-law, she cracked the tough Civil Service Examination in 2017 with AIR 80 and added another role to her life, that of an IAS officer.
BACKGROUND
Pushp Lata hails from a small village called Khusburat, near Rewari in Haryana. She did Bachelor of Scienceand, thereafter, got MBA degree in 2010. Before starting her UPSC preparation, she worked for about three years in the private sector as well as the State Bank of Hyderabad. She says, “In 2015, after spending my time in the private sector, I felt that I want to do something by which I can contribute positively to society and joining Civil Services to fulfill this mean was the best option.”
CHALLENGES
As she embarked on her UPSC journey, she took on all the challenges on the road in stride. She once said in an interview to media, “It was not easy for me to set a goal like CSE and crack it. It was the combined support of my family that boosted my morale a lot.”
Talking about the hurdles on the way, she said, “As I had completed my last higher education in 2010, so I found it difficult to maintain consistency with studies. So, there was a long study gap. Second, being a wife, mother, and daughter-in-law, all the responsibilities were on my shoulders, so there were time constraints. Third, while managing study and home chores, it was hard for me to find time to travel to Delhi to join a coaching institute.”
However, despite all the constraints, she was determined to achieve her UPSC target. So, she strategized to divide her time between her responsibilities and target. She did cost benefit analysis and decided to do self-study by maintaining a balance between her responsibilities and her goal.
HOUSEHOLD WORK AS REFRESHMENT
While many of us may complain about little household chores, Mrs. Pushp took it as a refreshment. She said, “During my preparation, when I used to get tired after long hours of studying, I used to start my household chores, and that was like a refreshment for me.”
She had married in 2011, and when she started to prepare for CSE in 2015, her baby was just 2 years old. But she managed both taking care of her infant and her studies with aplomb. All the while, it was her determination that kept her going strong.
Stressing on its importance, she said, “It’s very important to have determination. When you are determined to do something, all the forces of the universe begin to favor you.”
TIME MANAGEMENT
Mrs. Pushp has proved that enjoying motherhood and building one’s career can go hand in hand. “As this exam requires a lot of time and hardwork, I decided to schedule my study in such a way that things would become manageable. Waking up early around 4 am and dedicating 3-4 hours to studies was a part of my routine. Then I used to study in the afternoon and at night after getting free from all work. Setting small goals like completing 2-3 topics of a particular subject in a day helped me a lot in being consistent with my preparation.”
She admits there were times of self-doubts, like will she be able to compete with lakhs of aspirants who were preparing with the help of coaching institutes? Why was she doing this? Will she stand a chance among those who had been preparing for many years? All these thoughts bothered her. But her family came to her rescue every time she entertained such thoughts and helped build up her confidence again.
MESSAGE TO ASPIRANTS
Mrs. Pushp’s message to all aspirants is: “If I can do this, then why can’t you? It’s not only about UPSC, it’s about everything you want to do in life. Just do it with full determination and do it by heart. Everyone has different circumstances, and the same strategy will not work for all. You are the one who knows yourself better. So, make your strategy accordingly.”
Ms. Pushp Lata is an example of true women power. In her, we saw the powerful woman – the strong woman who is adept at playing many different roles at the same time; for whom, multi-tasking comes naturally.
