https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Meet Aerospace Engineer Who Cleared Prelims 7 Times, Became IFS Officer This Year

Bhuvaneswar Babu cracked IFS-2022 in his 6th attempt He failed in 5 mains exam because of his negligence of answer writing practice He has cleared the UPSC-2023 Prelims as well, but will not go for Mains
Indian Masterminds Stories

Like every other aspirant anxiously waiting for IFS result, so was Bhuvaneswar Babu. And it came in the most unexpected way. He got a PDF of the result on Telegram. First, he thought that it might be fake as it was Saturday and UPSC would be closed. However, with trembling hands, as he scrolled through, suddenly his name flashed before his eyes. He thought his eyes were tricking him, just like his fate had been deceiving him continuously since 2016. So he checked for the name of his close friend, Venkata Srikanth. He was shocked to see Srikanth’s name at AIR 1. He immediately called him up. Srikanth confirmed that, yes, it was indeed the genuine list of result.

At that moment, Bhuvaneswar heaved a sigh of relief and became a little emotional. The time has finally arrived, for which he had waited for eight long years!

The dream that he had carefully nurtured over the years was finally coming true! His story of grit is inspirational for everyone.

SUCCESS AT LAST

Aerospace engineer Nara Bhuvaneswar Babu from Andhra Pradesh cracked the IFS-2022 with AIR 31. It was his second attempt for IFS, and overall it was his 7th attempt for UPSC. He saw consistent failures for years, but never gave up. Though, there was no back-up plans and he faced mental tensions, he stood firm on his dream and continued with his efforts to make it come true. His entire UPSC journey is a testimony to why aspirants should have clear goals that should strive for come what may.

Tracking with friend and waving tri-colour after finishing the track

JOURNEY SO FAR

Bhuvaneswar started his preparation in 2015, soon after his graduation. Earlier, he was only preparing for UPSC CSE as his aim was to get into IAS. But in 2021, he moved towards IFS. He gave eight attempts in all, including the successful 2023 one. He had cleared all Prelims, but was able to clear only the 2021 Mains, in his past attempts.

He gave his first attempt in 2016, but could not clear the Mains. After that, till 2021, he cleared Prelims continuously, including the cut off for IFS. But, he had not filled the IFS option till 2021. Learning from his mistakes, in UPSC-2021, he completely skipped CSE and focussed only on IFS, as he understood that preparing for both the exams can be very stressful.

Interestingly, that year fate played a trick on him as he cleared the CSE Prelims cut off, but not the IFS. Speaking with Indian Masterminds, he said, “Before a month of UPSC-2021 Prelims, I had my marriage and that affected my cut off. I could not prepare for Current Affairs properly which impacted my result. But, finally in IFS-2022, I succeeded. It’s been a very long journey of almost 8 years.”

WHY CIVIL SERVICES AFTER SPACE SCIENCE

One would be curious to know why an aerospace engineer chose another career for himself. Bhuvaneswar has a simple reply: “After 12th I joined Aerospace Engineering and was eager to study that subject. But when i was doing my graduation, I came to know about civil services in detail. In those days, one of my cousins also got selected to IAS. That was the time I developed more interest towards civil services. And soon after completing my graduation, I started preparing for it.”

He further said that his love for forests also increased day by day. Now, he is happy with IFS because here, he will always get to work with greenery, be in the forest, and work towards its conservation.

Celebrating success: With his parents and other family members

BACKGROUND

He belongs to Madanapalle city in the Annamayya district of Andhra Pradesh. He is the only child of his parents who are teachers. He did his schooling in his home town till his 12th.

After that, he completed his B.Tech in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, in 2015. Soon after, he started preparing for the civil services exam.

UPSC

His preparation was time bound. In the initial years, he never focussed much on answer writing. Perhaps, that is why even after clearing Prelims every year, he could not clear the Mains. He said, “The reason behind my continuous failures in Mains was, not paying much attention to answer writing. It was a big mistake that kept me away from success for many years.”

His optional in IFS were Geology and Forestry. For CSE, his optional was PSIR (Political Science and International Relations). He took coaching for his optionals, but prepared his GS paper by himself. For Geology, he studied Planet notes. For Forestry, he read Manikandan.

He said, “One needs very wide knowledge to clear the cut off for Prelims. For three months before Prelims, I continuously focussed on the exam and studied at least 10 hours per day. I studied current affairs, brushed up and revised static questions that I had read. While, for Mains, I practised answer writing a lot.”

His strategy was to first solve many test papers and PYQs with timely revision of GS and optional. So that he would have ample time to read current affairs later.

On the top of snow mountain

INTERVIEW

His Interview was DAF based and on his interests. There were many questions on his educational background.

He was asked why he switched from engineering to UPSC? Also, why he has more interest in IFS than IAS?

COPING WITH FAILURES

How did he cope with failure year after year? He replied: “I am lucky that my parents were always supportive.”

But, still, to wait for seven years for success is a long time. But, he kept going. He explained, “It was not an easy journey as I suffered mental tensions after I did not get selected. At the same time, I saw my friends going ahead in their career and I felt left behind. It is always good to have a backup option. I did not have it then, which was a big mistake. It took a toll on me as I constantly worried about my future and was not able to focus on my goal.”

Bhuvaneswar Babu, IFS-2022, AIR 31

MESSAGE

Having gone through a difficult long journey, he has a message for aspirants, “Competition has gone up a lot. So aspirants seriously need to make a good effort and not waste their time like I did in the initial days of preparation. And it would be better if you practise answer writing beforehand.”

He also touched briefly on social media, saying that it is a distraction but also a good source if wisely used. One has to learn to balance, he concluded.


Indian Masterminds Stories
Related Stories
NEWS
NTPC
NTPC Bongaigaon Supports Bodoland Artisans with New Dormitory Facility
BHEL_resized
BHEL’s Bangalore Electronics Division Receives GreenCo Gold Rating
SJVN
Rajendra Prasad Goyal’s Appointment to SJVN as Director (Finance) Extended - Know More About Him
Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd
GRSE Unveils New Logo on Its 66th Raising Day
SBI_resized
SBI Appoints Shamsher Singh as Nominee Director of SBI Cards & Payment Services - Know About Him
PFC logo resized Power Finance Corporation Ltd
Usha Nair Re-Appointed, Tantri and Keila Join PFC Board as Non-Official Directors - Know About Them
civil aviation
IAS Samir Kumar Sinha Appointed Secy, Ministry of Civil Aviation - Know More About Him
international big cat alliance IBCA
India to Host International Big Cat Alliance Headquarters; Govt Grants ₹150 Crore for Global Wildlife Conservation
Videos
IRS Padmapani Bora UPSC
IRS Padmapani Bora’s 16-Year-Long Journey in Governance
WhatsApp Image 2025-04-13 at 1.46
This Collector Finds Happiness In Squeaks Of Children With Hearing Impairment Who Start Hearing After Surgery
Meghashree D R IAS
How Wayanad’s Women Turned a Disaster into a Dream Project
UPSC Stories
IRS Padmapani Bora UPSC
IRS Padmapani Bora’s 16-Year-Long Journey in Governance
IRS officer Padmapani Bora's 16-year career transcends typical bureaucracy. Discover his surprising journey...
IAS T Rahul Kumar reddy
How This IAS Officer Overcame 4 Consecutive Mains Failures & 1 Interview Rejection
IAS Officer T. Rahul Kumar Reddy’s journey to success was marked by perseverance through six UPSC attempts....
Indrajeet Sirra IFS new
How This IFS Officer’s Journey Teaches Aspirants to Never Miss Any Opportunity in Their UPSC Dream
Indrajeet Sirra’s journey to becoming an IFS officer after five UPSC attempts teaches aspirants the importance...
Social Media
IAS Vaishali Chopra
Young IAS Vaishali Chopra Takes a Stand Against Caste Bias During Field Training in Uttar Pradesh
While the issue itself may seem small, the post is resonating widely online for its honest reflection...
Tiger
IAS Officer Sanjay Kumar Shares Mesmerising Tigress Patrol Video from Dudhwa Tiger Reserve
In the video, the tigress is seen cooling off in her preferred waterhole before embarking on her evening...
comp-61_1744872235
Tigress Hunts Sambhar in Front of Tourists at Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve – Video Goes Viral
The incident took place in the Chakradhara area of Tala Zone, one of the most popular safari zones in...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
NTPC
NTPC Bongaigaon Supports Bodoland Artisans with New Dormitory Facility
BHEL_resized
BHEL’s Bangalore Electronics Division Receives GreenCo Gold Rating
Videos
IRS Padmapani Bora UPSC
WhatsApp Image 2025-04-13 at 1.46
Meghashree D R IAS
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT