Journalist Rajat Ubhaykar and author of the book, Truck de India: A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Hindustan, scored AIR 49 in UPSC Civil Services Exam 2020. An interesting aspect of his UPSC journey is that he finished writing his book and his exam preparation around the same time. And both attempts have been a huge success. He now wants to continue this success streak onwards as an IFS officer. In an exclusive interview with Indian Masterminds, he talked about his journey so far as an engineer, a business journalist, an author, and a UPSC CSE qualifier.

AS DIVERSE AS HIS BOOK

Rajat Ubhaykar has quite a diverse background, just like his book. Originally hailing from the Konkan region of Karnataka, he grew up in Mumbai and completed his early education from Sainik School in another district of Maharashtra called Satara. After this, he did his electrical engineering from IIT Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh. On passing out, he joined a management consultancy firm but realised soon that he was not cut out for a desk job and moved on. His interest in exploring new places and learning about his fellow Indians took him on a new path altogether, as he enrolled himself into a post-graduate course on journalism. After completion, he joined Outlook Magazine in Mumbai in the business section. It’s here that he would taste his first major success in work.

RECIPIENT OF POLESTAR AWARD IN JOURNALISM

He worked for three years in Outlook. During his stint there, he received the prestigious PoleStar Award for excellence in business journalism for his article on 3D Printing in Corporates. The PoleStar Journalism Awards were instituted in 1998 and recognise the importance of the role of the Indian journalists and honours the best for their path-breaking contributions.

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WHY INDIAN FOREIGN SERVICE?

Rajat is of the view that “the privilege to present India to the world is unparalleled.” He told Indian Masterminds that from his childhood, he was interested in reading about international affairs, travelling, meeting new people, and learning new languages. “Based on these interests, I imagined myself in an IFS job. I asked myself whether I fit into it and found out that I did. I was confident about it, so I started to prepare for the exam,” he revealed.

ON TRUCK DE INDIA

His level of determination can be judged by the fact that while preparing for UPSC CS, he also finished writing his book, “Truck de India: A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Hindustan. He said he used to keep aside 2 to 3 hours every day for writing his book. Talking about it, he said, “While travelling for this book, I interacted with people from different regions and got to know more about their socio-cultural backgrounds. This enhanced my knowledge of the economy and geography of India.”

In six months, he travelled the length and breadth of the country. Talking about the challenges he faced during his travels, he said, “The first set of challenges were those that truckers themselves have to face – inhospitable weather and the ever-present risk of accidents. The second set of challenges were concerned with the specific nature of my trip – to find truck drivers amenable to the idea of me, a complete stranger, accompanying them on their trips.” 

HIS BOOK CAME UP IN INTERVIEW

His book made it to the UPSC interview round. “The very first question they asked me was, ‘tell us about Truck de India’,” he laughed. He told Indian Masterminds that the idea of the book originated in his college days when he was stuck on a highway near Shimla with his friends, and a truck driver selflessly helped them and even offered them money. This incident touched his heart and remained etched in his memory, which eventually took the form of a book. “Truckers constitute the backbone of India’s economy. It struck me that literally nothing had been written about them. So, I decided to write about them,” he said.

LIKENS CHOOSING OPTIONAL TO CHOOSING LIFE PARTNER

According to Rajat, choosing optional is like choosing a life partner! “You have to spend most of your time with it, so there should be no chance for risk. I chose History as my optional subject as it keeps me engaged in it,” he chuckled. He actually scored good marks of 301 in history optional. Sharing an important tip on how to face the interview, he said that it’s not about just projecting yourself in a favourable light, it’s also about giving respect to the interviewers and making them feel important. “Instead of saying a simple ‘thanks’, I said, ‘it’s been a privilege interacting with the board’, and I could see the smile on their faces!” he revealed.

He summed up with this advice: “CSE is not the end of the world, there is a lot to be achieved. Be it anything, just be consistent with it, and you will surely get what you are made for.”