While lakhs of people leave Indian shores to make their future in a foreign country, Dheenah Dastageer returned to India, after spending 17 years abroad. Hailing from Trivandrum in Kerala, Dheenah grew up in Saudi Arabia, and, also, did her schooling there. However, after completing 10+2, she came back to India. “I wanted to serve our nation,” she says. Read on to find out more about the emotional journey of Dheenah from Saudi to India, and, thereafter, into civil services.
LOVE FOR COUNTRY
In an exclusive Interview with Indian Masterminds, Dheenah Dastageer said, “There were two reasons for me to return to India, one of them was to pursue graduation from an Indian university and the other reason was emotional”.
She claims that NRIs love the country more because they are far away from their motherland. “I wanted to work for the common people, I wanted to serve our nation, and that is why I chose IAS as a career option,” said Dheenah.
It was her strong urge to stay in India only, which made her decide that she won’t choose Indian Foreign Services (IFS) as a career option.
Dheenah did her graduation in Electronics and Communication Engineering from LBS Institute of Technology for Women, Trivandrum, Kerala. After that, she started preparing for the UPSC.
This was her third attempt. Last time, she cleared both prelims and mains, but could not clear the personality test. That’s why she couldn’t make it to the final list.
CIVIL SERVICES DREAM
What inspired her to prepare for civil services? Ms Dheenah replied, “Becoming a civil servant was my childhood dream. Actually, the school environment back in Saudi Arabia inspired me. It was a mini-India. It had students from all parts of our country – the children of Indian diaspora. We had people speaking different languages, reflecting India’s diversity. This inspired me to go back to my country and serve my people”.
She says her second inspiration was her father, an academician. Since her childhood days, discussions in the family were always about news, current affairs and developments. “So, in a way, I prepared for civil services from childhood only,” she chuckled.
WHAT MADE HER CHOOSE GEOGRAPHY
Dheenah is a nature lover. She has a keen interest in various atmospheric phenomenon going around us. This was the reason why she chose Geography as her optional subject. She said, “I’ve liked Geography from my school. In UPSC syllabus, geography overlaps with many other papers, making it easier to study and understand.”
Dheenah believes that optional have a higher weightage in the final rank and selection, so aspirants should always select a subject from their core interests.
HOW THE INTERVIEW ROUND WENT
On being asked about her interview round, Dheenah said, “They mostly asked me personal questions, like where did I graduate from, my ahobbies, achievements and so on.”
HOW SHE PREPARED FOR UPSC
During the conversation with Indian Masterminds, Dheenah revealed, “I used to make daily and weekly plans for my preparation. I made a target and made sure that I gave my 100% to it. Along with it, I made short notes, one for prelims, one for mains, and the other for the personality test. However, other than this, I revised my syllabus as much as I could.”
Dheenah claims that revision is very important to clear UPSC. It is necessary to limit the sources and constantly revise whatever notes and materials one has, because it eventually helps in recreating in the exam. “In my previous attempt, I did not revise properly and recreating in exam became quite a task. That was the only handicap for me,” added Dheenah.
ON USING SOCIAL MEDIA
Like other candidates, Dheenah did not cut herself off from social media. Instead, she used it productively for her preparations. “In my detailed examination form, I mentioned browsing Twitter as one of my hobbies. I open Twitter whenever I get time to look for news and perspectives. I even browsed Twitter half an hour before entering the examination hall,” she said.
“I believe social media can be used both in productive and unproductive manner. I used it to enhance my preparation. I never cut myself off from social media,” she added.
VALUABLE TIPS
According to Dheenah, every aspirant is unique. Each one has his strengths and weaknesses. So, aspirants should focus on systematic planning, depending on which area they are lagging, and should be consistent with it, she summed up.
