If you are going to prepare for the civil services exam, considered one of toughest in India, and are facing various dilemmas, then this story is for you. A girl, belonging to a farmer’s family and who fights for her rights in a patriarchal society, fails in her efforts to fulfill her dreams. However, that was not the end as she rises up again fearless and confident and fulfills her dreams without any hurdle. The officer in context is Ms. Tapasya Parihar who became an IAS officer in 2017. She topped the UPSC exam with an All-India Rank (AIR) of 23. She is currently posted as SDM of Sendhwa city of Barwani district, Madhya Pradesh.
Hailing from Jowa village of Narsinghpur in Madhya Pradesh, 29-year-old Ms Tapasya Parihar’s father Vishwas Parihar is a farmer and mother, Jyoti Parihar, is the sarpanch. Tapasya was good in studies since the very beginning. A student of Central School, Tapasya topped her school in both class X and XII and then completed her law studies from the prestigious Indian Law Society Law College, Pune. After this, she came to Delhi to prepare for UPSC. Tapasya joined the UPSC coaching for her first attempt, but she could not find success. However, keeping faith in herself, she focused on her self-study and finally achieved the feat.
TAKING LESSONS FROM FAILURE
IAS officer Ms Tapasya Parihar while speaking with Indian Masterminds said, “Like most of the youth preparing for UPSC, I also joined coaching, but from there I got only one lesson, that self-study is the key to success. However, it’s not a bad idea to have a mentor with you. Because when you are feeling confused and frustrated, then if you have someone with you who can help you in that situation, it will prove to be much better for you. I had such people too. I also joined essay writing classes, which helped me a lot.”
Ms Tapasya added, “It is absolutely wrong to say that one can clear UPSC only after coaching. If you understand the exam pattern, syllabus and the important points of the exam, then you can crack it by studying on your own without any coaching.”
DEALING WITH PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY
The literacy rate of women in the village Ms Tapasya came from is very low and girls there also get married very soon. But this did not happen with Ms Tapasya as she was aware of her rights and what her aim was.
Ms Tapasya said, “I come from a village background, but I have never had any monetary issues as my family was financially strong. My father is a progressive farmer. But it is also a fact that I come from a backward and characteristically patriarchal society, so I must have faced the same kind of social problems as any girl has to face in such circumstances. But you have to fight for your rights. It won’t be served to you on a platter, and you shouldn’t expect it either. I was fortunate that whenever I fought with my family over an issue, they eventually understood my point of view and stood by my side.”
Ms Tapasya further says, “You have to understand that your family is your own. And to achieve your goal, you have to keep on trying.’’
UPSC PREPARATION
After completing law school from Pune, Ms Tapasya started thinking of attempting for the UPSC exam. Tapasya says, “My strategy for UPSC has been is focused on three levels- 1) Make your strategy according to your strengths and weaknesses, 2) Revise as many times as possible and3) Do test your knowledge- I mean is check where you stand among so many people who may be preparing for the same exam. Go through previous year papers and give mock tests. If you want, many of my videos are on YouTube; you can also see in detail from there.”
Tapasya had taken law as her optional subject. She said, “One thing is very clear that there is no shortcut to preparation. If you reach that level of preparadeness, then cracking this exam will not be difficult at all.”
Regarding her work as an administrator, Ms Tapasya says that she has been trying to work with her full potential.
