The journey of this IAS officer proves that age is no bar when it comes to clearing the toughest examination of the country. He cracked UPSC Civil Services Examination while doing parenting along with a full-time job at Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Today, Indian Masterminds brings to you the UPSC success story of 2018-batch IAS officer Saurabh Bhuwania of Jharkhand cadre.
RBI TO CSE
Born and brought up in Dumka, Jharkhand, IAS officer Saurabh Bhuwania has done his graduation in commerce from St. Xaviers College, Kolkata, West Bengal. He has also completed his CA and CS. Thereafter, he did his MBA from Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), University of Delhi in 2015. It was during his job at Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that he came across many aspirants preparing for civil services examination which helped him figure out civil services as his prime goal. He cleared the examination in his second attempt, as he failed to clear Mains in his first attempt in 2017 due to lack of answer writing practice.
“I liked my job and banking was and is still interesting for me. But I always wanted my work to benefit people. Multiple factors advanced my liking for UPSC. My father owned a printing press where government officials often visited. He always held high regard for them,” he had said while speaking to media.
Not only this, one of the biggest influences that made Mr. Bhuwania choose Civil Services was the way of working of the then District Collector of Dumka, who interacted with the people to understand their problems.
Mr. Bhuwania decided to take a risk in his 30s and started preparing for the UPSC examination. His father and wife were his biggest cheerleaders, who stood by him during his preparation.
PARENTING AND FULL-TIME JOB
While he was preparing for the examination, he got the news that he and his wife were expecting. This was the time when Mr. Bhuwania’s responsibilities increased. But he managed all the responsibilities diligently. Along with his preparation, he managed to look after his wife and his full-time job at RBI, too.
It took him some months to adjust to the cycle of studying pattern. Due to his job, he could manage to study only 4-5 hours a day. However, he studied for 7-8 hours on weekends. “If I did not wake up early, I would cover it up by studying at night. I also used my coffee and lunch breaks for scrolling through the news. I tried to end the psychological pressure by thinking of ways to make up.”
Weeks before the prelims examination of his first attempt, his wife delivered a baby boy. He says that he was never a last-minute learner. So, his new born child never affected his studies. He was with his books in the hospital, right next to his child and his wife. He gave the prelims, but unfortunately, he could not clear the mains examination due to lack of answer writing practice. “I had almost forgotten how to write in a limited time. My answers were not structured well, they were lengthy and mainly were irrelevant to the questions,” he said.
SECOND ATTEMPT
After failing to clear the mains examination, Mr. Bhuwania at first thought of giving up, but something told him to give one more try and he started anew in the year 2018. This time, he made a planned timetable to study, do his job, and spend time with his family.
He prepared well this time and cleared prelims and then mains examination with pretty good marks. Next was the interview round, for which Mr. Bhuwania was already prepared. “I have given several interviews, and so the interview part was much easier for me than the mains. I already knew that all I had to do now was to clear the interview round. Taking no risk, I joined classes,” he said.
Finally, the day arrived when he cleared his interview round and cracked CSE with All India Rank 113.
“It does not matter if you are a parent or a working professional. Taking out five hours is not impossible. All you have to do is sustain the momentum. Do not let a small headache or a family function come in your way. Willpower and discipline are two of your biggest strengths that can lead you to success. Set your goal and embark on it without fear and doubts,” he said.
IAS officer Saurabh Bhuwania’s success story makes it crystal clear that age and time can never be a hurdle or an excuse. If one has determination and zeal to achieve their dream, they can achieve it despite end number of challenges. It was his right attitude and experience which helped him to come this far and achieve his prime goal of becoming an IAS officer to serve the country.
