My cousin was ranked 42nd all over India in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) this year! In addition, he was ranked first in the city and fourth in the state. More than 1200 aspirants appeared for the exam this year out of which only 900 would get placed in various fields. After two unsuccessful attempts, he says he would've been happy just to get some rank to qualify for IAS, IPS or IFS. This result was far above his humble expectation and immediately brought him into the limelight.
The days after the result passed in a blur for him and his family as reporters kept hounding them for quotes and interviews. Their phones did not stop ringing for days. I felt proud, and touched, to watch him on TV, radio and newspapers talking about the entire experience.
My cousin has been staying in Delhi for the last 3 years preparing for this exam. The competition is tough and study time was 18 hours a day. He stayed away from home for the first time and the experience itself was an eye-opener for him. He slogged uncomplainingly and whenever he was in town he used to demand complete privacy in his room to study. His parents were not allowed to entertain parties at home as it took away from his study time. He barely ate during the days - hated to lose time in eating.
I remember a year ago when he was to attempt this exam for the second time. He had high fever. His parents forced him to board a train and come home. He was then admitted to a local hospital. The diagnosis itself took more than a week. After diagnosis, he had to spend more time in recovering his vitality. Precious time was lost from study in all this. The result - he did not clear the exam. His mom (my aunt) used to cry all the time for the loss of his tremendous efforts. How many astrologers and temples she must've visited to pray for his success!
Then there were those who nodded their heads in condolence in his presence but immediately judged behind his back that he simply did not have what it takes to succeed. 'Its a rat race out there', they said. Many pitied his parents for their blind faith in him. All his friends from college were well-placed with highly-paying secure jobs - some of them overseas. At 25, he was perhaps one of the few from his batch still studying (not earning). All of this changed overnight once the results were out. He is now the most eligible bachelor in town!
Incidences like these reinforce one's faith is the maxim 'There is no alternative to sheer hard work.' My cousin's steadfast belief that he wants to do something for the nation and not migrate to another nation is finally nearing fruition! I was amazed and impressed by his determination to not be tempted to go abroad for work or studies. He even rejected an offer from a well-known IT firm after his engineering degree to pursue his ambition. Well-done bro! You deserve this.
The days after the result passed in a blur for him and his family as reporters kept hounding them for quotes and interviews. Their phones did not stop ringing for days. I felt proud, and touched, to watch him on TV, radio and newspapers talking about the entire experience.
My cousin has been staying in Delhi for the last 3 years preparing for this exam. The competition is tough and study time was 18 hours a day. He stayed away from home for the first time and the experience itself was an eye-opener for him. He slogged uncomplainingly and whenever he was in town he used to demand complete privacy in his room to study. His parents were not allowed to entertain parties at home as it took away from his study time. He barely ate during the days - hated to lose time in eating.
I remember a year ago when he was to attempt this exam for the second time. He had high fever. His parents forced him to board a train and come home. He was then admitted to a local hospital. The diagnosis itself took more than a week. After diagnosis, he had to spend more time in recovering his vitality. Precious time was lost from study in all this. The result - he did not clear the exam. His mom (my aunt) used to cry all the time for the loss of his tremendous efforts. How many astrologers and temples she must've visited to pray for his success!
Then there were those who nodded their heads in condolence in his presence but immediately judged behind his back that he simply did not have what it takes to succeed. 'Its a rat race out there', they said. Many pitied his parents for their blind faith in him. All his friends from college were well-placed with highly-paying secure jobs - some of them overseas. At 25, he was perhaps one of the few from his batch still studying (not earning). All of this changed overnight once the results were out. He is now the most eligible bachelor in town!
Incidences like these reinforce one's faith is the maxim 'There is no alternative to sheer hard work.' My cousin's steadfast belief that he wants to do something for the nation and not migrate to another nation is finally nearing fruition! I was amazed and impressed by his determination to not be tempted to go abroad for work or studies. He even rejected an offer from a well-known IT firm after his engineering degree to pursue his ambition. Well-done bro! You deserve this.
4 comments:
First of all Congratulations to your dear brother.. The success was well deserved.. !
As a post = I loved this one.. it thoroughly showed your passion and emotions .. ! :)
An event worth writing about. I have seen the fruits of hard labor in my own brother and his struggle to get a masters degree.
thanks a lot nilu!!
Well written article. You have captured all the aspects of Aayush's journey very nicely!
It is a great achievement by Aayush and his success is richly deserved. Hats off to his hard work, dedication and perseverance!
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