Kashmir is in a deep freeze as the 40-day harshest spell of winter, locally called ‘chillai kalan’ has started with the minimum temperature already sub-zero in the entire Valley.
Chillai Kalan
Chillai Kalan is the coldest 40-day period of harsh winter of winter in the Jammu and Kashmir region.
It is traditionally defined as a seasonal period of harsh winter accompanied by a change in increase in both frequency and quantity of precipitation usually snow.
It begins from December 21 and ends on January 31 next year.
It is followed by a 20-day long Chillai-Khurd (small cold) that occurs between January 31 and February 19 and a 10-day long Chillai-Bachha (baby cold).
According to Persian tradition, the night of 21st December is celebrated as Shab-e Yalda-“Night of Birth”, or Shab-e Chelleh “Night of Forty”.
Its’ celebration
In the Persian tradition, the night of December 21, the longest of the year, is celebrated as Shab-e-Yalda (night of birth) or Shab-e-Chelleh.
Dozens of netizens from Kashmir named it the ‘Pheran Day’, after the long woollen gown worn during the winters in Kashmir.
Use of a traditional firing pot called Kangri increases.
Tap water pipelines partially freeze during this period. The Dal Lake also freezes.
The famous tourist resort of Gulmarg receives heavy snow which attracts skier’s from every part of the world.
The govt is implementing Seed Village Programme (Beej Gram Yojana) since 2014-15 to upgrade the quality of farmers’ saved seeds.
What do you mean by Seed Village?
It is a village, wherein a trained group of farmers are involved in the production of seeds of various crops and cater to their needs themselves.
Seed Village Programme
This program aims at upgrading the quality of farm-saved seeds.
Under this, financial assistance is available for up to one acre per farmer for distribution of foundation/certified seeds at:
50% of seed cost for cereal crops
60% for pulses, oilseeds, fodder, and green manure crops
Objectives of the program
Increasing the seed production
Increasing the seed replacement rate
Organizing seed production in cluster (or) compact area replacing existing local varieties with new high yielding varieties
Self-sufficiency and self-reliance of the village
Implementation
The present program of seed village scheme is having two phases:
Seed production of different crops: The area which is suitable for raising a particular crop will be selected, and raised with a single variety of a kind.
Establishing seed processing unit: If the seeds are not processed and handled properly, all the past efforts in production may be lost. Thus seed processing and packaging is a very important aspect of seed production.
Benefits offered
Seed is available at the doorsteps of farms at an appropriate time.
Seeds are available at affordable costs even lesser than the market price.
It has increased the confidence among the farmers about the quality because of known sources of production.
It facilitates the fast spread of new cultivars of different kinds.
Back2Basics: Seed Replacement Rate
It is the percentage of area sown out of the total area of the crop planted in the season by using certified/quality seeds other than the farm-saved seed.
In simple terms, it is a measure of the cropped area covered with quality seed.
It’s been 50 years since Bangladesh first began the fight for independence, which resulted in it breaking away from Pakistan to become a separate country. Before this, the area that is now Bangladesh was known as East Pakistan.
In March 1971 the liberation war started, which lasted for nine months and ended with Bangladesh officially having its status as an independent nation recognized on 16 Dec 1971.
Why did East Pakistan want to become independent?
Most people in East Pakistan were part of a racial group called Bengali, and were the majority in Pakistan overall.
However, they feared being dominated and controlled by minority groups in West Pakistan.
They also felt like they were being discriminated against when it came to being given resources or facilities.
Cyclone Bhola caused devastation in November 1970
In 1970 a cyclone hit East Pakistan, causing a lot of damage and the death of 500,000 people.
The central government of Pakistan was accused of being slow to respond and this caused further resentment.
How did the fighting begin?
The conflict was sparked after elections were won by an East Pakistani party, the Awami League, who wanted to give the region more control over how things were run there.
While the political parties and the military argued over forming the new government, many Bengalis started to believe that West Pakistan was deliberately trying to stop this from happening.
The Awami League’s leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman started a campaign, which involved breaking laws to show that they weren’t prepared to accept this.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani army flew in thousands of extra soldiers, and on the evening of 25 March attacked the Awami League, and other people it viewed as a threat.
They also attacked the Hindu community, who made up about 20% of the population. Many of them were forced to become Muslim.
Full-scale war broke out between the Pakistani army and a new unofficial liberation army called the Mukti Bahini, who wanted total independence for East Pakistan.
How was the war won?
Millions of Bengali people decided to leave East Pakistan in search of safety, travelling as refugees to India’s Bengali state West Bengal.
Seeing this, the Indian armed forces got involved in the conflict, taking the side of Bangladeshi forces in the final two weeks of the war and helping them to secure victory.
In the end, the war lasted for nine months with the Pakistani army surrendering and the capital city of Dhaka being freed on 16 December 1971.
After gaining it’s freedom, East Pakistan took on the new name of Bangladesh.
What happened after the war?
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is considered the founder of Bangladesh and was the country’s first President
In 1973 the first parliamentary elections were held and the Awami League won a landslide victory.
But in 1975 there was a military coup, where founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members were killed.
After this Bangladesh spent 15 years under military rule and, although democracy was restored in 1990, the political scene remains unstable.
In more recent years Islamist extremism has increased in the country and there have been some attacks by violent groups, but the country is mostly tolerant and peaceful.
Bangladesh @ 50
As Bangladesh marks the 50th anniversary of its declaration of independence from Pakistan, there is widespread admiration for its remarkably successful economic and social transformation.
Less noted are the profound geopolitical consequences of Bangladesh’s economic rise, including a shift in South Asia’s centre of economic gravity.
In seceding from Pakistan only 25 years after the creation of Pakistan in the name of religion, Bangladesh is the biggest testimony to the enduring truth that religion can’t peacefully unify a nation.
Bangladesh’s special location and political character would not have amounted to much if the nation had not made itself an economic success.
To understand the scale of Bangladesh’s economic transformation relative to Pakistan and India, let us consider two important facts.
First, Bangladesh overtook Pakistan in 2019 to become the second-largest economy in the subcontinent—$303 billion to $279 billion in annual GDP.
Second, the International Monetary Fund announced last year that Bangladesh’s per capita GDP would overtake that of India by a few dollars in 2020.
Beyond geographical inheritance
It is instructive to see how differently Islamabad and Dhaka have leveraged their geographic inheritance.
Pakistan’s strategic community has tended to imagine its unique location in geopolitical terms; Bangladesh, in contrast, has focused on leveraging its geography for economic growth.
To its own detriment, Pakistan insists that commercial links to India must wait until the resolution of the Kashmir question.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, has turned its long frontier with India into a source of economic opportunity.
At the same time, it has also made progress in resolving contentious bilateral issues with New Delhi.
India-Bangladesh ties: An organic transformation
India’s links with Bangladesh are civilization, cultural, social and economic.
There is much that unites the two countries – a shared history and common heritage, linguistic and cultural ties, passion for music, literature and the arts.
India was one of the first countries, along with Bhutan, to recognize Bangladesh as a sovereign state on 6 December 1971.
It is also worth recalling that India shares its longest border of 4,096.7 kilometres with Bangladesh, which is also the fifth-longest border in the contemporary world.
With the onset of economic liberalization in South Asia, they forged greater bilateral engagement and trade.
What are its various dimensions?
(1) Geopolitics
From the perspective of India’s Northeast, Bangladesh is India’s most strategic neighbor, whom New Delhi cannot ever afford to ignore.
India’s dream of ‘Act East Policy’ can only be materialized with the helping hands of Dhaka.
The bridge ‘Maitri Setu’ has been built over the Feni River which flows between the Indian boundary in Tripura State and Bangladesh.
It is set to become the ‘Gateway of North East’ with access to Chittagong Port of Bangladesh, which is just 80 kms from Sabroom.
(2) Connectivity
Perhaps on top of the list is connectivity between India’s mainland and the crucial northeast, which is part of India’s “Look East” Policy.
The only connection between India’s mainland and the northeast was the Chicken’s Neck – a narrow strip of land that has always been a huge security concern.
India and Bangladesh have signed several pacts, so India can actually send goods and passengers over land across Bangladesh, connecting Bengal to Tripura.
In December 2020, Modi met Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during which both leaders agreed to revive the trans-border railway link connecting India’s Chilahati and Bangladesh’s Haldibari.
(3) Security
The other big security concern for India is that Bangladesh should not turn into the frontline of radical terror in the southeast.
India’s relationship with Bangladesh is also linked to its relationship with China.
India did not want Bangladesh to become a pearl in China’s “String of Pearls” strategy to hem in India by using its neighbors.
(4) Trade
Bangladesh is currently India’s biggest trade partner in the South Asian region.
To strengthen and encourage Bangladesh’s trade and commerce, India has given several concessions to Dhaka, including duty-free access to Bangladeshi products into the Indian markets.
New Delhi is also working continually to reduce Non-Tariff Barriers (NTB).
To encourage trade, India is developing the Integrated Check Post in 10 border crossing points to lower NTBs.
(5) Financial assistance
India offered lines of credit worth about $10 billion to Bangladesh as part of development assistance, which includes setting up orphanages, cultural centres, and educational institutions.
India has also simplified the visa process for Bangladeshi tourists and 1.5 million visas were issued in 2019.
During the coronavirus crisis, India provided medical training to Bangladeshi professionals, test kits and medicines, beside the dispatch of vaccine consignments.
(6) Security
The successful security cooperation between the nations resulted in tackling militancy in Bangladesh.
India’s efforts to contain the militant group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh’s activities are an example of engagement on this front.
(7) Settlement of boundaries
After a ruling by the United Nations, India agreed to give up around 19,467 km in the Bay of Bengal without challenging the decision, a move that gave great access to Bangladesh to the resource-rich sea.
The Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) signed between both nations in 2015 facilitated the transfer of 111 enclaves.
There are a few irritants as well…
(1) Illegal migration
This has always been a primary problem for India since the partition of Bengal.
In view of this, recently, the Supreme Court asked the Centre complete the fencing of the India-Bangladesh border soon to check illegal immigration from Bangladesh into Assam.
(2) Dragon is the elephant in the room
In 2016 when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Bangladesh, the smaller country agreed to join the OBOR.
Bangladesh is increasingly tilting towards China due to the Asian giant’s massive trade, infrastructural and defence investments in these countries.
In spite of its Neighborhood First Policy, India has been losing its influence in the region to China.
(3) NRC conundrum
The National Register of Citizens (NRC) has left out 1.9 million Assamese from the list with a group labelled as “illegal immigrants from Bangladesh” living in Assam post-1971.
India plans to seek their repatriation to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh remains firm in its stance that no migrants travelled to Assam illegally during the 1971 war of independence and that the controversial NRC risks hurting relations.
(4) Rohingya Issue
The Rohingya issue and India’s remarks in 2017 on the issue have been upsetting for Bangladesh which has been facing the challenge of providing shelter to more than a million refugees fleeing persecution.
(5) River disputes
India and Bangladesh have failed to conclude a framework agreement to optimize the use of waters from six rivers including the Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, Gumti, Dharla and Dudhkumar, which has been discussed for several months.
No progress was reported on the long-pending Teesta water-sharing agreement either after the recent visit.
Why India still needs Bangladesh?
(1) South Asian geopolitics
Bangladesh has emerged as one of India’s closest partners and second to Bhutan in South Asia. The role of Bangladesh is critical for India’s Act East Policy.
India counts on Dhaka’s support in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) and Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) initiatives.
These collectively complement New Delhi’s Southeast Asia outreach.
(2) Connectivity
Bangladesh’s location is a strategic wedge between mainland India and NE seven states. Each of these states is land-locked and has shorter route to the sea through Bangladesh.
Transit agreement with Bangladesh will spur the socio-economic development of North-East India.
(3) Countering China
Bangladesh uses China card to supplement its bargaining capacity against India.
A ‘neutral’ Bangladesh thus ensures containment of an assertive China in this region.
(4) Fight against terror
Bangladesh has emerged as a key element in sub-regional connectivity initiatives with Pakistan refusing to play ball rendering SAARC ineffective.
In 2016, when India decided to skip the SAARC Summit in Islamabad following a spike in cross-border terror attacks, Bangladesh and Bhutan wasted no time in joining ranks in solidarity with India.
Way forward
The future will present itself with an abundance of opportunities to help the two countries to reach a new plane of bilateral relations higher than ever before.
Both nations should play their diplomatic cards with more maturity and pragmatism, keeping the regional aspirations and nuances of both countries in mind.
A judicious aggregation of regional expectations on both sides of the border will help in achieving their mutual national objectives.
To make the recent gains irreversible, both countries need to continue working on the three Cs — cooperation, collaboration, and consolidation.
Conclusion
The first 50 years have consolidated the foundation of India-Bangladesh relations.
Both have matured in the last decade with development in many areas of cooperation.
The shared colonial legacy, history and socio-cultural bonds demand that the political leadership of the two countries inject momentum into India-Bangladesh relations.
If there’s one aspect of UPSC-CSE preparation that all aspirants struggle equally, then it’s the vast syllabus. There’s no other qualifying exam in India where you would be asked questions from all the subjects (From Science to Ethics, From Polity to Geography) like UPSC-CSE.
Many aspirants get confused when they see many toppers and institutes recommend different books for the same subject. They end up reading all of them. And before they know, there’s only 3 more months for the exam while they have only completed 3 subjects.
Open to All, Free to Attend Live Webinar with Pravin sir & Ravi sir
Do you know that there is a difference between referring a book for a few topics v/s reading the entire book?
And that’s why it appears as if toppers are superhumans who can read nearly 3000-4000 pages for a subject within a month. The reality is however far from true. There are certain books like Pax Indica and Norman Lowe’s World History where only 200-300 pages are meant to be read for UPSC-CSE. An aspirant who doesn’t know this will end up reading the entire 1000 pages!
This coming Thursday, our Civilsdaily mentorsPravin sir & Ravi sir will take time off their busy schedule to share the all encompassing booklist for Prelims and Mains. This booklist has been curated keeping in mind a span of one year with 6-7 hours of studies per day. They will also suggest the best approach to study and understand a particular topic and additional sources to refer (apart from your standard books). They also highlight the PYQs of this topic.
In UPSC-CSE 2020 prelims exam, every 3rd ranker in the top 100 was a Civilsdaily student. Our toppers have time and again mentioned that they found our consolidated booklist useful for preparation.
Key-Takeaways of Free Live Webinar by Pravin sir & Ravi sir
1. What is the best book to refer for a topic in a subject? Based on 6 year paper analysis of UPSC-CSE.
2. What are the common books for both Prelims & Mains. And what are the prelims-specific and mains-specific sources?
3. Ancient & Medieval History is becoming tougher every year. What is the best book you can refer for both?
4. Online sources for UPSC-CSE. What are the subject-wise committee reports you need to read for the exam?
5. Only two consolidated sources for Current Affairs. What are they?
Webinar Details
If you want to get the nuances of UPSC-CSE preparation right in the first go, then this free webinar is for you! Just fill the form and let us know the question you want to ask Pravin and Ravi sir in the one hour long session on Thursday.
All Mains Recommended Aspirants, here is the good news! Civilsdaily is providing a free compilation of the topic-wise data and statistics that will help you write better answers for Mains 2022 examination. If you have difficulty remembering facts, you can use this handbook as a revision material.
We all know how an aspirant can create a good impression and get the extra 2-4 marks in their papers when they write an introduction and conclusion with solid data. The statistics, reports & indices complied by Civilsdaily is based on the past 1-2 year survey and committee reports.
The topics range from Education, Employment, Labour & MSME’s , Infrastructure, Population and Security.
Thirty years ago this week, the Soviet Union collapsed — after seven decades of an expansive global role. Few countries have been as significant as Russia for modern India’s evolution.
Impact of Russian geopolitics on India’s worldviews
Russia’s relations with the West have always had consequences for India’s international relations.
India’s fear of a unipolar world dominated by the US: After the collapse of the USSR in December 1991, the loss of the long-standing Soviet ally left Delhi in fears of a unipolar world dominated by the US.
These anxieties were accentuated by post-Soviet Russia’s quick embrace of the US and the West.
However, by the turn of the millennium, relations between Russia and the West had begun to sour.
That drew India once again closer to Russia.
Russia’s growing closeness to China: Moscow also roped in Beijing to build a new coalition — the RIC — to promote a multipolar world that would limit the dangers of American hyperpower.
Improvement in India-US relations: India’s fears of the unipolar moment turned out to be overblown and Delhi’s ties with Washington began to see rapid improvement since 2000.
The upswing in India’s ties with America, however, coincided with a steady downturn in the relations between Russia and the US.
Tension between Russia and the West
The continuous escalation of tensions between Russia and the West culminated in the last few weeks in Ukraine — at the heart of Europe.
Moscow’s military mobilisation on the frontier with Ukraine — that was part of the Soviet Union until 1991 — raised alarm bells of a new war between the forces of Russia and the US-led European military alliance, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
Last week, Russia presented several proposals for a new European security architecture.
Moscow is calling for an end to NATO’s further eastward expansion.
Moscow also wants NATO to rescind its earlier promise to make Ukraine and Georgia — two former Soviet Republics — members of the military alliance.
Major compromises between US and Russia
The resolution of US-Russian differences, however, involves some major compromises.
Russia aware of the over reliance on China: While Russia has demonstrated that its interests can’t be simply ignored by the West, it also recognises the costs of a prolonged confrontation with the US and Europe and the dangers of relying solely on China to secure its geopolitical interests.
Russia seeking accommodation with US and Europe: While Moscow is unlikely to abandon the partnership with China, there is no doubt that an accommodation with America and Europe is a high priority for Russia.
US to focus on China challenge: The US, which is now focused on the China challenge, appears interested in easing the conflict with Russia.
Despite its extraordinary military resources, Washington can’t afford to fight in both Asia (with China) and Europe (with Russia).
Implications for India
Role of ideological sentiment: While coping with the complex dynamic of Russia’s relations with the West has been an enduring element of independent India’s foreign policy, Delhi’s thinking on Russia has too often been coloured by ideological sentiment.
In Delhi, the tendency is to over-determine Russia’s contradictions with the West.
It is not Russia’s national destiny to forever confront the West.
Russia’s current problems with the West are not about ideological principles.
It is about the terms of an honourable accommodation.
Prior to the 1917 revolution, Russia was a leading part of the European great power system.
Delhi can’t influence the new effort to build a mutually acceptable security order in Europe, but it can welcome and support it.
Role of Asian geopolitics: That the pressure for this attempted reset in Russia’s relations with the West is coming from Asian geopolitics is of some significance.
A reconciliation between Russia and the West will make it a lot easier for India to manage its own security challenges.
Conclusion
Delhi knows that stabilising the Asian balance of power will be difficult without a measure of US-Russian cooperation in Europe. If Moscow — at odds with the West in the last two decades — deepens its current close alignment with Beijing, it will be a lot harder to prevent Chinese dominance over Asia.
The announcement of a cabinet decision to raise the age at marriage for women from 18 to 21 years marks the fruition of a plan that was first revealed almost two years ago when a Task Force was set up for the purpose.
Why the age of marriage of women matters
Age of marriage has bearing on maternal mortality rates, fertility levels, nutrition of mother and child, sex ratios, and, on a different register, education and employment opportunities for women.
It is also argued that other factors — such as poverty and health services — were far more effective as levers for improving women’s and children’s health and nutritional status.
Issues with the decision
[1] Role of poverty neglected
If women who marry at higher ages seem to have better health and nutrition indicators, this is not caused by their marrying later than others — it is because women from better-off groups tend to marry at higher ages.
Conversely, the health indicators of poorer women do not change just because they marry at a higher age.
An illustration of this truth is found in the National Family Health Survey (IV) data, which show that levels of anaemia — which is the highest cause of maternal mortality in India and one of our worst statistics — show no change even at ages of marriage up to 25 years, once we control for other factors.
World Bank study finds no impact on women: Population control was at the heart of the 1978 amendment to the Sarda Act of 1929.
Moreover, reducing fertility rates globally by banning marriage before the age of 18 years is very much on the agenda of international agencies to this very day.
A major multi-country study undertaken by the World Bank in 2017 estimated that “savings” of no less than $5 trillion would accrue if marriage before the age of 18 was eliminated.
But such savings would be mostly due to reductions in fertility and consequent reductions in public health investments due to fewer births.
The same study saw no significant gains from raised age of marriage for women’s decision making, for lowering the levels of violence they face, or helping them find employment.
Restriction on the right of an adult woman: Globally, the age of 18 is widely regarded as the age of adulthood.
It is also viewed as an upper limit in terms of the physical and reproductive maturity of women, as well as the age of majority by child rights conventions to which India is a signatory.
Thus, the proposed move will restrict the rights of already adult women, an issue for legal experts to debate.
Law is meant to set minimum age not the right age: Equally important is the crucial slippage in the arguments made on behalf of the government from the minimum age at marriage to the right age at marriage.
The minimum age is obviously a floor, not a standard or desirable norm.
Laws are meant to set minimum levels, a threshold for triggering legal or penal action, because of the harm that may be done.
Way forward: Address issues that drive empowerment
Going by the NFHS 4 data (2015-16), more than half — 56 per cent — of women in the age group 20-24 years marry before the age of 21 years.
The problem is that the real reasons that drive empowerment are not being addressed, at least not adequately.
Educational attainments have improved enormously in recent years.
But the shocking fact (evident in all major data sets) is that decline in early marriages has been accompanied by a fall in women’s employment rates, that persisted even during the 1990s boom.
Paradoxical outcomes: The proportion of women not in paid work increases at higher ages of marriage!
Complex paradoxes like these are the hallmark of our society.
They cannot be addressed by a legal fix, particularly one that will be very hard to implement.
Consider the question “How the age of marriage of women is connected with the issue of women empowerment? What are the concerns with increasing it to 21 years? Suggest the way forward.“
Conclusion
Instead of criminalising our youth, the government must take concrete steps to really empower women. If they are truly in charge of their own lives — through affordable education, meaningful and decent employment opportunities — they will be able to make better decisions about whether, when and whom to marry.
Why has Civilsdaily Student and Aspiring UPSC 2022 Civil Servant, Ashish Renewed his Program for One More Year With Us?
“Unlike other students in my batch, Ashish has been a dedicated and hardworking UPSC aspirant even before joining us. Since he is unable to prepare for UPSC fulltime, he compensates by studying for 6-7 hours everyday after he completes his work as a bank officer. He is always able to complete the weekly targets assigned to him 2-3 days in advance.”, says Ashish’s Civilsdaily Mentor Pravin sir as he sets the tone of our interview. Pravin sir has been mentoring Ashish for more than a year. Satisfied with his guidance, Ashish has upgraded his program once again for 2022 prelims.
Ashish had started his UPSC-CSE preparation in March 2020. For 6 months, he prepared without comprehending what was written in the books. He followed random videos on Youtube for a topic he didn’t understand and read all the pages of many books recommended by different toppers. Ashish struggled to study a topic concisely. He did not know what was the relevant information he had to gather for a topic. Hence, though he studied hard he was unable to score well in test series. As a result of which, Ashish in his first Civilsdaily Mains Test was able to score only 50 marks out of 250 and 40 out of 200 marks in prelims.
Challenges of Ashish When He Studied Without Mentorship
By July 2020, Ashish decided he cannot waste anymore time and wanted a personal mentor for his UPSC-CSE preparation. He knew he had no time to attend coaching classes so he was particular about the kind of mentor he preferred. Ashish wanted a mentor who could help him minimize his study materials, guide him on how he could judiciously utilize the available time for preparation and set weekly targets for him. “I wanted to do the studying by myself, it’s not classes that I wanted. I wanted someone with whom I can develop micro and macro study plans, someone who evaluates test series frequently and assesses my performance. Someone who motivates me to stay focused when I feel like taking long breaks.” This on surface, might appear as trivial requirements, but let’s not forget that on a daily basis many aspirants grapple with motivation, consistency and time-management issues.
Ashish was unable to find the right mentor till he approached Civilsdaily. ” I was a regular reader of the current affairs compilation at Civilsdaily. That’s when I thought of enrolling in its mentorship program as well.” Under it’s mentorship program, Pravin sir has analyzed the previous year questions from year 1994 onwards for every topic in the syllabus. He will then suggest which book or online source Ashish can read for a particular topic. This way, Ashish is able to read about 2-3 books per subject, but not waste time by reading every page of those books.
Pravin Sir, Civilsdaily Mentor and Two-Time UPSC CSE Interview Aspirant
“To give an example, I asked Ashish to read Ramesh Singh for Fundamentals of Economy but for certain key concepts I asked him to read only from Shankar Ganesh.”, Pravin sir says and continues, “If there is any current affairs in Samachar Manthan that corresponds to what Ashish is reading this week, I will bring it to his notice.” Pravin sir conducts weekly counselling session where Ashish is free to discuss anything that bothers him personally even if it’s not related to his studies. Every aspirant has had those days when it’s been hard to just study. It happens to the best of us sometimes and for some of us, it happens more frequently. And it is understandable, Civil Service preparation is a long and often lonely process. Every aspirant, from toppers to those who have quit have been overwhelmed by this process at some point in time. Working alone is monotonous and that’s why regular counselling is required. “I believe that during this tough preparation phase, an aspirant is vulnerable to the smallest of the negative distractions. Counselling helps them stay on track and not react to anything going around them in an impulsive manner.” Pravin sir has also included all his students in the Habitat Club where he posts inspirational quotes and invites everyone for a weekly zoom session to conduct live answer writing practice sessions. “I conduct this zoom session right before and after the weekly prelims and mains test series. I feel its important for everyone in a group to discuss and debate on how they can improve an answer for a question. Over here, I also show the answer writing copies of other UPSC toppers”
When Ashish first wrote the test series, he had a problem of writing vague points which were not backed by relevant factual data. He also did not give current affairs examples of the points he discussed in his answers.
By November 2020, Ashish learnt how to improve the presentation of his answers by writing shorter points and backing it up with examples wherever necessary. He also highlighted sub-headings as boxes to get the attention of the examiner. However, while concluding, he still made vague points and did not offer solutions to the issues.
In the recent test series conducted on December 9 2021, Ashish improved his answer writing in terms of presentation, valid specific points and solutions, examples and statistics. However, he missed on giving an introduction that could have fetched him 1-2 marks extra by mentioning about the recent cryptocurrency bill.
Right now, Ashish is able to score 105 in advanced prelims test series, 120 in basic prelims test series and 100 out of 250 in advanced mains test series. “I feel reassured when I get timely support from Pravin sir and always look forward to our weekly interactions when I can inform him I completed the modules of the week.” When asked about one particular instance of mentorship that he cherishes, Ashish says, “I did not understand parliamentary committee topic once. Pravin sir was on call with me for half an hour and explained the whole topic till I understood. I really appreciate that from his end.” Ashish told us that Pravin sir directs him to the right videos and sources when he is unable to get conceptual clarity. “This often happens to me when I am reading any topic in international relations. Because of Pravin sir’s support, I am able to understand a topic in lesser time.” Due to the weekly topic wise prelims and mains test series, Ashish has improved his speed and accuracy to a large extent. “While before, I used to take 15-20 minutes to write an answer, now I am able to do so within 10 minutes.”
Get Your First 30 Min Counselling session By a Mentor for Free
At the core of Samanvaya lies the fact that each one of you will have a unique journey while preparing for the exam. Some will get through on the first attempt without much effort while others will take both more time and more effort.
We want to understand you better to help you optimize your journey so you can focus on the right things and not waste time on the wrong ones. We are asking you to tap into the valuable experiences of mentors who underwent the same grind and realize the pitfalls and understand the shortcuts to make it.
In the first counselling session, we will understand your weaknesses. Over 80% of students who claimed to have revised NCERTs twice were unable to answer basic questions. Many were not comfortable with at least 1 GS subject and Optional. Many struggled with ‘What went wrong’ after 2-3 years of hard work. Our mentors will provide free preliminary assignments so that we can assess your preparedness and suggest accurate strategies. We then help you to stick to one plan or strategy throughout your preparation.
Samanvaya Code of Conduct to be followed
However, before you fill the form and get your first 30 minute counselling with us for free, please keep in mind the following —
Be honest with your mentors about your preparation levels and stage.
Follow their advice and participate in tests and assignments that they set for you
Stay active in the telegram groups, ask doubts, don’t hold yourself back.
Don’t expect spoonfeeding. You have to drive the initiative.
HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WRITING ENHANCEMENT(AWE)?
Daily 4 questions from General studies 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be provided to you.
A Mentor’s Comment will be available for all answers. This can be used as a guidance tool but we encourage you to write original answers.
You can write your answer on an A4 sheet and scan/click pictures of the same.
Upload the scanned answer in the comment section of the same question.
Along with the scanned answer, please share your Razor payment ID, so that paid members are given priority.
If you upload the answer on the same day like the answer of 11th October is uploaded on 11th October then your answer will be checked within 72 hours. Also, reviews will be in the order of submission- First come first serve basis
If you are writing answers late, for example, 11th October is uploaded on 13th October, then these answers will be evaluated as per the mentor’s schedule.
We encourage you to write answers on the same day. However, if you are uploading an answer late then tag the mentor like @Staff so that the mentor is notified about your answer.
*In case your answer is not reviewed, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*.
