By Preana Chettri
SHILLONG:
Whoever thought knowing the art of cooking could help crack the UPSC Civil Services Examination?
Shillong’s Ankur Das does, and after having secured the 52nd rank in the 2022 edition, the results of which were declared on Monday, many may just tend to agree.
Speaking to The Meghalayan, he contended being a cook helps one in solving the problems in administration.
Das said cooking is a lot similar to cracking the UPSC. ‘’Making a dish is like solving a problem. You need to have the right mix of ingredients (resources), and know the right time to use them in the most optimum manner possible.’’
‘’As one of my hobbies, I love baking and cooking, it’s very much therapeutic,’’ he says.
As for the exam, he says it is “a marathon not a sprint” –an enduring task that requires dedication, determination, will power, and an ability to overcome obstacles and failures.
Learning from each of his earlier attempts at tackling the nuances of the exam that requires knowledge unparalleled by any other exam in the country, the 2017 graduate from Amity University, Noida, Das managed to sail through one of the toughest exams in the country in his fifth attempt.
Describing the feat as a “dream come true,” the 27-year-old said that he wants to join the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) as he is keen to work for the deprived and poor sections of society.
He said that consistency and focus are a must to succeed in the civil services exam.
“I always wanted to join the civil services. My father was always an inspiration,” says Das.
Sometime in 2020, UPSC declared that he couldn’t make it, that was his fourth attempt. Thus, at the end of four gruelling attempts and five years of toil, there he was. From that point, for him to make another attempt was to risk another failure, and he couldn’t afford it.
‘’Slowly and surely, as we face hurdles and endure suffering, the exam takes centre stage and getting through it becomes our only objective because no one prepares thinking of writing this exam twice,’’ says Das.
A student of St Edmund’s School and Army Public School in Shillong, Das also secured the second position in the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) in 2011.
Sharing his keen observational skills to weave good answers, he said, ‘’In your writing, you should be able to convince the examiner of what you are trying to convey. Be selective in what you read and what information you choose to retain from the exam point of view,” he says.
After qualifying for the mains exam, Das preferred to opt for the Assam Meghalaya cadre, saying, ‘’I hope to serve my state.’’
The 27-year-old gives credit for his success to his parents, teachers and friends for being a constant support, which required a lot of hard work and patience.
“My parents never questioned my repeated failures. They shielded me from disparaging remarks from people around. They gave me a safe space to study,’’ adding that ‘’the happiness I sensed seeing their faces is much more than anything. And at that moment I told myself this: all the effort, all the pain and all the suffering was well worth it.
Today, at the end of his UPSC journey, Das stands with a firm newfound belief- ‘’when you own your failures, you become a better person. And when you work hard to overcome them, you win. And win big.’’
Congratulating Das, , Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui took to Twitter and wrote, ‘’ Congratulations Mr Ankur Das for securing the UPSC CivilServices Exam 2021. Wishing you good health & give you wisdom in the service of the nation in the years to come. May you inspire the youth of Meghalaya so that more will be successful in their career(sic).’’
On the other hand, East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner Isawanda Laloo tweeted, “Heartiest congratulations to Ankur Das from Shillong who has cleared the UPSC examination this year with an All India rank of 52. A tremendous achievement! Best wishes to him (sic).’’
When contacted by The Meghalayan about Das’s phenomenal performance and what it means for all the UPSC aspirants of the state, Laloo said, “It is a great achievement by Ankur, and very welcome news for all of us. I am thrilled that someone from Meghalaya has cleared UPSC CSE this year, and am happy to learn that he has opted for home cadre, in order to get a chance to serve the state. We need many more young people to aspire and work towards clearing the All India Services, and I hope Ankur’s phenomenal achievement will inspire and motivate many more boys and girls from Meghalaya to sit for this exam.”
Laloo also said that she was the last person to get into the Indian Administrative service from the state in 2013, after which a few of them cleared but were allocated other services as their rank was not within the IAS allocation criteria.
“Ankur is the next candidate after me to get into IAS, and that has come after a gap of many years,” an elated deputy commissioner said.