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There is a distinct enthusiasm and fascination for the Civil Services entrance exam among the Indian Youth. Despite the slim chances of passing the three-level test, nearly 100,000 people from all over India sit for this exceedingly competitive exam each year. Let us decode this hype of UPSC through the perspectives of students.

The craze for the UPSC is nothing new in our country, it’s something we’ve all seen but never given much thought to. We all have friends, family, and neighbours who occasionally encourage us to consider this field as a career option. Or, we have all probably seen viral clips on social media of officers performing their regular duties while a catchy sound or patriotic song is added, giving the image of the officer a completely different tone.

Delhi is known as the pilgrimage to prepare for such government exams. A large proportion of Delhi University students are UPSC applicants, with many having passed the exam and currently working in this profession. Being a student at Delhi University, I’ve encountered a lot of students who choose to complete their graduate degrees in the capital in order to simultaneously prepare for this exam.

Simply visiting Old Rajinder Nagar or Mukherjee Nagar, one might experience this atmosphere of stress. Here everyone from rickshaw drivers to tea vendors, teachers, learners, and residents are invested in this exam. From current affairs magazines hoarded in stalls to coaching centres claiming to have guided the rank holders. Aspirants’ rooms are set up with world maps, LBSNAA posters and sticky notes with capsule notes to memorise. The day seems to go on forever here. Some aspirants get up at four in the morning to study, while others stay up till the dawn. It’s popularly said that “UPSC is a marathon, not a sprint.” This determination of aspirants can be witnessed in such places.

After leaving my hometown for greater prospects in Delhi, I’ve dealt with the passive pressure to take the exam, and many others, like me, develop the same sense of insecurity that they will miss out on something amazing if they don’t sit for UPSC once in their lives. Many young people are motivated to apply for jobs in the government by both – the exam and the personality of the officers. I personally witnessed this during the first week of my college, when a well-known civil servant was brought to our institution and the auditorium was packed with young students; it was crowded, but the students were willing to sit on the floor only to hear the officer speak. This officer had just passed the exam two years before, and she had only just begun her actual journey, but she was already a star in the eyes of these young brains yearning to hear her views. It was like seeing a swarm of admirers adoring their favorite movie star; such is the allure of a civil servant.

We learnt from our conversations with students across Delhi that they view the job profile of a public servant as very dynamic. With the added benefits of being a government officer, a well-respected position in society, and the appreciation and love one gets after passing the exam as something many people desire. Many students nevertheless hold the view that what genuinely drives them is the chance to work at the grassroots level and the ability to change the world.

Before profession, the process itself makes most of the individuals disciplined, hardworking, diligent and responsible which then reflects in the work they do on field. The study for this exam is such that it gives you knowledge important to understand the working of the society and in turn makes you a well-informed citizens. The position demands a lot of responsibility from the individual which keeps him/her committed to the work.” – A graduate from Hansraj College, DU.

An aspirant from Jamia Milia Islamia adds,

I’ve analysed my skill-set and I hope to make an informed decision of going into the services and using them to the best of my ability. Apart from that, a will to give back to society in whichever way possible and the perks of a government job do not hurt the goal as well.”

One of the main reasons why the exam is so popular and hence favoured by students is that they believe the administrative positions thus offer exceptional benefits, as well as respect and plenty of possibility for advancement.

Even though thousands of students prepare for the exam each year, not all of them excel. The success rate for UPSC is less than 1%. The harsh competition makes it difficult to place everyone where they want to be, despite the fact that people may have ambitious goals. This is the reality of numerous competitive exams in India. The exam offers a certain number of attempts to the candidates, which is also dependent on their age and category. For the Civil Services, on an average, it takes candidates more than two years to pass the exam, or roughly three to four attempts to raise their chance of being chosen. There is a peculiar fascination to this exam even when only a small percentage is chosen. Many students simply ‘appear’ for the exam for the experience, but the pressure it produces is difficult to overcome

According to a Byjus study,

Among lakhs of candidates appearing for the exam, only a few thousand are serious about this exam, and we can roughly keep the number of serious candidates as 45,000.”

While students may be driven to work in administration, the quality of their preparation determines their success, therefore there is a fine line between those who dream of the UPSC and those who actually aim for it.

Taking career risks is still uncommon in our nation, where individuals prioritise employment security, rewarding careers, and recognition. In this atmosphere where a well-established career is valued, it’s surprising to see how students take multiple drops to try their luck again.

However, one cannot completely dismiss the other reasons why flocks of students prepare for the exam. It is also a sad reality that societal expectations and familial pressure influence the bulk of students’ decisions, with UPSC contributing a part in it. Schools and colleges sell the dream of UPSC to students without properly analysing the child’s interests. While many students wish to take this exam, some believe that even if their family influenced their decision, they finally came to like it. Among these two groups, we must not overlook individuals who are compelled to pursue UPSC as a career option without identifying what the work actually entails.

Once you tell your relatives that you’re preparing for UPSC, the respect for you shoots up but so do the expectations. This is because of the public image of the job. A common person can’t see the prime minister or Elon musk for that matter, but they’ve definitely been close to the DM or SDM of their area and saw their might. People believe what they can see.”– A student from Hindu College, DU.

We are bombarded with success and failure stories every year after UPSC results are declared. What stays hidden from us is that many people might clear the exam but are conflicted about whether they like their job or not. Not all successful candidates are happy and satisfied with their jobs. This field provides a lot of benefits, but it does not guarantee a happy and comfortable life for all. The actual groundwork necessitates a significant amount of strength, patience, and sacrifice, for which many students are unprepared.

Although social media has let us have a glimpse into their life, it has certainly made us glorify them and make them our staunch ideals. In this regard, we often forget that each person’s experience and journey would be different and while something may work for them, it may not work for another aspirant.”

The buzz around this exam is enormous, it is justified given the power and perks involved. Yet, Not every other bright child around is meant to sit for this exam. Along with money and fame, a person’s interests, personality, and, most importantly, how they intend to live their life are all crucial variables to consider while choosing a profession.

The Civil Services is a choice that students can make at any time, after assessing one’s own flaws and skills. However, there is no harm in exploring other viable options first. Students, particularly in places like Delhi, have a plethora of chances and experiences that can help them create a career in academia and business. Along with it, we are transitioning to a world where active learning and the development of diverse skills are given preference more. College-level students have the opportunity to study many areas of knowledge, hone their talents, adopt a growth mindset, and encourage creativity in their ideas. This can be Young India’s strength.

The appeal of ‘sarkari naukari’ persists in our country and many people still lack the freedom to pursue careers of their own choice. Yet, it’s critical to fully comprehend the requirements of any given exam and career before determining whether you are a good fit for it and whether the exam is a good fit for you.

Featured Image Credits – Google images

Priya Agrawal

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Arts & Culture

The Internship Exodus: Black Mirror Season 7 EP 1

By DU Beat July 5, 2023

The article is a take on the internship culture, the dilemma it presents to college undergrads and the possible alternative solutions that seem to summarize a student’s summer break post pandemic .

If I had to pitch in the latest episode of black mirror that intrinsically captures the essential collapse of society, I might just bring to the table the possible plot of a dystopia the summer break essentially is, with a love triangle, featuring the insane tension between a college student, summer internships and the reclusive possibilities of an actual summer vacation.

An intern is an unfledged hustler entering what’s basically the hunger games of employment where undergrads try to maximize any and every chance to be pumped out as career ready hirelings. The internship culture has taken the entirety of universities across the globe as an efficient yet at times, a deceptive ploy at adulting.

The benefits of internships range from cost effective employment drives to efficient skill set peddling, a channel of networking and hands on experience in fields the student tends to value more than the drowsy July lectures in sepia toned stifling classrooms, no wonder it seems like the perfect step in the “type A” coded corporate world. But internships aren’t the typical “grabbing coffee for your boss and excel sheet presentations in office ” Nancy Myers fantasy, but rather a tight rope of balancing deadlines and breakdowns.

Even though a stipend incentivised internships offer an angel’s halo to the ever broke student stereotype, they can be exceedingly exploitive in the favour of the status quo and when this exploitation is mechanized as a necessity by colleges coupled with the peer pressure of ‘not doing enough’ it becomes a problem at hand, a predicament that Delhi University undergraduates currently juxtapose with their one shot at having a true summer break for once. While one section decides to upscale through the increasingly popular advent of ‘summer schools’ , the other has an undeterred resolve of the ‘perfect CV’ that has their most fancied summer internships as the crown jewel, while others fancy their truly deserved summer break in the sweet nostalgia of their home towns or fancy holidays that make up a core memory .

The onset of adulthood, the anxiousness of leaving your formative years behind too fast and the ruthless race to succeed in an unforgiving world – all adds up to the truly tormenting experience of being a college student facing the brink of the summer break .

The Information Influx and Notification Nuisance

By Sri Sidhvi Dindi July 2, 2023

The accessibility in communication has blurred the lines between formal and informal forms of communication. With information available to us at our fingertips, there’s an expectation to be constantly online and updated. There’s no excuse to not do so since notifications buzzing around us. However, what is the cost of information influx?

Ping. You just put your phone down and were about to take a moment to yourself to break away from the constant influx of messages and notifications. However, you just heard the high-pitched sound that itches you increasingly until you can’t control yourself and finally give in to your urges. Before you know it, the muscle memory of your fingers swiftly types your passcode, and you have finally accessed WhatsApp. No worries, though, since it was just your friend reacting to your previous text. Since you have already made an effort to open WhatsApp, you might as well casually scroll through a few unread messages. There is, however, no such thing as casual on WhatsApp, and you are now obligated to reply to those messages because you might as well do it now.

Many of us are chronically online due to the demands of accessible communication. Even subconsciously, we constantly crave stimulation because we are accustomed to how conveniently we can access information. Getting updated is considered the bare minimum in keeping up with today’s globalised world. Notifications play an important role in ensuring you are on top of all your commitments and updates. In some ways, notifications ease communication for us because we don’t have to go the extra mile to get updated. WhatsApp groups are synonymous with a college notification board as they are the only way to get crucial updates on any developments in regard to your classes and societies. Notifications are a necessity to survive the fast-paced nature of college. However, just as easily, they can become an overwhelming source of anxiety.

There are several mechanisms to reduce the impact of notifications. For most of us, it is keeping our phones on silent mode and returning to our phones at our convenience. However, since our phones are perpetually glued to us, the silent mode feature is almost redundant in shielding us from our notifications. However, you may mute your notifications which prevents notifications from even appearing on your home screen. As most of us are acquainted with, blindly muting our notifications often has repercussions on our professional and personal lives.

Turning off all my notifications hardly ever works for me. I just feel like as college students we don’t really have the luxury of just muting all our notifications because the messages that we receive from college often require our immediate attention. Even when I choose to get back to messages at a convenient to me, I’m bombarded with over 50 messages from different groups and it creates even more stress because I have to go through all those messages to make sure I didn’t miss out on anything important,” a first-year student discussed.

The first come, first serve basis is how opportunities are grasped in WhatsApp groups. Even a 30-second delay in response can lead you to lose an opportunity. This is exactly where the pressure starts to arise with notifications. There’s an inherent need to constantly be available and be the first person to take hold of such opportunities. Although showing initiation may appear to be the bare minimum form of showing commitment, over time the constant influx of messages and notifications takes a toll on your ability to respond. The continuous notifications eventually cause lethargy and you lose track of keeping up with important developments.

“I remember the first day of college when all of a sudden I was added to so many groups and in those groups there were links to other groups. Official groups, unofficial groups, opportunity groups, and students of 2025/26 groups. It was so overwhelming trying to keep up with all of it because you are new to college and you are already stressed enough and you don’t want to miss out on important updates. I remember I joined a group a few hours later, and the entire CR elections had already been conducted and I had absolutely no clue about it,” a first-year student observed.

In the interest of professional commitments, somehow personal commitments take a back seat. In the wake of keeping up with emails and WhatsApp messages, answering texts from your friends and family may seem trivial. Due to this, your personal relationships suffer as you may not actively contribute towards staying in touch due to the lethargy that accompanies meeting your professional updates.

I have all my groups from college pinned. Since there are over 25 of them, I hardly even see messages from my friends because there is always something going on in my college groups. And they are very important and if I don’t get back to them in a few hours, I’m usually tagged. It becomes so draining trying to keep up with all this that I just completely forget that I haven’t even replied to my friend who texted me 2 days ago” lamented a student.

The urgency that accompanies notifications often is fueled by an intrinsic need to be available and immediately deal with the issue. Over time, just the mere sound of a notification can cause a wave of anxiety due to the urgency it creates. They can also be very overwhelming especially when the group chats are spammed with messages that compel you to answer them immediately. In the process, you start disassociating yourself from your surroundings and remain stuck with the updates and commitments. Due to the accessibility of your presence, answering texts carve away your relaxation time and blur the boundaries between your priorities.

Especially with utilizing multiple devices, we are even more charged with notifications. Our laptops, phones, iPads and Tablets are constantly buzzing with notifications from all sorts of social media applications. Although disconnecting from the chaos of our devices is intimidating, protecting our mental peace is much more crucial. Sometimes we may miss catching up on our emails and texts but instead of feeling guilty about it, we need to assert boundaries and compartmentalize our priorities to preserve our sanity and peace.

Image Credits: Macworld

Sri Sidhvi Dindi

[email protected]

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Arts & Culture

High Heels: Dreams, Taunts and What nots

By DU Beat January 15, 2022

To the heels I bought with my limited savings from last month, as the perpetually broke college student that I am, I wish I knew that visiblising queerness comes at a social price.

Manifesting queerness had always been on my list of things I had to do in college. When things, without any notice, went online, it bothered me because in my head college was going to be only a little more than me strutting in with the trendiest indie fashion pieces, a feminist poetry collection in hand, and a Matisse or New Yorker tote in the other. But fashion statements come at a cost and this time there was the added interest of a pandemic too.

Upon hearing the news of the much-awaited re-opening, I rushed with two friends to Hudson Lane and walked into three different shops – before buying a comfortable heel that not only matched the image in my head but also fit.. Even as I tried out the shoes, I could feel the eyes of the shopkeeper on me. It is for a friend who is flying in, I remember saying to just avoid being value judged by an abject stranger.

But if the shopkeeper was a stranger I was willing to lie to, people in my college were too large in numbers to even respond. And, being a dream that I had nurtured for the longest while, this was a question I was more than willing to engage with. The online college had limited my interactions with a select few people scattered across the college, people who I thought would point towards my heels and say, Oh my god! You did it? or with an air of abject sympathy say, Aren’t those hurting? Do you have band-aids?

Appraisal and sympathy are west winds that comfort the length and breadth of your skin upon touch. But what I was unprepared for was walking into my canteen quarters and being faced with groups of bulked up men from the northern quarters of our country, taking stalk of my heels coupled with my ajrak shirts and small rainbow pendants – just to turn back and initiate a pungent and viral smirk that would birth a sense of hateful sense of directed towards my end.

There would of course be the whispers – annoying to an extent that you know you are being spoken of but you hardly have the courage in your system to walk up to them and ask, in absolute De Niro style, are you talking to me? The first few days of offline college makes you realise that truly the online space is a created bubble wrap of people who are tailored to be decent to you, as opposed to the offline front which throws open the possibilities of being sucked into a whirlwind of heterogeneous socio-cultural capital holders where being the other comes at the cost of scrutiny on the altar of toxic masculinity.

The North campus too, with all its red bell towers and granite pillars, is a divided world in itself. The world of Ramjas is characterised by muted warm colours and gazes that make you hit home the realisation that you’re abjectly out of place – that you don’t belong and you never will. Cross the road and on the other side, outside JP Stall you’ll find a queer visual haven where wearing H&M and carrying Starbucks with neon painted into your hair – makes you no longer an object to be stared at but rather something desirous and aspirational.

Anwesh Banerjee

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Arts & Culture

The University and the Society Culture

By Anoushka Sharma August 25, 2019

Every year, lakhs of students apply to the prestigious University of Delhi, thousands get it, and a few hundred join the college societies. The month of August in the University calendar witnesses orientation programs, society auditions, WhatsApp forwards to the freshers, and posters on notice board informing about the society.

Amidst the arduousness of the ensuing academic pursuit, a college society plays an important role in giving its members the kind of experience they have never witnessed. Most of the students join these societies in order to enhance their curriculum vitae. However, down the line, they also understand that the exposure from the society not only transforms them, but also plays an important part in their holistic and professional development. It helps them express themselves, raise their voice against something which can create an impact in the university space. Meeting the deadlines, working in a team, recruiting people, generating revenue, and day-to-day management are some of the responsibilities handled by the society members. This extensive work that goes into making of any society, be it a newly formed one or an already existing one, demands enormous amount of energy and dedication. Shreya, a member of the fashion society of her college said, “Like every coin has two sides, it is the same with societies. Sometimes, the job is taxing. There is a schedule to be followed, a number of things to be done, paper work, coordinating with the society members, and what not. But at the same time, it is fulfilling. I have become confident. I know how to manage a team. Over the years, the society members become your family, you practise with them, eat with them, travel with them. Half your day is spent with the members. Your seniors teach you so much, and probably that is the best thing. When you see them working with sincerity and dedication, it really pushes you from within to strive for better, each and every day.” It is true that society is a gateway for finding friends in college. It helps build a mutual relationship of trust and respect, and also paves a way for healthy discussions.

Having said all this, I do realise some of us are not a part of any society. There can be multiple reasons, though. Some of us didn’t get in, some may have left the societies after having an idea of the hectic schedule, or probably some of us did not bother to join a society at all! A common factor the students who were not a part of any society talked about was the work and hours of practice. Some of the students live far away and dread reaching the college sharp at seven in the morning. Others believe that it is important to prioritise academics over extracurricular activities. Amanya, a recent graduate who was a part of the western dance society of her college said, “I joined the society in my first year. Hours of practice, missing classes, not being able to cope with my studies, and reaching college early in the morning were the reasons I had to leave my society. The fest season drove me crazy, I used to reach home late and had no energy to do anything productive after that. It was extremely difficult to manage. After a point of time, it felt like a burden.”

Coming to the those of you who did not get into any society this year- it’s okay if you failed that society audition. Your college life is much more than one audition. I have always believed that something better awaits all of us. Having given your best and still not being selected is something most of us have experienced at some point of time in our lives. You might feel disheartened and dejected. But utilising our potential in a productive way is totally up to us. Keep an eye on other societies, if not western music society, you might end up being a part of Enactus of your college. If not all this, make sure you indulge in something you like, maybe you can join a certificate course or try learning a new language. College life is about discovering yourself and your abilities. There are a variety of options available in this free world. Being or not being a part of any society, I hope your college years transform you into a confident, informed, and a more responsible individual.

Anoushka Sharma

[email protected]

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DUB Speak

Alarming Ambitions: The Case of DU’s Cut-offs

By Kartik Chauhan July 26, 2019

If you are reading this in a North Campus college’s canteen, you have your fortunes to thank for. You have made it to The Inaccessible.

The paid admission applications stood at 2,58,388 after the last date of registration at the undergraduate portal this year. The University of Delhi (DU), one of the most coveted education-hub of the country has provision of seats for less than a quarter of these applicants. To make up for this “exclusivity”, the University has a presumably foolproof hack: astounding cut-offs. With every year, the poor standard of education is validated by the rich number-game of cut-offs. National headlines in dailies are blaring announcements of which college set the highest cut-off percentage this year.

This practice necessitates the question of alarming ambitions that we are handing out to young high-school students, and for the sake of what? The University is a lot of things, but not the best academic space. How important is it, then, getting a whopping 99% if you wish to pursue B.A. (Honours) Political Science from Hindu College?

Our school system has been reduced to unhealthy academic pressures, topped with the co-curricular necessity to be an “all-rounder”. School teachers are critical when a student underperforms. The acknowledgement of good work is brushed aside with “you have to do even better in the Board exams”.

The severe and mortal fear of Board exams, as you will relate with, dear fresher, presents the most harrowing March ever. The DU cut-offs soaring through the roof have sustained the brand-value of colleges like Shri Ram College of Commerce, but their effect on the lives of high-school students have been largely treated as ambitions. “I remember my Business Studies teacher chiding me in front of a class of fifty-odd students, ‘If you plan on getting a 90 in your Board exam, better do not consider appearing for it in the first place.’ This was 15 days before the Board exams started, and till date, I am not over this statement, despite getting a good score. I remember it flashing in my mind every second during my Board exam.”

Truly, getting 95% today is disturbing. If you wish to pursue Economics Honours from Lady Shri Ram College, you need at least 97% or above, which is more or less saying that you must not lose more than 2.5 marks in each of your Best of Four Subjects. The Central Board of Secondary Education and other boards have also adjusted to the demand. 100s are tirelessly awarded to students in language papers. Such distribution puts to question the idea of 100s. But then, as long as you are getting a seat for English Honours at St. Stephen’s, how does your English proficiency matter? College comes with its opportunities, and hiding behind these opportunities are insecurities and vulnerabilities. The definition of a good college is earmarked in its history and brand-value. Most school students are blasted with the academic pressure by their parents and teachers, all to enable them to make it to their dream college. The inconsistent debate of the quality of our education system, along with the question of the inconsequential social exposure that we allow to our students pointedly screams at the alarming ambitions that we have enforced on the youth.

India is one of the leading countries in terms of its rich human-resources under the age of 35, but how effectively can we translate this resource into its most conducive form? Surely, not by falsely feeding the inadequate need for validation of the “top colleges of DU”.

Feature Image Credits: Manjit Thapp via Instagram

Kartik Chauhan

[email protected]

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Campus Central

The Fate of You: A CBSE Horror Story

By Raabiya May 26, 2018

Every year the headlines flash myriad versions of “CBSE XII Board Results Tomorrow”, producing infinite anxiety and suspense. Today, another lot got their own dose of shock, reward, and disappointment. My only wish is to congratulate them, out of empathy for the system we survive in.

From birth until the very end, we succumb to the pressures of competition. While some pass with flying colours, yet most us settle with the not so great marksheet. Today, numerous posts will shout— “YOUR PERCENTAGE DOESN’T MATTER”, and, from personal experience, I must attest to this. From being a ‘straight A student‘ to barely entering the golden 90+ range, my journey has been one of depression, introspection, and strength.

In 2017, out of over 10 lakh students, only 10,091 students scored over 95 percent and 63,247 students scored over 90 percent. While these high bracket percentages grant the privilege of getting into top universities, a forgotten side of the story is of those who don’t get their choice of college due to an even higher cut-off. “[It] felt like failing all over again, but I didn’t have the luxury to complain or whine about it”, as Vineeta Rana, the former Editor of DU Beat, aptly puts it.

While the hype around the country, state, and city toppers top the charts, somewhere in a discreet corner of newspaper lies one column news about student suicides that occur around the country. The reality is that parents and society pressure the child into an expectation of outperforming everyone. Given the unpredictability of CBSE, such expectations prove damaging to one’s mental health. If you are having suicidal thoughts or know someone who is, please get in touch with the required intervention. For assistance, here is a document compiling the dos and don’ts for parents and teachers.

In the face of the result before you, I want every student to realise that — favourable or unfavourable — your marks do not reflect your talent, personality, or your intellect. These numbers will only decide the college that you’ll be placed into and nothing beyond that. Yes, it is easier to have a head-start in your professional journey but, success will dawn upon those who will climb up the ladder, no matter where they have landed, and reach the goals they have set out to achieve.

I could give numerous examples of people who weren’t academically bright, yet have reached a sense of success in their lives. But, not only does this condone a traditional definition of success, associated with wealth and power, but I also realise how little this consoling can help you. The ‘pissing my pants’ feeling to the shattering effect of punching your details on the CBSE website will last for a while. Though I assure you it won’t last long. Maybe, three years from now you can give a TEDx talk on your journey. The idea is to just take this moment and live in it, not what you could have done in the past to make it better or what will happen in the future. Look for alternatives, if your Plan A (getting great grades and qualifying the cut off) has failed then formulate Plan B. There are more than one way to enter in Delhi University. You can still study for the 12 entrance based courses. Remember: When the going gets tough, keep going. You can do it.

All the best! Brave through!

Feature Image Credits: Kartik Kakkar for DU Beat

Raabiya

[email protected]

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