Bravo, Purnava Ganguly, UPSC 2017 Civil Service Success Story

Meet Mr Purnava Ganguly, an engineer from Jadavpur University and having a masters from Delhi School of Economics. He 'cool-ly' qualified UPSC Civil Services with an All India Rank of 498. He is expecting IA&AS or IRS. 

A suave individual - his power flew from his pen - through his efficient and cogent answers.

He had qualified WBCS & also wrote UPSC Mains previously - just to miss the Personality Test Call by a hairline margin. 

Presently he is at Jharsuguda, Odisha on official mission. 

He was with us for the last 3 years. 

Q1.       When did you start preparing for Civil Services?

I started preparation seriously from 2015 onwards. 

Q2. Please state your educational background.

I did my entire schooling from Patha Bhavan kolkata and graduation in civil engineering from Jadavpur University. Post that I did masters in International Business from Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi.

Q3. Why did you want to become a civil servant over other career options? 

At the professional level civil service provides a wide platform and diverse roles which no other career path provides. At the same time the impact of work at a macro and micro level is enormous which gives a lot of personal satisfaction and a sense of pride in contributing to the national growth story. 

Q4. What was your optional and why?

I chose management. Though very few people even from management background take this optional, the reason was optimum utilisation of my existing knowledge and time at hand. As i was already working i did not have enough time to devote for an entirely new subject. Moreover i was already in a mangerial role in my organization which helped me connect with the concepts even better.

Q5. You went through State Civil Services & also you were in a job in PSU. In that context, can you elaborate your study routine? This will help other aspirants.

Time management and prioritization is the key. I tried to be regular even it meant only 1 hour. For working people one has to analyse which part of the day is most suitable and try to utilise it to the maximum. In my case it was in the morning and tried to be consistent in it. 


Q6. What needs to be the style of answer writing in Mains?

Bullet form is convenient for examiners at the same time presentable. 

Q7. Did you practice answer writing? Did it help? Did you appear in any Test Series for Mains?

Answer writing practice is important. For that I joined Trademark Ias Advance Test Series for practice and evaluation which was very helpful. 

Q8. What should be the approach towards Prelims in the age of –ve marking & now with total stress back on GS I?    

      

Revision and mock practice should be the approach. 

Q9. What is your opinion regarding the change in the MAINS Syllabus through incorporation of Ethics paper. Also, what about the pattern of questions being 20-25 questions, with 10/15 marks in a span of 3 hrs?


Ethics paper adds a new layer to UPSC preparation. Such changes in question pattern brings an element of surprise which I believe is healthy

Q10. Was going through this journey a lone fight or did you find people around you?

In this journey one always needs support and motivation. I was very lucky to get the support of my parents and guidance from Trademark Ias. 

The classroom environment was very motivating and easy access to faculty members were a great help.





Thank You Shri Ganguly ! We wish you a satisfying career ahead.