Keen on helping others achieve their dreams like him, Mahesh Bhagwat, police commissioner of Rachakonda division in Hyderabad, is helping aspirants crack the Indian civil services exam, that too for free.
For Bhagwat, becoming an IPS officer was a dream come true. His journey also made him aware of the struggles of candidates appearing for the exam. To make it easier for others, Bhagwat, along with other officials, started mentoring candidates for the interview round.
The coaching is provided through WhatsApp groups. Till now, the team has coached 2,000 successful candidates.
In the civil services examination last year, 100 candidates guided by Bhagwat and team cracked the interview.
GIVING BACK KINDNESS
Bhagwat, who is based out of Hyderabad, mentors local candidates in his office. The online groups have made it possible for students from Kashmir to Kanyakumari to avail the benefit of coaching from these experienced mentors who are officers in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Besides civil services, the team also mentors aspirants for Indian Forest Services (IFS) and Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) exams.
“When I was preparing for the exams, many seniors and bureaucrats helped me. This is my way of giving back that kindness. That is why, we ask our students, too, to mentor others after they pass the exam,” Bhagwat told News18.
The police commissioner, who hails from Maharashtra, started this coaching journey in 2013 in his native state. As online connectivity became easier, he extended it to Telangana.
“The personality test/interview is one of the most difficult stages in UPSC exams. I, along with other fellow officers, pay individual attention to all students and prepare them for potential questions. As I have been in service for almost 30 years now, I have an idea about the type of questions that are asked. Depending on the native state of the candidate, her hobbies, her work experience etc., we prepare a list of probable questions. Through video-conferencing platforms, we guide them on their body language, speaking skills, confidence levels and other parameters,” said the 1995 batch officer.
A DIVERSE TEAM
Before he joined the IPS, Bhagwat was working with an NGO in Maharashtra. He recalls attending the free coaching classes of many officers during the weekends. At a time when there was no internet, the notes made by successful candidates were popular among the aspirants, especially those who could not get them from Delhi. The Rachakonda commissioner recalls benefitting from the notes.
During the conversation, the commissioner mentioned the names of several civil servants and others who are part of the core mentoring team. They include Dr Shailendra Deolankar, head of International Relations Centre in Mumbai University; Nilesh Pathode, deputy commissioner of customs at Mumbai airport; Anand Patil, who is the secretary to Governor of Tamil Nadu; Ramesh Pandey, Inspector General of Ministry of Environment and Policy in Delhi, and many more.
BHAGWAT’s TIPS FOR ASPIRANTS
- Keep in mind that preparing for UPSC demands high levels of perseverance.
- Select the right optional subjects
- Choose subjects you can score well in, not only the ones that interest you
- Remember that even 0.5 marks matter
- The most difficult part of the exam now is that people do not write with pen and paper. To be able to complete the paper in time, practise writing at least six hours daily.
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