AIR-319, CSE 2015
“I shall advise you at the outset. If you are not willing to be sincere, committed, and honest towards your preparation, Nirvana is not the place for you and reading the rest of this piece will only be a waste of time.”
"90% of all law is based on common sense, and the rest is wrongly framed."
"UPSC CS preparation is 90% mental training and the rest is curricular training.”
“If you can’t hold your nerves for a few hours, you don’t deserve to administer and serve the country."
These, and many other statements, though simple, were perhaps the most profound in all of my experience in preparing for the examination. It was a pity that though they were uttered to me the first day I entered Nirvana, it took me some time to imbibe them in my thoughts, and the day that happened, I knew nothing could stop me from achieving success.
While there is no doubt that expert guidance and thorough coverage of exam curricula including current affairs, general studies, optional subject is a sine qua non for effective preparation, here, I would like to highlight the other aspects of my association with Nirvana family, that ultimately ensured that my hard work fructified into results.
While enrolled at Nirvana, I had simultaneously joined other coaching institutes for preparation but quickly realised that Nirvana’s approach was unique and that is where I should commit all my energies. Every serious candidate will acknowledge the reality that preparation process can be very demanding, and stressful and requires a sustained effort from the aspirant. The uniqueness of Nirvana lies in its focus on making the process as stress free as possible. This aspect drives the whole philosophy of training at Nirvana because aspirant's controlled temperament would finally decide the effectiveness of his/her knowledge base in crunch situations.
Firstly, Karam sir’s availability at all times for all his students for all kinds of doubts whether academic or non-academic ensures that the student is relieved of his stresses and dilemmas as soon as they crop up.
Secondly, the classroom teaching is designed to be very interactive, enabling the students to connect various issues and topics and analyse them without making special efforts. The evolving nature of questions has reduced the importance of rote learning and enhanced the focus on analytical understanding. Here in, the partnership between teachers and coordinated teaching ensures that aspirants develop a 3600 view of every topic.
Thirdly, regular appraisals through weekly, monthly, and surprise testing ensures that the aspirants are always on their toes, while at the same, immediate feedback helps in timely corrections and improvements.
Fourthly, and perhaps most importantly for me, is the environment of Nirvana which discourages inter-competitiveness among aspirants and encourages building of lasting relationships. We are encouraged to build symbiotic relationships with our peers, which helps us to exploit each other’s strengths while ameliorating each other’s weaknesses. Moreover, Nirvana believes that preparation is not about fixed timings, fixed classes, fixed syllabus and association that has an expiry date. The only traits that Nirvana demands from its members are sincerity, commitment, honesty, and discipline. This aspect enabled me to thrive in a stress free atmosphere and I can proudly say that I have met some of my best friends, colleagues, and guides here.
I know I have focused less on the academic aspects of my training at Nirvana because I am sure you will understand that if they were not of top quality, the results achieved by Nirvana would not be possible.
Friends, I convey my best wishes for your future endeavors and urge you to, at the very least, attend a Nirvana seminar with the hope that you too realise at the earliest that UPSC preparation can be enjoyable, stress free and fun and at the same time be thorough, effective and result oriented.
