[CAPF Topper] Rushikesh Ashok Shejul Rank 2: BE computer, Pune, Maharashtra, wrote 3 mains

1. CAPF Topper Profile
2. Education
3. Introduction
4. Electronic Vs Paper material
5. Tempo and style
6. GS and Aptitude paper
7. Accuracy in GS paper
8. Descriptive paper
9. Four Essays
10. Argument For-Against
11. Report writing?
12. CAPF Physical Efficiency Test
13. Interview by UPSC Panel
14. UPSC Interview Transcript
15. After the interview
16. CAPF Marksheet
17. Service preference
18. UPSC CSE-2013 experience
19. Career Backup
20. Wisdom
21. Credit: Friends/family
22. Bogus Marketing Propaganda

CAPF Topper Profile

Detail	Input
Name	RUSHIKESH ASHOK SHEJUL
Rank in CAPF-2013	2
Roll No.	108559
Age	25
No. of previous attempts in CAPF	0
Home town/city	PUNE
Work-experience if any	Nil
other competitive exams including success & failures	Appeared for UPSC Mains thrice Without success
coaching/postal material (if used)	No coaching for CAPF but for civils: Chanakya Mandal, Pune Pravin Chavan Sir,Pune
Hobbies Extra-Curricular Activities	Angling, reading books, travelling
Do you have NCC certificate?	No

Education

% in class 10	90.80
% in class 12	92.67
Schooling (Medium)	English
Graduation course & %	B.E.(Comp) & 65
College & batch-year	Pune Institute of Computer Technology, PunePass out:2011
Post-graduation	No
Any professional courses	No

Introduction

Q. Tell us something about yourself and your family. When and why did you enter in the competitive exam field?

Both of my parents are government servant. My father works as senior assistant in a state PSU and my mother is a nurse(A.N.M.) in a zilla parishad hospital. My father always dreamt of making me an IAS officer. As a child whenever I used to go to his office I used to see the office of CMD of the PSU and I always felt that one day I have to reach there. Despite of their limited resources they put me in a English medium school.Every decision of their life was focused about welfare of their children.I also  have a younger brother named Makarand who has completed his graduation and is a die hard fan of Indian railways.

Electronic Vs Paper material

Q. In recent times, there is spur in electronic material- blogs, sites, pdfs, RSS-feeds. Many aspirants feel bogged down by this information overload. So, how much do you rely on electronic material and how much on the paper material (Books, newspapers)? If possible narrate a typical day in your studylife. What is your style of preparation (e.g. I continue making notes no matter what I’m reading, I just read multiple times but don’t maintain notes, I make mindmaps on computer …or xyz style)

Google has changed the study habits taking it beyond books and magazines. But most of the time you don’t get the exact information you are looking for instead you waste lot of time and after navigating through several links you forget what you were actually searching for. So I stick to few selected sites and doesn’t go beyond them. Wikipedia solves the problem majority of the time. There are other sites like idsa, mrunal’s blog,EPW.

I haven’t prepared anything specific for this exam because UPSC mains was approaching and was busy with its preparation. But the comprehensive study of mains helped me immensely for CAPF exam. I keep a copy of syllabus with me while studying so anything related to syllabus I make notes of it  ( from newspaper,magazine or books). If the information is in digital format I simply bookmark the page. I have made  categorywise folders in my browser and put each page in suitable folder. For files in pdf format I highlight the important points and attach notes. So for second reading only those points are read.

Tempo and style

Q. People know what books and syllabus topics are to be prepared. But most of them lack consistency in their preparation. So, how did you keep study momentum going on? How do you fight against the mood swings and distractions?

• I cannot sit for long hours and need break after regular intervals. After two unsuccessful attempts at upsc mains the morale was down and focusing on studies was made more difficult. But my friends and parents showed tremendous faith in me. They told me its just a matter of time when you will crack this exam and not whether you will crack it or not. For recreation I went trekking and watch lot of Hollywood movies and series(presently watching ‘Suits’).
• As the exam comes closer one becomes more practical and there is no time left for other things but to study and you again get into track.

GS and Aptitude paper

Q1. Please share the list of resources you used, your strategy and other tips for benefit of future aspirants.

My methodology is reading limited number of books again and again instead of n number of books.

The basic booklist will remain the same but the focus should be on understanding the concepts because that is what UPSC tests.

Topic	input
History Ancient	OLD NCERT by R.S. Sharma
History Medieval	OLD NCERT by Satish Chandra
History Modern (Freedom Struggle)	India’s struggle for independence by Bipin ChandraModern India by SpectrumGrover(more important for CAPF as it is factual)
Culture society	Art and Culture by spectrum Newspaper,films and your surrounding
Polity (theory + current)	Indian polity by Laxmikant(more imp for CAPF) Our constitution/Our Parliament:Subash Kashyap For current:Hindu is the best source with all the details
Economy (theory + current)	NCERT(11th + 12th) Hindu and Indian express Mrunal’s blog(simple and to the point understanding)
Science (theory + current)	Didn’t read anything specific because the question are application oriented and test practical knowledge.
Environment (theory + current)	Oxford publication by R. Rajgopalan. (I think it is NCERT books for std 10th,11th and 12th ) Any current magazine like CST Mrunal’s article
geography physical	NCERT OF 11th and 12th cover the entire geography section of India and world.
geography India	–
geography world	In addition to NCERT ,Certificate Physical and human geography by G. C. Leong
other national/international current affairs	Hindu,express and mrunal.
Schemes, Policy & Filler Stuff	Economic survey ,Yearbook and hindu
Maths	Not much specific but yes Quantitative Aptitude by R.S. Agarwal
Data interpretation	–
Reasoning	From TMH CSAT guide and previous years question paper.

Accuracy in GS paper

	input
How many MCQs did you attempt?	118
How many of them correct (When solved at home)?	95(around)
official score (when UPSC uploads)

Q. What’s your overall experience with GS paper? (E.g. it was on expected lines as per my preparation, it was quite tougher than earlier years etc.)

Nature of questions was more factual and straightforward in CAPF then for civil service prelims.

Questions from polity and ancient history were significant.

Descriptive paper

Q. How did you prepare the Essay, grammar, précis and report writing?

No specific preparation.

Four Essays

This time, UPSC required the candidates to write 4 out of 6 essays. Which of the following did you attempt? And what were your keypoints in them?

Topic	your key points
doctor-pharma nexus
interstate water dispute	Examples:kaveri, Krishna; provisions in constitution about jurisdiction of courts;Provisions regarding tribunals.
social reformers in freedom struggle
falling rupee & Indian economy	Why rupee falling:falling exports, US policy of tapering,falling growth of Indian economy and globol gloom; measures taken by govt:gold imports,increasing limit for remittances,etc.
China’s aggressive policy	Map of south east Asia, issue of senkaku island, china –vietnam claims on natural gas deposits ,india’s stand,U.S. stand, string of pulse theory, joint declaration at ASEAN summit held in Cambodia
media publicity on terrorism	Eg of 26/11 attack. How it affects the trials and investigation.

Argument For-Against

This time, UPSC required candidates to write both arguments for and against the given statements. So what were your keypoint in it?

Topic	Argument for	against
casteless society becomes distant through issues raised by reservation	Caste is getting replaced by class More communities demand reservation Several castes in SCs demand ST status Feeling of injustice among general category	Understanding why reservation was given in first place Still atrocities commited against dalits Why caste and class structure coincides
women empowerment is urban phenomenon	Nirbhaya gets media coverage but sexual harrasment of a tribal girl is not discussed in media.	Reservation for women in village panchayats Visible presence in SHGs Women centric schemes like NRLM have resulted into women empowerment in rural areas

Report writing?

Did you write report the same way you wrote essay? or did you apply any special format/structure here?

Topic	keypoints
Uttarakhand tsunami & Military	Don’t remember
Ethics crisis in cricket	Don’t remember

Q. What is your overall experience with descriptive paper (e.g. too lengthy paper, grammar tougher than previous paper etc.)

I try to adjust the pace of writing with the length of paper and try to complete it. This affects the quality of writing but fetches more marks.

CAPF Physical Efficiency Test

Q1. To pass Physical Efficiency Tests (PET), what preparation did you do at home?

Had to reduce my weight by 7 kgs after result of written were announced. I combined diet with physical exercise to make it more effective. There is a hill around my house. I used to go there with my father in the morning and do running and other exercises.

Q2. Where was your PET held?

CRPF group centre Talegaon,Pune,Maharashtra.

Q3. Please narrate your actual experience PET test with readers.

After reading the experiences of previous years topper I had thought physical would be not that tuff. In our batch 40 students were called of which 27 were present and only 15 could make it finally. After 100m and 800m long jump proved to be a great hurdle and I cleared it in 2^nd attempt.

I would suggest aspirants to begin training 1 month before and build stamina.

Interview by UPSC Panel

Q1. How did you prepare for the interview? Particularly college graduation subjects related questions?

As interviews were announced at a very short notice I hardly got 5-6 days to prepare. Within those I focused on the summary sheet of the DAF that was submitted to UPSC

Q2. Where did you stay for the interview? (Hotel / friend’s home …) and what books/material did you bring for the ‘revision before interview’?

I stayed at Maharashtra Sadan along with my friends. UPSC calls it ‘Personality test’ and not interview and there is a purpose in it. I think personality cannot be made or modified in few days it is ‘who you are’. So a day before interview my friends( Ajit  AIR-166  and Sachin) we took mock interviews of each other and that helped all of us and it also helped in keeping the mood light.

Q3. Who was the chairman of you interview board?

David Sir

Q4. How long was the interview?

25-30 min.

UPSC Interview Transcript

Q. Please narrate your entire interview- what questions did they ask and what did you reply and other pleasant or uncomfortable experiences during the interview. (Earlier some toppers only tell me their question but not their answer. I would appreciate if you give both Question + your original answers)

Total 4 members. 1 lady member.

(I opened the door ask for permission to come in. the chairman was unable to pronounce my surname so I told him how it is pronounced. By that time I had reached my chair and greeted the lady first and then the entire panel. They asked me to sit down and I sat thanking them.)

Chairman( C ) :So rushikesh you like angling?

Me:yes sir.

C: were do u go fishing and what fish u catch?

Me:river bhima and fish like rohu, eel,tilapia and the I told him how the number of tilapia is increasing and others decreasing.

(he asked me whether I cook&  I said yes)

This made me comfortable and the mood in general was good

C: Do you think there is need for reserve police force because state police are doing a fine job?

Me: sir, I think state police lack the capability to handle several conditions. For example role of CRPF in handling elections or ITBP during uttarakhand crisis.

C: why do u want to join this force?

Me: sir, internal security is a major challenge for the stability of india like terrorism,naxalism,communal extremism and central police force play an imp role in maintaining internal security. So I want to join this force.

Also sir I had tried to join civil service but couldn’t make there and then I came to know about this exam and thought it as a bright opportunity and sir I have a passion for uniformed service.

C:what is mandate of BSF?

Me: It mans the indo-pak border . During peace time its job is to control cross-border infiltration and intelligence gathering from border villages.

C:you have done your engg in computer. How will it help u in these forces?

Me: Sir , the ambit of security has increased many fold because of cyber threats. For eg Busherr nuclear plant of Iran was attacked by stuxnet virus. Kaspersky ,the anti-virus company of Russia has claimed that India is the biggest target of Chinese attack.so I think my domain knowledge would be beneficial in handling the security situation.

(from his facial expression I was unable to make out whether he is satisfied with my answer.here he asked member(m1) to take over.  )

M1:tell me diff. insurgent groups you know.

Me:Maoists,ULFA,NSCN,NDFB,etc

M1:these groups have their own culture,language and following among people so why should we call them as insurgents?

(I was taken aback after this question and paused for few second and suddenly I found something)

Me: sir, Constitution. These people reject Indian constitution and want to overthrow it. If they place their demand within the limits of constitution they wont’t be called insurgents.

M1:ok.gud. what is jungle warfare?

Me:sir, the present wars are not fought in conventional manner where the two parties meet on ground. In jungle warfare fighters take advantage of surrounding (like camouflage) and use guerilla tactics.

M1:what is map reading?

(I told that I don’t know exactly but shall I guess and he said yes.)

Me: using maps to locate co-ordinates and finding directions. Understanding the symbols and colors as to what they stand for.

M1:what is counter-intelligence?

(I was confused for a second and thought not to bluff)

Me:sorry sir.

M2:which books have you read? Ans:mrytunjay,shriman yogi,yayati,Steve Jobs,White Tiger.

Who is you role model  ? couldn’t remember one and then said Gandhiji and explained why him.

C:I think AFSPA is a draconian law and should be discarded. What do you think?

Me: told that it would not solve problem instead it needs to be amended as per changed times.

M3:  (asked region specific questions)

• What is your view on Maratha reservation?
• The communal situation in pune.(in the backdrop of death of a muslim youth).

After this these questions  interview ended and I left the room after greeting them.

After the interview

Q1. Was your interview on the expected lines of what you had prepared or did they ask you totally unexpected questions?  Was it a stress interview, did they ask any uncomfortable questions? If yes, how did you handle it?

I had not expected anything from it but when I came out I felt satisfied.

Q2. Any side details about technicalities like “make sure you bring xyz document or do xyz thing, or you’ll face problem”?

Nothing like this. They will give you time to send any document by post.

CAPF Marksheet

Mail me your prelim, essay and interview marks, when UPSC uploads.

Paper 1:159

Paper 2:79

Interview:113

Total:351

Service preference

Q1. What is your service preference order BSF,CRPF, CISF, ITBP?

CISF>CRPF>BSF>ITBP

Q2. How/Why did you pickup that order?

I  saw the order of previous years toppers and then the job profiles and the work conditions of each service

UPSC CSE-2013 experience

Prelims:266(98+168)

Mains:487(essay-58 and history optional-200)

Career Backup

Q1. If you were not selected, what was your career backup plan?

Actually speaking this was my backup plan after two failures in upsc mains.

Q3. If you were to re-appear in CAPF-2014 then what modifications would you make in your studies?

Without waiting for written result begin preparation for physical and same is true for interview.

If possible get your medical checkup done to know if you have any adverse medical condition.

Because a friend of mine(160+ score in paper I) was rejected in remedical after he appeared for interview and that is very devastating and painful.

Wisdom

Q1. Through this journey and success, what wisdom did you gain about life and competitive exams?  What is your message to new aspirants?

I think we need to keep life simple and enjoy every moment of it. Don’t plan too far in the future because it is not always how it actually happens and enjoy the randomness associated with life. I have also realized that motivation form outside is temporary  and eventually it fades away. So if you want to remain in the game find motivation from inside that will always remain with you.

Q2. UPSC had cleared nearly 2500 candidates from CAPF-prelims. You’re selected but many others did not. They’re feeling dejected with this whole competitive exam business. What is your message to them?

Well I know how it feels. When a friend of yours clears and you are still in that vicious loop. Sometimes this thought appears to my mind if I was not selected what would I have done. But this thought is temporary because what options do we have? We have to restart studies find out what went wrong and begin the journey. My father has always been my best friend and guide. Till now I never believed in myself  but he always stood rock solid behind me and that gave me the strength to move ahead. Another thing that inspires me is the ‘connecting the dots’ theory of Steve Jobs it makes you believe that everything that is happening to you has a purpose.

Credit: Friends/family

Q. Behind every topper are many people who stood by him/her during those uncertain times when he/she was merely an ‘aspirant’. Would you like to tell the world, who were those people in your case? Any specific incidence that you would like to share with the readers?

It was always my parents and friends who kept me motivated and isolated from societal pressure and showed faith in me. In 2011, I was still in my final year of engineering and I had gone to attend the SSB interview. They had asked us to bring an undertaking that my final result would be declared by july. But my college clerk wrote by August instead of July. I reached the SSB centre at 5 pm and at 7 pm they told me you are not eligible.i tried to request him please let me attend but the officer didn’t budge. During that 2 hours I happened to befriend an aspirant named Makarand Nidalkar. When he saw that I was leaving he gave me a chit of paper and something was scribbled on it. He had written, “ you were not meant to be here. You will find your destination.”  I didn’t take it seriously but now when I look back I realize that this is how it was meant to be.

Bogus Marketing Propaganda

Q. You are well aware for the sacred rule. The last question in topper interview,  must be about self-marketing. So, Did you use Mrunal.org for your preparation and if yes, how did it help you?  And you can even reply “No”. I’ll publish your answer without tempering.

I visited this site almost daily. I bookmarked several of its pages for later access. Particularly, I find the economics part very interesting and useful. Thank you mrunal for your great work. You are the link which connects all the aspirants together. Without you it could have been really difficult.