Rahul Bhat Akshay Labroo set examples

 

At a recent public event. Union Minister of State in PMO Jatindra Singh quipped about a light comment he had made on seeing a Shimla agreement photograph during one of his visits to the historic Raj Bhavan in the Himachal Pradesh capital saying, "When shown the picture I said, I see only one non-Kashmiri Pandit in it and that is Zulfiqar All Bhutto (former Pakistan Prime Minister) The rest of the people in the photograph were top-level bureaucrats of that time DP Dhar, FN Haskar TN Kaul and Indira Gandhi herself-all Kashmir Pandits.

This brief description of the anecdote is to bring the point that civil services were once the forte of community In a way getting into bureaucracy was the best traditions followed by generations of KPS from a long time perhaps from the days of being courtiers in Kashmir as well as beyond However, post exodus of 1990. there has been a considerable drop in the number of the KP youth who joined civil services for obvious reasons of having lost home and ecosystem of religious study.

But this year after several years of drought (no qualifiers from KPs), a new hope has risen as the news of three KP youths, having cracked the civil services examination brought cheer to the community Year 2018 marks a revival of this tradition and out of 15 candidates from Jammu & Kashmir who have qualified the all India services, three are from the KP community-Rahul Bhat (68th Rank), Akshay Labroo (104th Rank) and Sudershan Bhat (434 Rank)

Koshur Samachar's Avtar Nehru spoke with Rahul Bhat and Akshay Labroo on their achievement, which will hopefully inspire many more KP youth to make a career in civil services in coming time.

S. B.: How has the Initial feeling sunk now? RB It feels good to make my family community and J&K proud But this should not be a plateau here Success should be a life-long learning opportunity feeling is empowering through.

AL First I am extremely relieved that my name figures in the prestigious merit list. More importantly I feel home honoured to have gotten the platform to serve my people the KP my state and my country I hope and pray to God that I am one of able to perform my duties with the utmost honesty passion and sincerity

S. B What prompted you to services? Any pursue civil trigger or was it a childhood ambition?

RB During my graduation period, 1 read articles about the glorious and rich past of India. I was inspired to read history and other related subjects in a structured manner. The definiteness of purpose to serve national interests began to be shaped. Civil services gave me an opportunity to fulfil these aspirations and that is how it happened.

AL Soon after my graduation in 2014, I got an opportunity to work in the Ministry of ommerce & Industry, Govt of India. It was here that I closely saw the working of senior bureaucrats and the kind of impact they could make on people's lives I got a chance to work in the two villages of Andhra Pradesh for the Minister's Model Village Project I loved every minute of working at the grassroots in these   villages When I saw the roads, the buildings the reverse osmosis plants that came up as a result of our work, the satisfaction that I received was unparalleled did not take me much time to realise that I wanted to become a part of the civil services.

S.B. When did you actually begin to prepare? 

RB. I began a focused preparation for Civil Services Examination from December 18 2015 onwards. I gave my first attempt in the year 2016. I cleared preliminary but fell short of 2 marks in the mains exam to get Personality Test call, identified the lacunas and rectified them through the intensive answer writing practice and an integrated approach towards this exam. With blessings of elders and belief that my parents, teachers and friends reposed in me, I eventually secured AIR 68 in CSE 2017 Hence, it is a collective achievement, I would say .

AL I started prearing in the winters of 2016. I kept working alongside my preparation I was lucky to clear the exam in my first attempt 

S. B. In terms of subjects/options, what was your approach? And share some of the memories from your interview? 

RB: I consulted basic NCERT books initially. It gives a good base. Gradually with more reading and revisions, my concepts became clearer and I could understand newspapers in a better fashion. Newspapers should be supplemented with one current affairs monthly Personality test is the last stage of this entre process. My memories from the personality test are that 50% of my interview was on issues related to Jammu and Kashmir. Rest of the questions were on the caste system, India-Israel relations, Indo-Africa relations etc. I think my honest and frank answers got rewarded decently.

AL I had studied a few papers on public administration as part of my graduation (B. A Honours in political science). I had always enjoyed studying it. So. Public administration was high on my wish list. When I looked at the syllabus of public administration, I realised that there were many topics in my general studies that would get covered if I was to take public administration. Also, there were enough resources available to prepare the subject. So I chose it.

My interview went on for 45-50 minutes (longer than the usual 30-35 minutes). The beginning of my interview wasn't very smooth but by the end. It was very positive. The chairman of the panel asked me name five living people who have made significant impact on society" 1 started by saying, "Mahatma Gandhi the chairman was quick to interrupt and said, said living people" This made me quite nervous. I was clearly on the edge of my seat

until I was asked one tricky question on Kashmir One of the members of the panel asked me, "You are the DC of district in Kashmir where 10-15 terrorists have hidden themselves. What will you do? I answered by saying Most likely the district would fall under AFSPA, so w inform the armed forces, write to the home department of the state and the Centre so that we can have a coordinated strategy 2 Evacuate the nearby civilians to reduce collateral damage 3- Involve the influential community leaders so as to quell the feeling of mistrust and 4-During 26/11 Mumbai attack, media was broadcasting sensitive information which helped Pak handlers in instructing the terrorists to escape from Indian forces operation. So. 1 will ensure that media is sensitised and they don't leak any sensitive information." After this answer, all the members of the panel shook their head, in approval and I could see a positive smile on everyone's faces. I made myself comfortable on the seat and was no longer on the edge in the end. I got a very good score for my interview. I am amongst the top scorers in the interview for this year.

S. B. All young civil service recruits also feel strongly about a few things that they wish to improve or transform. In your case what will be these?

RB. My first preference is the Indian Foreign Service I always desired to become a representative of India and strive towards achieving her foreign policy objectives Promoting culture, rich heritage and history of India on global platforms in right light would be a priority Securing collaboration of like-minded nations to tackle issues like terrorism would be pursued To promote the feeling of oneness and universal humanism through an age old epithet Vasudeva Kutumbakam should be our aim. With adequate training in the coming years. I look forward to more learning opportunities

AL Using technology to establish transparency and accountability in public administration working on infrastructure, skill development that is in sync with the industrial revolution, (Artificial Intelligence and Robotics) are extremely close to my heart, so is working on strengthening women's safety.

S. B. What are your feelings on KP community. the injured umbilical cord with its mother Kashmir and one message you would like to pass on to the youth of the community? 

RB: I visited the Kashmir valley for the first time in the year 2015, I felt as if a mother took her lost son in her lap again. Education and power of pen have always helped the KP community withstand the shocks of history. Language the identity of any community and it capes with it an entire  ovation and helps shape the character and personality of a person. It is our responsibility to preserve our civilization for our own good. To the KP youth. I would say Uncha Khayal high thinking 1. Kad mervar aur Pakka Inada in UPSC as well at in life, you will succeed Excel in your chosen calling.

AL Our community has given this country some of as finest bureaucrats ever. Be it PN Haksar or Shyamial Shakdar or TN Kaul We, the young generation of Kashmer Pandit community, must carry on their legacy. We must re-enter Civil services in great numbers and serve our community, our state and our country. Our community's youngsters are known to top in various professional exams. There is no reason why they shall not top the civil services Exam too I hope next year onwards every year, there will be many more. I urge the bright young minds to divert support their energies towards civil services exam. The community the stale and the country need that young KP boys and girls serve the public by joining the civil services. nyone, who would need guidance for this exam, can reach out to me on Facebook. My profile name is Akshay Labroo.

S. B. Any inspiration. You may like to thank a few own people.

RB I would like to thank all my teachers who shaped my personality. I am indebted and owe gratitude to all of them. School plays a very important component in a Akshay Labroo, an alumnus of Delhi Public School, student's life. It taught me discipline, enriched my diction Jammu and Ramjas College, Delhi, is presently serving in Hindi, English, creative writing, public speaking and also the Ministry of Defence, also qualified civil services helped equip me with certain life skills, like swimming and other extracurricular activities. Destiny of a nation is indeed shaped in its classrooms .

AL My greatest inspiration has been my father, Mr Ramesh Labroo, who I have seen working day and night with a calm and composed demeanour and has provided me and my sister with the best of educational opportunities. My mother, MSmt. Veena Labeoo, has been the source of my moral compass. It is she who keeps me grounded and has always guided me towards living a morally upright life. My sister, Arpita Labroo, has been the constant source of encouragement during my tough preparation. She would cheer me up giving me confidence when the going got tough. For my interview, I also got splendid guidance from Shri Vijay Sakaya, Shri Kuldeep Khoda, Shri AK Bhan Shri BN Jalah. I must tell you that I had simply written a line of request for guidance (on email) to these stalwarts. All of them responded within no time and guided me on phone for hours. I am highly grateful to them for their support .

Rahul Bhat an alumnus of Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Kothrud, Pune, was born in Udhampur and went to Army Preparatory School. Udhampur, for early education. Later, his family shifted to Delhi, and he completed schooling in BAL Bharat Public School and Lovely Public Senior Secondary School. He has qualified the civil services Examination 2017 the final result of which was declared in April 2018 and soon would be joining his service of choice. The family is originally from Nagam village. Tehsil Chadoora, District Budgam.

Akshay labroo an alumans of delhi public school jammu and Ramjas College Delhi is presently serving in the ministry of defence also qualified civil service Examination 2017 in his first attempt and will be probably joining Indian Administrative Service very soon 

Native of Bulbullanker, Alikadal, Disc- Srinagar 

Kashmiri Samiti Delhi and Koshur Samachar extends best wishes for their future life!!

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Courtesy:-  Avtar Nehru  and Koshur Samachar June 2018