Srinagar: Every story doesn’t start with a bang. There are early setbacks, and other times a bit of soul-searching before the big picture begins to find semblance. This sums up the journey of Ladakh’s Anwar Hussain who secured AIR 600.
Hailing from the Kargil district of Ladakh, the 31-year-old Anwar was born and brought up in the main town of Kargil. With no big dreams or any role model in sight, he set out to pursue graduation and post-graduation in Botany from Delhi University.
“However, it was the first baby step towards making it big in life. After I finished my post-graduation in 2014, I was still not clear about my goals. Until some of my friends and classmates began preparing for Civil Service exams. I, too, joined them,” he said.
Hussain soon gained pace as he joined the residential coaching academy at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI)University. “I credit a big part of my success to that place. I was surrounded by bright minds who always motivated and encouraged me to do better,” Hussain said.
The first four years, however, proved difficult for him. “Initially, I couldn’t understand how to go about the exam preparation. I was weak at mathematics and also couldn’t make it on the language proficiency test. Besides, there were other challenges too,” he said.
It was in 2019 when he finally cracked Kashmir Administrative Service exams and is posted as Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Drass currently. “It made me realize that I have more potential and can achieve more. I pushed myself beyond my boundaries and began preparing for IAS exams,” he said.
“By now I was familiar with the requirements of civil service exams. I studied post-duty hours. And also devoted my weekends to the preparations. Whatever time I had, I utilized it for studying,” he said
Hussain maintained that the budding civil service aspirants should be consistent in their efforts. “Constant efforts, no matter how many times you fail, will pay you dividends in the end. My dreams came true after seven long years. So what makes you give up?” he asked.
Meanwhile, the UPSC on Monday morning declared 685 candidates successful in the Civil Services Exam 2021. Of the 685, 244 are in a general category, 73 from the Economically Weaker Sections, 203 from Economically Weaker Sections, 105 from the Scheduled Castes, and 60 from the Scheduled Tribes.
