Precis IX

PRECIS ISSUE IX | JANUARY 2022

2 Disclaimer! The newsletter contains content emanating solely from the minds of the students of the University of Hyderabad. Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing statement, we do not represent, warrant, undertake or guarantee that the information present in the newsletter is true, correct, accurate, complete, or non-misleading. We are not liable for any special, indirect, or consequential deceit or umbrage deemed by the reader.

Copyright infringement in any 3 form is strictly prohibited The Indian copyright law protects literary works, dramatic works, musical works, artistic works, cinematograph films and sound recordings. The author of the work is considered as the first owner under the Copyright Act. However, the nature of ownership differs according to the nature of work. In a 2016 copyright lawsuit, the High Court states that copyright is \"not an inevitable, divine, or natural right that confers on authors the absolute ownership of their creations. It is designed rather stimulate activity and progress in the arts for the intellectual enrichment of the public. Copyright is intended to increase and not to impede the harvest of knowledge. It is intended to motivate the creative activity of authors and inventors in order to benefit the public.\" The fair dealing approach is clearly limited towards the purposes of private or personal use, including research and education, criticism or review. Reporting of current events and current affairs, including the reporting of a lecture delivered in public. Term of copyright in published literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works: Except as otherwise hereinafter provided, copyright shall exist in any literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work published within the lifetime of the author until sixty years from the beginning of the calendar year next following the year in which the author dies. The importation of copies of any literary or artistic work, such as labels, company logos or promotional or explanatory material, that is absolutely incidental to other goods or products being imported lawfully. \"Communication to the public\" means making any work or performance available for being seen or heard or otherwise enjoyed by the public directly or by any means of display or diffusion other than by issuing physical copies of it, whether simultaneously or at places and times chosen individually, regardless of whether any member of the public actually sees, hears or otherwise enjoys the work or performance so made available. Any work shall not be applied to any medium or mode of exploitation which did not exist or was not in commercial use at the time when the it was made, unless the work specifically referred to such medium or mode of exploitation of the work. Plagiarism, replicas or duplicates are not encouraged in any form or by any means. In case of any usage of other works, an appropriate citation or reference is to be given. No content is to be reproduced in any from or medium without a prior notice and permission of the rightful owner. In case of any broadcasting organisation desirous of communicating to the public, by way of a broadcast or by way of performance of any work which has already been published, the broadcasting organisation shall give prior notice, in such manner as may he prescribed, of its intention to broadcast the work stating the duration and territorial coverage of the broadcast.

4 Welcome to PRECIS! The Precis Team is glad to present to you a monthly E-newsletter, the first of its kind, by the students of CIS (College for Integrated Studies, University of Hyderabad). We have taken up this initiative to provide a platform for our fellow UoH members to showcase their talents, both artistic and critical. We want to create a network across campus and provide a space where people with similar interests can bond. This newsletter will consist of everything; poems, stories, articles, artwork, photography, diary entries, movie reviews, columns, experiences etc. of all languages. We want everyone to step forward and exhibit their passions and skills, even anonymously if they wish to. Through this newsletter, we hope to achieve everything mentioned above. This is an exciting step for the students of CIS and we will work towards ensuring this is a success. We look forward to your love and support.

5 Director's Message Dear Students, We have been together in a pandemic for more than a year and the challenging times, albeit a bit better now, continue to be a hurdle in many ways. However, we have learnt a lot from all the experiences and we shall continue to build a community that is open and is always growing. That is the core of who we are at CIS. The initiative of an e-newsletter is helping all of us to build a strong digital community. I am glad that the first edition of the newsletter received appreciation from all sections of students and the contributions to the newsletter are of good quality. I heartily congratulate the team for working together with the same zeal to bring out the ninth edition now with the hopes of promoting responsible expression, challenging ideas, peer-to-peer influence, and much more. May this newsletter too provide a voice and serve as a medium to harvest our skills for the future! I request all the students of CIS to use this opportunity to showcase creativity, explore and discover new interests and follow up on new ideas. I trust the team who are working for the newsletter will continue the good work and hope this will prove to be a milestone in the digital journey of CIS. Cheers! Stay safe. B.V. Sharma

Contents News Corner 7 Skilling up - a guide to help IMSc Physics students with a career in physics 8 How fragile the clouds are 12 నాగలి చెట్టు 13 నిరుద్యోగి ఆవేదన 15 Trikonadweep: The Submerged Paradise 16 Artworks 20 Photographs 22 Manthan Alumni talk series Ep-8 23

7 NEWS CORNER UoH Enters into MoU with Cambridge University Press to Offer a Certificate Programme in Publishing The University of Hyderabad has entered into MoU with Cambridge University Press to design and offer a \"certificate programme in publishing\" for the academic year of June 2022. This is a three- month-long, 20-credit programme, proposed by the Department of English under the \"Institution of Eminence\" (IoE) project of the university. This programme includes components like the business of publishing, the life of the book, editorial process etc. It is taught by experts from the industry and has the internship component too. Prof BJ Rao, the Vice-Chancellor, said, \"I am delighted at the MoU with Cambridge University Press, the oldest publishing house in the world. The Certificate Program in Publishing which our Department of English has proposed with Cambridge under the IoE project, is exactly the kind of skill-based, employment-centric program with industry tie-in that we need for both the NEP 2020 and the IoE. I congratulate the Department of English for thinking of and initiating this program, which I am sure will be a great success\". M.N Srinivas award won by Mr. Devi Prasad Mr. Devi Prasad, a Doctoral Fellow at the University of Hyderabad's Department of Sociology, has been awarded the M. N Srinivas prize from the Indian Sociological Society for his paper titled \"Caste Identity and Community Feast among Yadavs: An Interpretation.\" This paper was included in the Routledge edited collection \"Caste and Gender in Contemporary India: Power, Privilege, and Politics\" (edited by Supurna Banerjee and Nandini Ghosh). Mr. Devi Prasad is working on his research under Prof. Pushpesh Kumar's supervision, with Dr. R. Thirunavukkarasu as his co- supervisor. \"Caste, Ritual, and Politics within the Yadav Community of Eastern Uttar Pradesh,\" is the title of his thesis. Prof. Ramdas Rupavath Selected For International Leadership Award 2022 Professor Ramdas Rupavath, who is currently a professor in the Department of Political Science, School of Social Science and the Head of the Centre for Human Rights in University of Hyderabad, has been selected by International Leaders and Achievers Awards (ILAA) 2022 as ‘Outstanding Professor for the contribution in the field of Education” on 9 January, 2022. This was presented by SPELL GLOBAL (Specialization in Pursuit of Excellence in Learning & Leading) along with SPACE (Society for Perpetuation of Art, Culture & Education), both of which are committed to the development of the learning community as a whole, and are involved in several collaborations and partnerships with other organizations in the form of conduction of seminars and workshops. ILAA is an event endeavoring to felicitate effective leadership and achievement in all professional areas for both organizations as well as individuals. Having done his PhD from JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University), New Delhi, Professor Rupavath’s areas of specializations include democracy, Indian political processes and comparative politics in indigenous societies.

SKILLING UP-A GUIDE TO HELP IMSC PHYSICS 8 STUDENTS WITH A CAREER IN PHYSICS UTSAV MATUKUMALLI (17IPMP17) When we enter into a college program, more than anything, it is a journey of personality transformation and a very intense one for us undergrads at UoH. All the big questions of life stare intensely at us, and the solutions to these lie in self-help books, so go read a few; they'll help! And hi, I'm just here to take care of making a plan for a career in physics. Before we dive in, there are a couple of important questions to ponder over, so give them a very serious thought: · Q1-Do you wish to continue in IMSc Physics after three years and not take an exit? · Q2-Do you enjoy physics enough that you are considering aiming for a career in it? Assuming YES to Q1 & Q2, I will tell you how you should approach your IMSc program for this purpose: Step 1: Make an ideal resume for yourself. No, not for the whole five years; that will be too long term, perhaps just for the year that you are in. Write down a CV for yourself with skills you'd like to have one year down the line. A few points to note for grind: · Even as a 5th-year IMSc Physics student, we would still be learning basics and introductions of different fields. So, it's going to be a long grind. The good thing is that your plans will look pretty similar each year, and the bad thing is your social life will exponentially reduce over time. · Do make syllabus related goals: The theory learnt during semesters plays a significant role in your performance at different labs, don't be under considerate with it. All the subjects offered during the semester are crucial for a good foundation, so read the books and solve the problems. · One book per subject is an excellent target to have. Don't aim at finishing four books for each; you don't have that kind of time.

9 Sub-step 1: tips to set the standard for theoretical basics: Question: What is the academic rigour expected from a student of my year at any top college? Answer: Let's say you have Quantum Mechanics I for this semester. Open MIT OCW or NPTEL, match the syllabuses, and see if any extra syllabus is covered. Do your best to cover those topics (during vacation). Recommended: Watch the videos from these sources if you don't like the style of the professor taking your course. (sem) Optional: Attempt the assignment problems from MIT OCW. (vacation) Other helpful points: · Getting good marks in the semester helps clear the cut-offs for your candidature at graduate schools, but you WILL have to face interviews that test your understanding of the subject, and they grill you bad. So get your basics right, and the best time to do so is during the semester. · Try making your goals such that they give you a chance to explore different fields. You want to know where your hidden talents lie, so investigate my dear Watson. Example: Ideal Resume to aim at for a 2nd-year IMSc Physics student: 1. Finish 1st eight chapters of Griffith Electrodynamics along with problems. (sem1) 2. Study Waves and Vibrations subject properly and do enough problems to become comfortable with the syllabus. (sem2) 3. Apply for sponsored internships (IAS/JNCASR/VSRP). (I will get to put this fellowship in my CV, and I will get to travel and see how research happens in another institute.) (sem1, sem2) 4. If I don't get selected, I'll join a research lab with any professor that would take me, even if it doesn't go directly with my goal. (I want to get the exposure of working in a lab so that I can get a feel for a career in academics, it would help me make my career decisions later.) (sem1, sem2) Coding skills: Learning python basics and doing a mini project with it. (vacation)

10 Show that your aim is set, the next part is: Step 2: Make a plan of action. Set a target for weekly/monthly goals that take you closer to your goal. It would include: A: Having weekly and monthly targets for the semester's coursework. B1: Searching for research internships and learning how to write emails to approach professors. (more on this later) B2: Once you get a good enough internship opportunity, congratulations! Accept the offer and stop looking for alternatives; there are other essential things to do with that time. B3: Email your lab guide and ask them the theoretical basics essential for working in the lab. Try to understand these basics by summer. Note1- You don't get much time during semesters; it is a crazy ride. There are off- seasons, minor-seasons, and catastrophic major-season. The only time you can dedicate to your plans is the off-season. Priorities during the off-season: A-going through the textbooks prescribed in the semester and B-looking for internships/achieving proficiency for the lab. Subnote1-Keep the ratio of time spent between A and B at: 70:30 (major risk of burnout), 80:20(still hectic, but relatively more balanced) or 90:10 (very good!) don't do more than prescribed! It will derail you from the goal... Advice for vacations: In Academic Calender for 2021-22, there are: 172 teaching days 122 off days (including Saturdays, Sundays and holidays) Fifty-one days of vacation (15 Winter+ 36 Summer Holidays). (Typically, there are more days during summer vacation and more figuring out time, but this year, short due to the covid pandemic.)

11 At the start of the vacation, make sure that you prioritise completing the syllabus and organising the notes of the previous semester. You want to be done with and be confident in your material so that you can access it when needed. After that, the best-case scenario is: You join a lab, work for it to meet the targets during the day, and improve your coding skills bit by bit every evening, and this goes on for a month. The last week of the vacation is compilation week: Most of the work is done now; all that's left is to make a lab report and do a small project in python to showcase your learning. Now, both of these will go into your curriculum vitae :) Congratulations, the goal has been successfully achieved. It is time to have a celebration and mark this milestone :) TL;DR: · Make an ideal resume for one year. · Make a year-long plan to get there. Disclaimer: This framework will help you make the most of your IMSc program every year. The goals will differ depending on your answers to Q1 and Q2, but the framework is still valid. Paradoxically, if you follow this plan, you will end up liking your subject enough to consider making it a career. Thank you for reading; I hope this helps. Reach out to me at [email protected].

12 HOW FRAGILE THE CLOUDS ARE A wind blows, taking with it every dream ever dreamt. Every leaf telling its story of withering dry. And in its place a flower blossoms. AMRITHA D R (21IPMH01)

నాగలి చెట్టు 13 గూండ్ల వెంకట నారాయణ, ఒక పంచె, తెల్ల చొక్కా ఒంటి మీద వాలతాయి ( 20HTMA23) దేవుడికి చేసి పెట్టిన బెళ్లపన్నం నాలిక్కి తియ్యగా తగుల్తుంటే ఇదే పండక్కి జబ్బుతో మంచాన పడి అరక గట్టి మేడితోక చేతబట్టి పొలాల్లో ఒంటరి చనిపోయిన పిట్టలా నువ్వు తిరిగాడుతుంటే తల్లి చేతి స్పర్శ గుండెని తాకుతుంది. పోగొట్టు కున్న జీవితకాల వస్తు వును నోరు కుట్టేసుకున్నట్టు పళ్ళెం వదిలి వెతుకుతున్న దీనుడిలా అగుపిస్తా వు. సర్రు న అరుగుమీద చేరి ఆకాశాన్ని బీట్లో ఎద్దు ల్ని మేతకు ఇడిసి చూస్తావు. చెట్టు కింద కూలబడ్డప్పుడు ఈదురుగాలికి కూలిపడిన చిదుగుల గూడులా ఉంటావు ఏ బరువో ఒంటిలో మిగిలిన కాస్త కండనీ ఎప్పుడూ తల మీద కదలని ఆకాశం కూడా కుదిపేస్తూ ఉన్నా ఆవేళ చిన్నతనపు గెవుతులతో బతుకుమీద ఎంత బలమైన ఆకు కొసలు గాలికి ఊగిసలాడినట్టు ఆశ కలిగిన వాడివా అనిపిస్తా వు. కదలాడుతుంది. ఊహా తెలీని రోజుల్లో చనిపోయిన నాన్న, పాలు తాగే పసొడికి జ్వరం వచ్చినా పూత పూయని ఇటుకల ఇళ్లు , రేపటి గురించిన చింత పట్టు కుంటుంది. పేడతో, ఈగల్తో , గడ్డి ఈకలు రాలిపడిన కొట్టం. బతుకు ఊతకర్రల్లా గోడకి ఒక్కగానొక్క కూతురు ఆనిచ్చి ఉంచిన అరకఅడ్డలు ఎంతో బెమతో తల్లి పేరు బెట్టు కున్న బెజ్జా లు పడ్డ నీ బతుకు కొంపకి ఆసరా... కూతురు సమర్తా డితే నలుగుర్ని పిలిచి చెయ్యి కడగలేక కడుపులో నాన్న తన్ని తిట్టి చేలపట్టెల్లో నేర్పిన నడక పుట్టే తీపి పాఠాలే ఎన్ని సార్లు మరిచి పోదామనుకున్నా ఐదువేళ్ళ అరచేతి కొమ్మకు పూస్తు న్న బువ్వ కడుపులో పేగులు తెగినట్టు కదలాడుతూనే మెతుకులు. ఉంటుంది. ఏ పండగో వస్తే కట్టు కున్నదానికి పెళ్ళాం ఎన్నాళ్ళకో బిడ్డల్ని తీసుకొని దోసిట చీర కొనలేనప్పుడు నీ కళ్ళలో తల్లిగారింటికి పోతే ఊరిన కన్నీటి తంగెడపాలు పొయ్యి కూడా మడసెయ్యలేని చాతగాని ఏనాడో సొట్ట బీరువాలో మురగపెట్టిన తనం

14 పస్తు పడుకో బెట్టి నవ్విస్తుంది ఏ నడిజాము కాడో కాళ్ళిడ్చుకుంటూ ఊర్లో చెప్పిన మాటలిని అప్పుచేసి తెచ్చి గుమ్మం ముందు కొస్తే జెర్రి పోతులాగా చీకటి తిరుగాడుతున్న పొలానికి మందులు కొడితే, ఇళ్ళు కంటబడుతుంది ఏ చీకటి గాలులు ఎగరేసుకు పోతాయో తడుముకుంటూ పోయి లైట్ ఎస్తే మాసిన దుప్పట్లలా మంచానికి అంటుకు పిరికెడు పంట తనివితీరా పోయిన బిడ్డలు మొత్తకు ఆనుకొని కన్నీళ్ళ కుప్పలా పట్టు కుందామన్నా కంటికి కనిపించదు. కూలబడ్ద పెళ్ళాం. పని చేసిన వాళ్ళ కూలీ, మందుల కొట్టో ల్ల అప్పు నిదరని చంపి, కడుపుకి బాధని పెంచుతాయి. పొలంకౌలుకి ఇచ్చినాయన అప్పుడు కట్టు కున్న దాన్ని చూసినప్పుడు ' తిన్నవా ' అనే మాట అడిగి ఎన్నాళ్ళు ఆలి అమ్మ అక్కల్ని ఒరసపెట్టి దెంగుతుంటే అవుతుందో గెవితి చేసుకుందామన్నా గెవితి రాదు వాడి ముందు పండిన ఇంటి ఆడాళ్ళ దగ్గరే కూర్చొని చేయి పట్టు కొని పలకరించబోతే చీరలతో గొంతు పిసుక్కొని చావాలనిపిస్తుంది. ఒక అబ్బకి అమ్మకి పుట్టి నప్పుడు మాట తాళి కట్టిన్నాడే మర్చిపోయిన ఆమె పేరు తప్పగూడదని అప్రయత్నంగా పెదవులపై వస్తుంది. రెండు రెక్కలై తనని తిప్పిన ఎద్దు ల్ని కసాయోడిలా అమ్మి ఎవురి డబ్బులు ఆళ్లకి కట్టి ఇంటికొచ్చి చూసుకుంటే బోసిపోయిన కొట్టం ఎండిపోయిన చెరువవుతుంది. ఈ తీపుల్ని తట్టు కోలేక ఇంటి బాసేల్ని తన్ని జాకెట్లో దాచుకున్న పని డబ్బులు తీసుకొని పోయి సారా చుక్కలు తాగబోతే ఇంటిదాని కన్నీళ్ళే కనబడుతాయి

నిరుద్యోగి ఆవేదన 15 ఎదలో ఎన్నో ఆశలు అవి అందనివ్వని మధ్యతరగతి గోసలు నచ్చిన బ్రతుకుకై వేసే అడుగులు దానికి సహకరించని పాదములు తీరనంటున్నాయి కనీస అవసరాలు సర్దు కుంటున్నాయి సగటు జీవితాలు అలుపెరుగని ప్రయాణాలు అందని దారి చివరలు తీసుకోమంటున్నాయి కుటుంబ బాధ్యతలు ఇప్పుడే మోయలేవు అంటున్నాయి స్వేచ్ఛా బ్రతుకులు వేధించే పరిస్థితులు బాధించే బంధువులు జనాలకేం తెలుసు ఈ బాధలు అడక్కున్న ఇస్తా రు ఉచిత సలహాలు తరచూ వెంటాడే ఈ ప్రశ్నలు గూగుల్ చేసినా దొరకని సమాధానాలు DOKE SAI KIRAN (20HTMA18)

16 Trikonadweep: The Submerged Paradise Nikitha Donthula (20IPMH15) Episode 1: The Eclipse The morning rays from the window fell on the eyes of Tara, and she woke up in a hurry as she missed her morning jog again and got ready to go to the university. Tara is a 25 years old girl who is a Ph.D. student in history from Bharat University. In the university, Tara made great friends- Varun, Hina, and the twins Yunay and Pranay. Even though all of them are from different streams, they meet each other daily during the lunch break or after the university at the Dakshin canteen. Today, Tara and her friends couldn’t meet during the lunch break because all of her friends were busy, as it was the last working day of the university before the summer vacations could begin. After the study hour, Tara, Varun, Hina, Yunay and Pranay met in the canteen. Pranay went to the food counter to bring milkshakes for everybody, and meanwhile, the others started talking.

17 Tara- Uh! Today was so tiring, I could barely eat my lunch. Hina- Yeah, even I was stuck in the class when there was lunch break. Yunay- High five. Varun- Okay, let’s stop talking about today as we need to talk about tomorrow. Yunay- What do we have tomorrow? Any community clean- up in the university? No, not again! Varun- Chill dude! We don’t have clean-up! I mean, we have to plan for our trip to Sri Lanka, remember! Tara and Hina - Yeah! Tara- So, any idea about the places to visit, the mode of transportation, and the stay? Hina and Varun- No idea. Pranay- Hi guys, I am back. I think I missed a lot. What’s cooking? Hina- Nothing, we were discussing about the trip to Sri Lanka. Pranay- Oh, that one! Well… I have planned everything for us - the places to visit, the place to stay in and the activities to do etc. Tara- Okay! Everything is fine, but what about the flight tickets? Yunay- Don’t worry when I am here. I already booked the tickets to Mallard. Hina – What? Really? Tara- On what date? Yunay - On 7th at 4:30 pm, Falcon Airlines. Varun- That means we only have two days left to board the flight to Mallard. Pranay- Yeah! So, is everybody ready to experience the adventure? Tara, Hina, Yunay and Varun- Yes! Yunay- Then let’s pack our bags and meet on the 7th at the airport. Hina- Hurray! Finally, we are going to Sri Lanka. Thanks, Pranay and Yunay, for doing this. Pranay- Your welcome, but this time, no backing out, okay? Hina- Yes, 100%. I am ready for this.

18 ‘Chalo Sri Lanka!’- said everybody in unison. As soon as the gathering is dismissed, Tara comes back home and tells her mom that she is going on the trip. Her mom was happy for her, as she had never seen Tara this happy for 4 years since her father died. Tara is very excited, and she packs everything her books, items required for camping, safety equipment, and the star locket that her grandmother gave to her. Two days later, Tara and her friends meet at the airport at 3:30 pm. All of them were excited about the tour but Varun was worried as he did not bring the power bank to recharge the devices. Meanwhile, all of them recheck if they have brought all the necessary materials for the tour as listed. As soon as Varun said that he forgot the power bank everybody started to search for alternative options to purchase one but they failed. Now, it was already 4:10 pm, and there was no other option but to think of buying a power bank at Mallard airport. After five hours of journey, Tara and her friends reached Mallard. As soon as they reached the Mallard airport, they brought a power bank and all other items which would not be available in the conserved region of Mallard. All of them stayed in a cottage which was 10 km away from the airport and woke up the next morning. The next morning Tara and her friends experienced the taste of Mallard, the beautiful visuals of nature and the music of the birds and reptiles. After they had their breakfast at the local food court, they headed to the forest with all their belongings to camp there. While they were walking into the woods, they happened to meet native people of the forest who invited them to that night’s gathering that was about to take place near the Kekua (a cone-shaped monumental structure with steps). The natives told them that every year, they celebrate the festival which marks the return of the moon after the eclipse occurs.

19 All of them discussed whether it was really important to attend the gathering, because they had to go to Goat lake during the sunrise. Later, they decided to attend the festival and went along with the native men. As soon as they reached, they ate some local fruits and took a nap in their tents. In the evening all of them got ready for the event wearing the costumes of the native people. They had fun by singing, dancing and playing with the natives, and also gained knowledge of the rituals and traditions of the native people. After the supper, Tara and her friends were invited to the court of the leader, who is called Maya by her kinship group. As invited, Tara, Varun, Pranay, Yunay, and Hina went to Maya’s court and thanked her for the hospitality, but in return, Maya asked them a favour. Maya- Every year during the Lunar eclipse on the Kekua, we place a stone that absorbs the eclipse radiation and gets power. This stone should be kept in the Monkey cave before the sun sets tomorrow to get the knowledge that is there in the universe. If not done by the right person at the right time, this stone will become powerless and will extinguish the knowledge that we currently have. This can lead to chaos as all the problems in this universe will remain unsolved and novelty will extinguish. Hina- Well, Maya, this is a huge challenge for us. Pranay- Moreover, it is also a risk to our lives. Varun - Yes, Maya they are right. Tara- Maya, is there any other person who can do this instead of us? Yunay- Yes! What about someone from your kinship? Maya- Sending someone from our clan is impossible. The eclipse that occurred today is an eclipse that occurs once in 150 years, and its radiation is so special that only people from the far lands can do this task. Now that we don’t have time to search for other people, you and your troop are the only option. Tara- Hmm. Hina- This is a huge task that can be a risk to our lives. Maya- Your lives will be at risk only when you don’t return by sunset. Now, the future of the universe is in your hands.

Republic Day 20 Sura Suma 19IEAG11

21 V. Trishu 21IHML13 Md. Waseem 21ISMO01

A Montage of Sky Pics 22 V Trishu, 20IHML13

Manthan 23 Alumni talk series Ep-8 For the eighth episode of the Alumni talk series, we had Vasudev Ravi IFS as our guest. An alumnus of the 2011 IMA economics batch, he is currently the first secretary in the political wing of the Indian embassy in Washington D.C. When did you realize your passion for civil service? I think somewhere around the fourth year of college was when things became clearer. At that point, there were seniors much older than me who were writing the civil services from HCU. I knew many of them. There was this whole exchange of what to do, but it felt like a real possibility. In my batch of the civil service, three of us are from HCU. Did you take any coaching back then for preparing for the civil services, or was it purely self study? I went to a coaching center in my last year. I went there to know what it is that people learn for UPSC. It also helped meet more people who were writing the exam. I never went to any other coaching institute. The only person I went to for help was a professor who helped with concepts that needed understanding. Other than that, I did pretty much everything on my own. Coaching was never really something that jelled with me. How did you manage the UPSC prep along with college? What optionals did you choose? I prepared for UPSC in earnest after I left HCU. In terms of optionals, I was very comfortable doing Economics. Did you always want to become a diplomat? Like everybody else, my choice was the IAS because we didn't know much about these services before we got in. IFS was my second choice. IFS is very challenging compared to the other services. It involves meeting people, talking to people, analysing what they tell you and putting it in the context of what is happening. It is entirely personal, and whatever people might say to you, your perception of it is different. Your experience in foreign service is different based on region and context.

How was your personal experience being a diplomat? I have spent just over eight years in the foreign service so far. I have learned a new language, lived in three different countries and have gone through experiences that we might not have associated with ourselves while growing up. You end up meeting fascinating people and also find yourselves at the crossroads of history a lot of times. You end up meeting characters you might have read about or seen a movie about, and that is something exciting. Life as a diplomat is a little strange. Your reality is always India, but you represent India in a different setting and context altogether. It gives you a lot of opportunities to learn and expand your horizon. The foreign service makes you appreciate the best of the rest of the world and also about your system and your country. How was your experience in your UPSC interview? My interview was terrible. The hot topic during that time used to be the 2G and the coal scam. 20mins of my interview was all about this idea of the coal scam and the 2G scam and what the govt was doing. The Board Chairman was very clear in her opinion that what I was saying was wrong. So it was like a back and forth between one person and me; I stuck to my idea. The interview is very subjective and depends a lot on who the board members are. How should one choose an optional for the UPSC mains? Languages, in my opinion, has a distinct advantage because I think there is a selection bias that comes in. Languages have consistently scored better than other subjects. But UPSC always balances it out, and they will do that to give everybody an equal opportunity. That doesn't mean you should take a language paper; it might not be something you can do. It is your comfort zone; it's not to do with this scoring or not scoring; I would always suggest going with a subject you studied for a while. What are the alternatives you would suggest for people aspiring for a career in policy making? Academia or the intelligentsia drives policy making most of the time. Honestly, many policy initiatives come from the academic world. Look at the western system; think tanks and people who write about issues drive more policy than governments because you influence policy from outside. Any words of wisdom for the current UPSC aspirants of CIS? Read your newspapers every day, and read them in context. You need to be aware of what's happening around you. It is about seeing the news and what you make out of it. When you read more, you will be clear about what you want to put into a particular answer. UPSC wants you to be more analytical rather than a knowledge bank. My honest piece of advice, it is not the end of the world if you don't get through in your first few attempts. Please do not make it your life goal. All of us who got through would tell you that the exam is a leveller at the end of it; at that point, on that day, what happens is pure luck. I knew my second attempt was my final attempt when I wrote this exam. I had got a JRF somewhere between the first and second attempts. I was very clear that I would find another way to do things if I didn't get through. (This is an excerpt, the full talk is available on the Manthan website: https://sites.google.com/manthan-uoh/home)

CREDITS Designer Keervani Kandala, 20ICMC32 Designer Gokul TG, 20ILMB03 Designer & English Editor Mehuli Das, 20IAMP18 English Editor Mallika Mittinti, 20IAMS17 English Editor Gopi Tejaswi, 20IAMP10 English Editor Anindya Biswal, 20IPMH01 Hindi Editor Siddhant Shukla, 20IAME09 Telugu Editor Mounika Dulam, 20IAME10 Malayalam Editor & PR Vrinda Theresa, 20IAMP06 Coordinator Nayan Chandra V, 20IAMH16 Advertisement Executive K Gnana Pratheek, 19ICMC01 [email protected] https://linktr.ee/PRECIS_UoH @precisoffl @precisuoh