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Swapneel Paul. The Dimapur native secured the 64th ranking in the recent UPSC edition.[/caption]
Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, May 2: Swapneel Paul (28) from Dimapur secured the 64th rank in the recently declared Union Public Service Commission's (UPSC) results. Prior to his success, Paul had been serving as an assistant commissioner at the Indian Revenue Service.
Born and brought up at Netaji Colony in Dimapur, Paul is the son of an advocate at the Kohima bench of the Guwahati High Court, PB Paul, and Alpana Paul, a homemaker.
Paul did his schooling at Holy Cross School in Dimapur. He had also secured the 6th rank in the state High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) examinations in 2006. He pursued higher secondary from the Army School at Narangi in Guwahati, and B.Tech in electrical engineering from the NIT at Silchar in 2012.
Swapneel Paul talked to Eastern Mirror about his journey from being a HSLC topper to securing a place in the echelons of the UPSC:
Idea of writing UPSC examination: First of all my heartfelt thanks to Eastern Mirror for giving me this opportunity. I actually started thinking about UPSC a little late unlike many other aspirants who have this dream right from the childhood. I started to think about UPSC in the final year of my college. The feeling that I can make an impact on the lives of the people the most through this job finally convinced me to quit the corporate job.
Linking schooling background: I was a topper in my school since childhood. It always helped me keep myself motivated and confident in this saga of four years with UPSC. In my college days in NIT, I got in touch with people with diverse backgrounds from every nook and corner of the country which definitely helped me to broaden my perspectives.
Paul’s UPSC journey: I got an on-campus placement in Alstom India Ltd, a French power sector company, in which I worked for 16 months. In October 2013, I quit the job and started to prepare full time for UPSC. In my first attempt in 2014, I went to the interview and couldn’t make it to the final list. In my second attempt in 2015, I got through Indian Postal Service (IPoS). In my third attempt in 2016 I got through Indian Revenue Service-Customs and Indirect Taxes (IRS- C&IT). And finally in this attempt, I secured 64 rank in the Indian Administrative Service.
On securing a place in the Top 100: I expected to be in the top 100 this time as my written exams went really well comparing to the previous years.' Securing top 6th rank in the Nagaland HSLC exam kept me motivated for the UPSC.
Preparation: My preparation was a blend of both conventional books and the internet. In today’s time it is always advisable for candidates to use the internet in a judicious way during preparation or else one can stand a chance to miss out on certain things.
: With the proliferation of the internet, knowledge has become very democratic and one can clear this exam even without attending any conventional coaching, sitting at home. The only thing that matters is a smart strategy followed by dedication. My best wishes to all the aspirants.