Additional Director General of Police, Uttarakhand and Director Vigilance Ashok Kumar said while addressing the students of UPES on Tuesday that holding the chosen career close to their heart, they should go for a dream run to achieve goals. He said the students should imbibe inspiration from the trio — Arjun for Focus, Ekalavya for dedication and Thomas Edison for perseverance.
Dwelling on his personal life , Ashok said that a qualified Mechanical Engineer from IIT, Delhi, while working with Usha Fans in Calcutta during his two -month internship, he realized that it was getting tough for him to remain occupied and interested for the eight working hours a day. “ It was then that it dawned on me that I was not cut out for the engineering profession. I decided to follow the call of my heart and join the Indian Police Service through the UPSC route,” he said.
In his address, while elaborating on various aspects of the UPSC system, he mentioned that this platform is probably the biggest equalizer through which the underprivileged can get into the privileged class. He also cautioned the students on the not so bright sides of civil services profession which included handling political pressures and not being in a position to leave a legacy for the next generation.
Some of the inquisitive questions raised by the excited students included issues around choosing the optional subjects in the UPSC exams to which Kumar replied that a liking for the chosen subject needs to be the underlying criteria.
Answering to a query on the minimum time one should give oneself to prepare for UPSC, he shared that at least two years need to be provided for.