An IAS topper’s tryst with The Hindu

Reading The Hindu regularly was a sure way to success, says Amrutesh Aurangabadkar.

Sharing a tip on clearing the civil services examination, a dream for thousands of IAS aspirants, topper Amrutesh Aurangabadkar, who cleared this exam when he was just 21, said reading The Hindu regularly was a sure way to success.

Fondly reminiscing his tryst with the ‘dak edition’, as Mr. Aurangabadkar and his friends used to call The Hindu, he said he began studying the newspaper in 2009 soon after his graduation.

Mr. Auranbagadkar, now 25, made history of sorts and became an inspiration for others when he stood first in Maharashtra and was ranked 10th in the country after cracking the UPSC (mains) examination in 2012 in his maiden attempt.

“Embrace the hoary adage that the editorials and foreign policy pieces in The Hindu are a must-read,” he said, speaking at the launch of the second edition of his book IAS@21, written soon after he cleared his exams.

The book was launched here at a programme organised by the Sankalp IAS Forum, in collaboration withThe Hindu.

The book, written in a lively and highly accessible style, is peppered with inspiring anecdotes and interspersed with a didactic approach towards clearing the IAS hurdle.

Mr. Aurangabadkar said he was indebted to the guidance from his elder sister, Chinmaya Aurangabadkar, who like him cleared the UPSC in her first attempt to enter the Indian Revenue Service in 2009. Mr. Aurangabadkar stressed on the importance of selecting optional subjects of one’s interest, as they facilitated in-depth reading without the student having to labour under its weight.

“Often one gets told that there is a particular method to crack the exams only if one takes certain subjects. This is not always true. One should opt for subjects dear to one’s heart,” said Mr. Aurangabadkar, who had Sociology and Philosophy as his ‘optionals’.