Civil service is a journey and not a destination in one’s life; preparation time is the first part of the journey, Principal Secretary of Backward Classes Welfare department, Burra Venkatesham said.
Sharing his experience with aspirants at a free, mega seminar on ‘How to Crack Civils’ organised by The Hindu Future India Club in association with Krishna Pradeep’s 21st Century IAS Academy, Mr. Venkatesham advised them to cultivate a passion for life. “ Yad Bhavam Tad Bhavathi (as you think, so you become). Don’t prepare for civil services for somebody’s interest, including your parents and friends. Go for it only if you are interested,” he said.
He recalled how he, at a very young age, decided to become an IAS officer and began chasing his dreams since his school days. “My father passed away when I was seven and my mother is illiterate. I had clarity about my life and appeared for the civil services exam for the first time in the final year of my graduation in 1989. After I cleared the Prelims, the degree results were announced,” the 1995-batch IAS officer said.
