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For resources related to preparation for examinations conducted by UPSC, go to this link : Start

Opinions shared here are personal and not related to my professional position or capacity. Aim is to work on improving lives of people, with truth and service.

Saturday 24 August 2019

CSE Mains Essay previous 25 years topic-wise list


Essay being the first paper in the series of papers written during mains, deserves due diligence as much as GS papers. But it is quite tricky as the topic could be anything, which makes specific preparation difficult. So, one can focus on: - learning how to understand demand of the Essay topic, identify the theme and create 2-3 dimensions, under each one generates frameworks with points in it with references/examples - gathering right fodder material, frameworks, vocabulary for various general themes/topics like education, woman empowerment, ethics etc I had previously written a blog post on how to write essay for CSE mains examination. It is available here: Post on how to write an essay
The above post tells how make a plan but one needs to practice and have a strategy for the preparation itself. A good strategy would be as follows: - go through the category wise topics, dig up material from the internet, news notes, from Yojana magazine, Economic surveys, PIB so on. - create frameworks, templates, terminology for each category using above material(ex. accessibility+affordability+quality for education, 3Fs for panchayati raj, the all encompassing -historical+philosophical+political+economic+social framework) In the current pattern one has 1.5 hours, of which 0.5 hours should be spent on creating complete framework with points. So, that in 1 hour one can write down essay effortlessly by expanding the points and focusing on creating flow. Table below is aimed at reducing the effort to look for essays on particular category. One can filter as per year of exam/major themes, or search in essay topic text/keywords by typing in. Hindi transliteration was not available for all topics, so I could not add it. असुविधा के लिए खेद हैं. Categories are subjective and you are welcome to download a copy of the sheet and recategorize as you like. Umbrella category means one can cover multiple thematic dimensions in it.

Click for - Google Spreadsheet with 25 years essay list with keywords and topic categories

Friday 5 October 2018

UPSC Exams preparation

This blog was created to share resources with aspirants appearing for examinations conducted by UPSC, especially those meant for Civil Services, Engineering Services and Forest Services. Most of the content on preparation for the exams found here was posted before the result came out and thus, is devoid of boastfulness that creeps in on being successful. I hope aspirants find what they are looking for, in the posts that emanate from links below.

As there is much more to learn and to share, new tabs and posts are in order, but without disturbing the exam material.

Many who enter the arena of Civil Services exam preparation think about the need for coaching classes and the much elusive first attempt crack. My take on it :
On coaching and first attempts
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/01/on-coaching-and-first-attempts.html

In times of self doubt and frustration, the will to continue comes from within.
Morale boost
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2015/12/why-continue.html

Reading newspaper is essential to preparing for this exam and also something that requires some skill to extract the relevant and useful.
Newspaper reading and notes
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2015/07/making-sense-out-of-news.html
Few examples of note making and categorisation of news:
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2015/07/6-july-2015-news-bite.html
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2015/07/12-14-july-2015-newsbite.html
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2015/07/15-july-2015-news-bite.html

Same goes with India Year Book:
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2017/02/on-yearbook.html

Approach, planning, strategy, booklists, previous question papers analysis, etc for prelims, here:
Preliminary examination
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/01/prelims.html

All gyan related to mains, here:
Mains examination
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/01/mains.html
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2015/10/shortcut-to-forestry-for-ifos-mains.html

There are many classes and many styles to follow in writing essays, but learning from various sources it came down to this final recipe:
Essay writing
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/06/essay-writing.html
https://opengyan.blogspot.com/2019/08/cse-mains-essay-previous-25-years-topic.html

Honest account of the interview experience, before and after:
Interview related
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/03/interview-diaries.html
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/03/interview-diaries-2.html
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/04/interview-diaries-3.html

Posts related to preparing with Mechanical Engineering as optional branch out from here:
Mechanical Engineering Optional
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/01/on-mech-engg-for-csm.html
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/06/mech-engg.html

Some extra stuff for those taking up Engineering Service examination as well:
Engineering Services Examination
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/01/on-ese.html
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/02/plan-for-ese-2016.html
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/07/2017-ese-cse.html

Something that I wrote on a mildly philosophical and quite confused evening in 2016:
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/10/another-hare-and-tortoise-story.html

Some posts after being declared successful in the exam:
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/05/fate-faith-fairness.html
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/06/humpty-dumpty.html


Good resources by those who cleared the exam:
Pooja Ranawat has spoken well on her strategy
Anudeep Durisetty has created a very well organized resource base





Friday 28 April 2017

GS2 and GS3 index

It is necessary to understand the way syllabus is structured, not only for easy recall, but also for getting the context right. I have moved topics around to collect related parts together.

GS2 can be divided into following 7 parts. 1 day per topic means 1 week for GS2 on the whole. The division is not balanced because some topics are heavier than others, but still some time division is better than none. One can always finish up smaller parts and put more time on bigger ones.
Constitution of India and of other countries
- Indian constitution - historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure
Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries.

Structure and function of government organs(exec, judic, legis)
- Parliament and State Legislatures - structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.
- Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.
Separation of powers between various organs dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions.

Federalism and decentralization
- Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein

Elections and govt bodies
- Salient features of the Representation of People's Act.
- Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.
- Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies

Development and social sectors
Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation
- Development processes and the development industry- the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders.
- Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.
- Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector or Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
- Issues relating to poverty and hunger.

Transparency and accountability
- Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.
- Role of civil services in a democracy.

International relations
- India and its neighborhood- relations.
- Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests.
- Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests, Indian diaspora.
- Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate


GS3 can be divided into following 8 parts. The main logic behind making this index, is to see that GS3 has many parts and those topics should be studied independently, instead of mixing it up. Once, we gain specialized knowledge about each topic like say agriculture, food etc, then we can use those points and frameworks instantly, instead of writing some spontaneous and vague answer.

Macroeconomics
- Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.
- Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
- Government Budgeting.

Agriculture
- Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers.
- Land reforms in India(Land in itself is a huge topic, but it is better studied in context of agriculture than as a stand alone topic)

Food
- Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing.
- Food processing and related industries in India- scope and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management.

Industries
- Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.

Infrastructure
- Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways, etc.
- Investment models.

Science and Technology - developments and their applications and effects in everyday life 
- Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.
- Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.

Environment
- Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
Disaster and disaster management.

Security
- Linkages between development and spread of extremism.
- Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.
- Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security; money-laundering and its prevention.
- Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism.
- Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.

Thursday 9 February 2017

On yearbook

[Originally posted in Feb 2016, on other blog which was too large and had to be deleted. Pasting it here, as it is.]

On yearbook

The YearBook Plan
Again IYB has come out and it is time to look at how the govt is structured and how it is handling governance. IYB is one stop source for general info on a variety of topics. Much of it is generic and does not change over the years but comparative study shows how policies change(if they change), besides you get to know the details of all schemes being run all in one place and one is better placed to then take in all gyaan from Yojana which focuses on specific issues like health/ edu/ livelihood/ vulnerable sections.
A structure approach is helpful here to filter out faltu ka gyan and only take that which will help us in prelims and in mains.
We have to group related chapters together and swiftly go thru them.

First, one should take up the very first chapter as many straight questions come from here, and it is like a kick between the legs to make a mistake in such Qs. Also, immediately one should take a round tour of India by taking on Ch30. Diverse questions are possible from this chapter and also it covers the fine details of state economy, culture and nature(places of importance). Go wild with internet, search as much as possible on facts/figures/names in these and you will see your GS rise to a whole new level.
1.Land and people + 30.States and UTs
Now, we have gone thru much of economic data of states, so one can go back to national level
6.Basic Economic Data + 13.Finance
then quickly transition to sectoral study
4.Agriculture  19.Industry 14.Corporate affairs
Now we go after the infrastructure which is the driver of progress
8.CIT + 22.Mass communication + 11.Energy +26.Transport
Then comes basic social services and welfare
15.Food and Civil supplies + 16.Health and family welfare 10.Education 17.Housing
Remains of a command structure
23.planning 24.rural and urban development
Then the essentials
12.Environment 27.water resources
Then the efforts towards justice
20.law and justice 21.labour, skill development and employment 28.welfare
Things that make us great
25.scientific and tech developments 5.culture and tourism 29.youth affairs and sports
Looking beyond our borders
7.commerce 18.India and world 9.defence
Last but not the least a recap of Laxmikanth and more, esp the structure of executive(ministries, depts.)
3.polity

Now, I know I speak here as if I have topped the exam or am slam dunking 150+ in every prelims, neither of which I have done yet. But same goes for the babajis in the market. So, I thought let my idea/plan also float on the neutral internet and let people benefit(if they find any worth in it)
Besides, the economic survey is structured in similar manner, and as a matter of fact, so is the syllabus. So it makes sense to read the year book in above mentioned manner(instead of the alphabetically ordered chapters)
I suppose I could open up another tab on the blog for yearbook crisp structured chapter wise notes, but right now, I dont have the incentive or inclination. Maybe later, after survey comes out, I could extract all of it and place into GS2, GS3 post entries directly. Till then, Cheers!

GS1 History

History for mains has not only Indian history but also world history. Basic timeline, facts etc are good for prelims, but mains needs thematic study of history. It requires zooming in on turning points and zooming out to look at progression of movements/events etc. This is what makes it challenging.

Largely, we study art and culture part only for ancient and medieval part. Modern India is studied in detail. World history is also to be studied in fast forward(so many centuries to cover, with so many names, details, concepts). It is very difficult, but if one looks at it like a story, it is indeed interesting. I am not preaching, but I do feel that history can get boring only if perspective is lost. If one tries to live those times, live those obstacles people faced in those times, then it makes sense as to why certain things happened. This helps us come to terms with our own deeds, take lessons from past, and to understand that it is easier to judge in retrospect.

For art and culture of ancient and medieval times, there is of course ncert, old and new, with pictures, tables, point wise description. To revise and to fill in details, there is ccrtindia website.
For modern India, struggle for independence by Bipin Chandra is good, but for mains it has to be studied thematically. Besides, if one goes thru NCERT by Bipin Chandra, it is better(mains point of view). So, I had made notes for mains based on this book and I want to share it to save people the pain of going thru the whole book. Also, Ive made it in point format, leaving out excess detail, so that one can go thru it quickly and get ready to put down at least some basic points on paper.

Link: modern India ncert hand written notes for mains
[its a heavy file, so those with slow connections, careful... 57 pages 24MB]
There are many other books one can read to get more analysis and details for modern India. There is spectrum, Grover Mehta, Plassey to partition, Sumit Sarkar etc. But I found that I used to bite too much, and could not chew, let alone digest these texts. So, I decided to stick to the old ncert by Bipin Chandra and added some notes from above books, so as to cover some missing portions and I was done with subject. I have left some portions blank in above file, due to lack of time to cover those portions. This won;t affect the overall coverage of notes, and one can read up on those(2) sections separately from any source.

For world history there are many books again.. BV Rao, Jain, Norman Lowe, Arjun Dev, Baliyan notes etc. All of the above are alright. But many of these take up too many words to explain same thing, which caused lot of pain to remember. Some dont cover from Renaissance, some do but then go too deep. So, I found that there is an NCERT Contemporary world history class XII 2003 edition that is spot on for the mains world history syllabus. It covers all relevant timeframes, is written in simple language, with less of extra ramblings.

Saturday 22 October 2016

Another hare and tortoise story



The moral race



Fact is stranger than fiction, but difficult to ascertain. So, people settle for stories. The weird thing about stories is that there could be moral of a story, but there might not be justice done to all the characters. Without the facts, morals are drawn based on interpretations by different entities. I have heard so many versions of a simple benign event, that it has forced me to break my silence. The version in vogue is that I raced with a hare and I won, because I kept going, while the hare took a nap in between.  Some said slow and steady win the race. Some doubted that I might have drugged the hare, so that he would fall asleep. Some say, I drugged myself so that I could go faster than usual. One thing I have come to realize, is that everybody likes to get drugged by morality. It lets one slip into comfort and let the invisible hand of morality lead you. But I think it is imperative that I clear out some of these moral cobwebs.
It all started when the hare saw me training for bit of a walk. I thought, I have so much age on my hand, why not become a bit fit, and may be bring some evolutionary change. I did not mind the hare giving me a couple of tips on my pace and posture. But I kept pestering him for the secret to his speed. It was getting embarrassing to prance around with a hare and to not see any progress. Driven to frustration, I asked the hare one last time to reveal his secret. Hare comforted me and said he would gladly share his secret. He said, “Down the path and over the mountain, there is a place. There is not judgment there. You will feel at peace with yourself there. Meet me there and we will realize the secret together.” So, we went down the path together. As usual I was slow, but I had the hope of becoming a better self that drove me. On the way, I saw many mocking me. They told me about the crooked tail of a dog, the different ways of nature, and about contentment in self. With all the confusion, I kept going and lost sight of hare in the woods. Not being able to locate the path that the hare took, I kept going on the path that everyone took. I reached the end of the path, but there was no peaceful place there. There were only the mocking birds, that sat there telling the owl about how the hare and tortoise had raced. The owl declared me the winner, and advised others to take a lesson in fortitude and perseverance. Celebrations went on for a night. The hare reached the spot and was greeted with ridicule for losing to a tortoise. He simply smiled, embraced me and ran away. I called at him to ask for the secret place, the path to inner peace, but the cheer had drowned my voice. Surrounded by glory, fame, and praise, I had never felt more alone and discontent.
There are many hares in the world, many tortoises, mocking birds and owls. Based on what they see, there are morals and based on what they think, there is ethics. There is the animal farm and there is utopia. May be both have a piece of fact in them or may be both are pure fiction. One thing remains unhindered, and that is learning. Even today, I recall the hare and try to run as fast as I can. That is the fact, and I suppose it might be stranger than fiction. But then, I think it makes a better story. With new interpretations this story will also be drowned into morals. But I pray for a raft of peace and love, while we float around in a sea of stories and judgment. Time to go for a run!
 

Wednesday 24 August 2016

Power plants Turbomachinery

This area drains much energy and gives poor returns. Main problem is that the textbooks are very poorly written. Much of it discuss power plants in shallow manner or go too deep into practical aspects. The middle ground of numericals, problem solving is left wide open. Books like Eastop  McConkey are ones that save students in the end.

Power plant economics is quite straightforward. So it is also good for scoring. Same goes for emissions control part related to power plants.
PP economics and emissions

Power plant cycles are simple only with modifications of Rankine cycle. Cascades, combined cycles etc are very tedious. Also, often the question itself has a piece of info missing, which makes taking up these questions a big risk. On other hand, much of these questions are taken straight from textbooks, so if one has enough experience, one can handle it better(and go for 300+ total in mech)
Unfortunately, I did not have much interest in this area, so my effort is upto bare minimum.
powerplant cycles

Rankine and gas turbine cycles are better topics to invest time and effort, from  exam point of view.

Turbomachinery is another topic which I largely left, as it just drains time and effort and brings frustration. There are no universal symbols being used, no standards followed in making diagrams(velocity triangles). The subject is a big mess and unfortunately, requires lot of decoding symbols and terminologies. Sad part is technically, it is simple, but the researchers have complicated it to such an extent that it is comparable to financial securities being taught to a layman.
I can not recommend any good book for the topic, as frankly there is none. Most of the books use different symbols and sign conventions. I have tried to solve some questions and collected them topicwise.
Axial compressors, centrifugal compressors and gas turbines are subtopics one can look at.
Better to read it from a single book. Books on turbomachinery and those on fluid machinery have different symbols, so better to stick to one.
compressors and gas turbines
Steam turbines(impulse and reaction) also should be studied specific to demand of exam. No extra points for becoming non-certified PhD
compressors and steam turbines

Steam generation, boilers, draught is simple to understand and reproduce. These notes should be enough to cover the demand of the exam.