Thoughts & After-thoughts !

 On a chilly morning, while traveling to Leh from Kargil, I noticed a few labourers of the Border Roads Organization (BRO) at the heights of Photu la and Namik la. The temperature was -16 degree Celsius and those workers were on to their daily duties of road maintenance. Among those, I observed one lady (perhaps from the Central India) who was busy with her routine duties. Carrying a broom in her hand she was cleaning the road, of the debris that falls on the road as shooting stones and slides. Apart from the broom, she was also carrying a bundle of firewood tied to her back, perhaps to light a fire by the roadside for keeping herself and her companions warm amidst the chilly weather. I was awestruck and a sense of gratitude took over me ! What conditions would have compelled her and her fellow workers to travel thousands of miles to the harsh conditions of Ladakh to make a living, I thought. Certainly, it wouldn't be a choice she made out of her sheer will ! Our lives are similar...

  So, in the UT of J&K, amidst the dipping temperature, the recently declared results (by JKPSC) of the Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) prelims 2021 aka JKAS /KAS have been warming up the temperatures for the aspirants. After this " very difficult " prelims paper, many anxious minds were unsure about their fate despite tremendous hard-work they had put in. As per initial trends, the cut-off  seem to be around 60s for General Category, much lower than (already low) 77-82 predicted by me and my colleague Vivek. Anyways, heartiest congratulations to all those who qualified the prelims. You should start focusing on Mains Preparation full-throttle in case you couldn't do so after prelims till now, and naturally so. For all those who unfortunately couldn't make it to the second stage, don't lose heart. It is definitely not the end of the world for you. I am saying this with full conviction as I have also faced similar situations in my journey. Take your time,...

Hello Everyone! Today, I intend to share my own experience of returning home amid Lockdown restrictions during COVID-19 pandemic. Since I am Civil Service aspirant, therefore this post will be an experience sharing cum critical appraisal  of the administrative setup, through the prism of my own expectation from the administration. As the title suggests, I returned from Delhi to my hometown Sunderbani, District Rajouri, J&K. I was stuck at Delhi where I had appeared for my Personality Test ( Interview ) on March 17 for this year's UPSC Civil Services Examination. I planned to return home somewhere around 22/23 March, 2020 after I received the report of my Medical Examination. But, as with several others, my plan could not be realised because of the nationwide Lockdown announced on March 23. So, after a wait of about 2 months I planned to return home by Train on May 18th. But, on 17th Morning one of my friends sent me a video on WhatsApp where people who had arrived by train...