Tehsil Mahore, Baddar Village(Gulabgarh), (Reasi District), Jammu, JAMMU & KASHMIR :

If someone decides to change the same conditions and backwardness about which you keep crying your whole life, then surely his name will be Babar Ali Chagatta. 

Babar Chagatta has achieved great success in the UPSC Civil Services Examination this year. His rank is 364th. According to Babar, he may get IPS at this rank, but he wants to become an IAS. Therefore, he has started preparing to become an IAS once again.

24-year-old Babar is from Tehsil Mahore and village Baddar (Gulabgarh) of District Reasi in Jammu region of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. This area is considered to be the most backward area of ​​Jammu, which is still deprived of many basic facilities. 

Babar says that a paved road has not yet reached my village. Till one and a half to two years ago, my village remained in darkness because electricity had not reached there. Now my village has been illuminated by electric light.

Babar studied till 5th standard while living in the village. In the sixth class, he went to Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, where he studied till 12th standard. He scored 90% in 10th standard and 86% in 12th standard. Then he went to Aligarh for further studies and obtained BA Honours degree in Political Science from AMU in the year 2014. After this, Babar took admission in the Political Science Department of Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi to obtain MA degree. However, he could not complete this course due to his desire to join the civil service.

When and why did you think of joining the civil service? 

In response to this, Babar says, when I was about to go to the sixth class, my father introduced me to the civil service. When I went to Navodaya, I saw an IAS officer for the first time in the school’s annual program. His words also inspired me a lot. Also, the backwardness of the area especially inspired me to become an IAS and remove the misery and backwardness of my village. In this way, it was always in my mind that I can change the condition of this village by becoming an IAS.

Let us tell you that Babar’s father Ghulam Qadir was an officer in the forest department in Jammu. When Babar was in the 9th class, he left this world forever. Amma Ghulam Fatima is a homemaker. Babar is the youngest among five brothers. He also has a younger sister. All his brothers are in government jobs. 

Babar started his preparation in 2015. When he felt that MA classes were becoming an obstacle in his preparation, he left MA studies. He achieved this success in the third attempt. He wrote Mains in the first attempt. But in the second attempt, he failed in the prelims itself. Babar says that he was a little disappointed but this time I had decided that I must fulfill my childhood dreams and my father’s wish. All the things I remembered about my father kept inspiring me. 

Which subject did you choose for this exam and why? 

In response to this Babar says, I chose Political Science. The reason is that I have done my graduation in this subject and I am also very interested in International Relations. 

He says that in the last 4-5 years the results of Political Science have been very good. Now this subject has become very scoring. 

How and where did you prepare for the exam? 

On this Babar says, I did not take any coaching. I stayed in the residential coaching of Jamia Millia Islamia. However, I did not attend many classes there either. I focused more on self study. On being asked that your name is also in the list of Zakat Foundation, Babar says that after passing the mains, I went there for a mock interview. 

What message would you like to give to those preparing for civil services?  

On this question, Babar says that, first of all you have to always be ready that no matter what the result is, never lose hope. If you are ready for this, then first of all look at its syllabus and try to understand it in a better way. Then definitely look at the papers of the last few years. From there you will understand what UPSC wants from you. Although UPSC does not have a fixed pattern, every year something or the other changes.

The second important thing is that you must be honest for this. You cannot prepare for this under pressure from anyone. The most important thing is that you yourself should be interested in it. That is, self-motivation is very important. If it is clear why you want to join the civil service, then no one can stop you from being successful.  

He further says that initially read NCERT thoroughly. Along with this, you have to read the newspaper every day. Always keep yourself updated. Do as many test series as possible. Most of the study material is available online. There is a lot of material here, but you should not get confused, rather you have to read smartly by being selective. 

Babar likes playing cricket and watching issue based films. He says that even while staying in Jamia, he never forgot to play cricket every Saturday-Sunday. He also likes watching films. When asked which film he has watched, he says that ‘Stree’ is my last film. This film not only entertains people but also gives the message of what a woman wants from the society. Babar likes Shahrukh Khan a lot. On the other hand, he gets a little shy when asked about his favourite actress. Then he says that he definitely likes Priyanka Chopra’s acting a little bit.

Babar says that my father is my ideal. I wish he were here, he would have patted me on the back for my success. Babar wants to give credit to his entire family for this success. He especially wants to thank his mother, because she always filled Babar with courage and passion. 

Babar, while giving his message to the youth of the country, especially the youth of his community, says that if you really want to come into the mainstream, then you should definitely think about joining the civil service. What is needed is that instead of cursing the system, you should come into the system and understand it and work accordingly or change yourself. There is also a need to connect those who have become successful with the society. 

Apart from this, Babar wants to give his message to the youth of his community through this verse of Shakeel Azmi –

Spreading out the wings the world watches the flight 

What does one see in the sky while sitting on the ground? 

If you have got beauty then protect this beauty 

Walk carefully, the whole world is watching you… 

source: http://www.beyondheadlines.in / Beyond Headlines / Home> India> Real Heroes / by Afroz Alam Sahil, Beyond Headlines / April 20th, 2019