It is such a cliche that we often say – ” Failure is part of Success”, but it is true.If it is true, then how so ?
Prelims results are out.While we sincerely congratulate those who qualified,at the same time we are with you if you could not make it this time.
Come to think of it , one often wonders what the author tried to imply when he wrote :-
“Ever Tried, Ever failed, Try again, Fail again, Fail better !!!”
Does it glorify failure or does it have any deeper meaning.To contemplate it, is to contemplate the reality and abstract at the same time.No matter what we perceive and what we conclude, at the end of it we will never know on what context , and especially what chain of thoughts led the author to write so.
The quote has profound meaning , yet we can not fathom everything about it, we can not know depth of it, we can not know the subtle implications of it, in its entirety.
And So is failure, sometime we know how it happened, yet we will never be sure why it happened.We keep on trying to find reasons , we find some, we don’t find some.
The real difficulty is introspection, how can we judge ourselves and judge objectively and judge in every step of the way.
Introspection has and always will be the most difficult one.Buddha took more than a decade, and so is everyone else who tried to find the answer to the questions such as- “What is the meaning of life ?” or “Who am I ?” or “What is my purpose in this life ?” or “What am I doing on this earth ?” or the more entertaining one – “What everyone else is doing on this earth ?
Eating, Sleeping,Doing things,Making love, Chasing Money , Trying to find god,Getting angry etc, etc and endless etc .
Most of the time and most of us, doing meaningless things for meaningless purposes.But when one tries to enter civil services , in some part of our subconscious, all of us are trying to find better purpose in life and lead a meaningful life.
That is why it is often so difficult to answer the question – “Why do you want to become a civil servant ?” .All the answers we have or we give to this question are manufactured, partially or completely.
A deeper contemplation reveals that ,there is some part of us which still has some attributes of “humane” in it. It is that “humane” part of our personalities, that compels us to find a better job where we can do some good for the society , get some honor and lead a life of dignity so that, at the sunset days of our life , when we look-back , we should be able to exit this world with a smile on our face and a satisfied soul.
Of course, everyone has their different versions and different settings about the above reality.
Those who succeeded this year , might have endured failure at some part of their life.It is part of parcel of life, again a cliche, but true.
Failure , is the sun set of hope and it is the sun rise at the same time.It is a contradiction in itself.
It is raw,it is brutal,it is enervating,it is disgusting, it is depressing, it is the nastiest of all.
It has a dark , depressing and nasty aura about it.It is indeed sunset of a ray hope.
It makes us bare, puts a mirror before us, and mocks us.
Yet
It has some raw energy about it, it pushes one to do better, it makes one to be down-to-earth, it makes one stronger, it puts faith in us , it is the sunrise of another beginning, it gives us a new day, it turns a new page in life, and yet again -in its trademark signature of nastiness , mocks at us asking – “What are you going to do about it ? “
In that , it exposes our fragility and frailties about us, it makes us humane.
The question is not what did happen and why it did it happen, the question is what are we going to do about it ?
A toddler fails a thousand time before he/she can walk.If we did it as toddlers, we can sure do it now.It is inherent in us.
Failure does not know the resilience of human species.It has always mocked us and we kicked it each time.
Failure is always there and success is always around the corner.Thus never lose hope.
So “What we are going to do about it ?” is the real question that should bother you now.
The days ahead are going to be dark, the sunlight is going to be dim, the cold will get to your nerves.Yet , you have to put your guard on, polish your armor and sharpen your weapon, becasue PRELIMS is coming.
Failure will fail this time to fail you.Thats should be your conviction.
We leave you with this poem that kept Mandela alive in his 27 yrs of imprisonment.We hope this gives you some kind of hope and makes your day, becasue tomorrow will be another day.
We conducted Prelims 2016 last year, albeit little late , however we saw some positive results.
The success is not ours at all and it would be wrong to steal someone’s hardwork and make it ours.Every candidate who cleared is due to his/her hardwork and perseverance, we were just the carpet on your steps to success – to smoothen your way and push you to the cliff. But it is the candidates who successfully jumps the cliff , not us.
We will soon be launching our Prelims Program-2017.We are not yet very good at promotion or self-praise , so if you really think we will be of help ,kindly spread the word and help us help you.
The details and the approach and question setting philosophy will be revealed in our next communication.
The Poem:-
Invictus
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
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[wptelegram-join-channel link=”https://t.me/s/upsctree” text=”Join @upsctree on Telegram”]2021 WEF Global Gender Gap report, which confirmed its 2016 finding of a decline in worldwide progress towards gender parity.
Over 2.8 billion women are legally restricted from having the same choice of jobs as men. As many as 104 countries still have laws preventing women from working in specific jobs, 59 countries have no laws on sexual harassment in the workplace, and it is astonishing that a handful of countries still allow husbands to legally stop their wives from working.
Globally, women’s participation in the labour force is estimated at 63% (as against 94% of men who participate), but India’s is at a dismal 25% or so currently. Most women are in informal and vulnerable employment—domestic help, agriculture, etc—and are always paid less than men.
Recent reports from Assam suggest that women workers in plantations are paid much less than men and never promoted to supervisory roles. The gender wage gap is about 24% globally, and women have lost far more jobs than men during lockdowns.
The problem of gender disparity is compounded by hurdles put up by governments, society and businesses: unequal access to social security schemes, banking services, education, digital services and so on, even as a glass ceiling has kept leadership roles out of women’s reach.
Yes, many governments and businesses had been working on parity before the pandemic struck. But the global gender gap, defined by differences reflected in the social, political, intellectual, cultural and economic attainments or attitudes of men and women, will not narrow in the near future without all major stakeholders working together on a clear agenda—that of economic growth by inclusion.
The WEF report estimates 135 years to close the gap at our current rate of progress based on four pillars: educational attainment, health, economic participation and political empowerment.
India has slipped from rank 112 to 140 in a single year, confirming how hard women were hit by the pandemic. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two Asian countries that fared worse.
Here are a few things we must do:
One, frame policies for equal-opportunity employment. Use technology and artificial intelligence to eliminate biases of gender, caste, etc, and select candidates at all levels on merit. Numerous surveys indicate that women in general have a better chance of landing jobs if their gender is not known to recruiters.
Two, foster a culture of gender sensitivity. Take a review of current policies and move from gender-neutral to gender-sensitive. Encourage and insist on diversity and inclusion at all levels, and promote more women internally to leadership roles. Demolish silos to let women grab potential opportunities in hitherto male-dominant roles. Work-from-home has taught us how efficiently women can manage flex-timings and productivity.
Three, deploy corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds for the education and skilling of women and girls at the bottom of the pyramid. CSR allocations to toilet building, the PM-Cares fund and firms’ own trusts could be re-channelled for this.
Four, get more women into research and development (R&D) roles. A study of over 4,000 companies found that more women in R&D jobs resulted in radical innovation. It appears women score far higher than men in championing change. If you seek growth from affordable products and services for low-income groups, women often have the best ideas.
Five, break barriers to allow progress. Cultural and structural issues must be fixed. Unconscious biases and discrimination are rampant even in highly-esteemed organizations. Establish fair and transparent human resource policies.
Six, get involved in local communities to engage them. As Michael Porter said, it is not possible for businesses to sustain long-term shareholder value without ensuring the welfare of the communities they exist in. It is in the best interest of enterprises to engage with local communities to understand and work towards lowering cultural and other barriers in society. It will also help connect with potential customers, employees and special interest groups driving the gender-equity agenda and achieve better diversity.