The only son of his parents, Ghulam Maya Din (Mohiuddin) wanted to be an engineer but landed in a medical school. While bracing for civil services, he cracked JKAS. Serving as BDO in Kupwara, he eventually cracked UPSC, reports Umaima Reshi
In the just released UPSC list, he falls at rank 388 but that is not the only achievement of Ghulam Maya Din. For a resident of Bharot, a distant mountainous village in Rajouri’s Thanamandi, this is the third career window he opened with consistent efforts and hard work.
Before his performance opened the federal civil service for him, Din had qualified for the JKCET in 2012, pursued a medical degree at Government Medical College Jammu, and passed the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) examinations. He was serving as a Block Development Officer (BDO) in North Kashmir when the UPSC results were made public.
“Beyond their foster, I would not have been able to accomplish this,” Din said. “It has not been easy, but their rapport has been very important. I do not see it as toil, but more like a cost that had to be paid to pass this examination.”
What makes his dazzling performance impressive is that the people hailing from his region have to handle difficulties like attaining quality education. Even though the facilities and allied infrastructure have slightly improved, it still lacks a comparison with the Jammu or Srinagar cities. A good chunk of the population finds education in their wards only possible when they migrate.
Family Story
“I am the only son of my parents, so I always had this notion that I must achieve something significant in life,” Din said. His father is a retired police inspector and his mother is a homemaker. With complete family blessing, he continued his studies with the sole objective of becoming a support to his family. “I thought civil engineering would be advantageous to stand on my feet financially. I excelled in Mathematics in my twelfth grade. But unfortunately, due to a lack of proper guidance, I missed out on attending counselling and failed to secure a place in an engineering programme.”
Perplexed, he took a gap year, during which one of his seniors suggested he pursue entrance into the medical field. “I successfully cleared the medical entrance and secured a place at GMC Jammu,” Din said. “As I progressed through my MBBS, I found the subject matter to be somewhat draining and toxic. During my second year, I even attempted the IAS examination, but the heavy study load proved too much to handle.”
A Doctor
After completing his MBBS, Din made the difficult decision to pursue the civil service examination. He decided against becoming a medical doctor, for the time being. Starting from scratch, he engrossed himself in studying newspapers and going through recommended books.
“While transcending at the Hamdard Study Circle, my first attempt for the civil services was unsuccessful. However, I found solace in the fact that I was making progress independently,” Din remembers. “My second attempt, conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic, gave rise to other difficulties, and my performance in the CSAT section suffered. I then switched to my backup plan, which was to pursue the JKAS. I dedicated myself to this endeavour and, by the grace of God; I successfully passed the exam and was appointed as a Block Development Officer in Kralpora, Kupwara.”
Credit goes to Din for not giving up. While securing a place in the coveted service of Jammu and Kashmir, he continued preparing for the UPSC prelims and mains examinations, eventually achieving success. Throughout his preparations, Din said that almost everybody extended support to him in studying what he was keen on. Apart from his family, Deputy Commissioner Ayushi Sudan and Secretary, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary also helped him a lot, he said.
No Seclusion
Din cautioned aspiring civil servants about the misleading portrayal of success on social media and the internet, emphasising the necessity of innate aptitude for such a career path. Despite claims that anyone can embark on the UPSC journey post-examination, he highlighted the arduous and often unacknowledged journey required to meet the standard. He observed that some individuals, lacking a strong foundation, impulsively pursue the examination, leading to failure and subsequent mental health challenges, including stress and symptoms of hysteria, a concern he encountered frequently in his medical practice.
Besides, he noted the monotony inherent in civil service examination preparation, likening it to consuming the same food daily, which can breed frustration and hinder progress. “Just as we need a variety of foods and cannot ingest the same items every day, similarly, our minds also desire diversity,” Din said. “We cannot constantly feed our minds with the same information day after day, as during preparation, individuals may become frustrated with the same pattern.”
To maintain his mental well-being amidst the rigours of preparation, Din shared his coping mechanisms, such as watching comedy shows like The Big Bang Theory or FRIENDS and maintaining regular communication with his family.
Reflecting on his journey, Din revealed a childhood focused solely on the play until a teacher’s admonition in ninth grade spurred a shift towards academic dedication. He stressed the importance of maturity in understanding life’s purpose and the necessity of a balanced approach to both preparatory and non-preparatory aspects, including mental well-being and personal management, in achieving success.
