Sat-ire

UPSC Civil Services Exam is one of the most prestigious and competitive exams in India, wherein every year around 10 lakh candidates apply and only about 900-1000 candidates make it to the final list. This makes it the toughest exam in the country with a success rate of less than 0.1%. Further, the fact that this is the third and final time I was attempting this exam and I could not even qualify the preliminary stage in my previous two attempts created a do or die situation for me. On the other hand, the Indian judiciary is infamous for the high pendency of cases running up to around 30 million. The ratio of judges per citizen is severely low - 17 judges per 1 million citizens. This coupled with the expenses of hiring good counsels makes it really tough for the common middle class to gather the courage to approach the judiciary for their due. Fate had it, that I was burdened with both these challenging circumstances at the same time. I am Satabdi Mazumder, a UPSC aspirant from Tripura....

Excerpt 1 - With the corona storm, the Sun seems to have finally set on the British Empire. Wuhan, the ground zero for the virus is completely devastated. With over 20,000 deaths, US enters the hardest and the saddest week in coronavirus emergency, the Americans consider it their Pearl Harbour moment, the tragic 9/11 moment. The European Union's single market is on the verge of a dramatic collapse as the fatal coronavirus pandemic continues to clench the bloc. Empty squares, chained parks, vacant avenues today define Athens, where luxury cars once queued up in traffic as motorbikes zoomed through the narrow gaps. Italy spiraled from a perfectly healthy country to near-collapse in 24 days as the coronavirus took seize. Spain comes to a standstill as it declares a state of emergency. Excerpt 2- Otters are seen roaming freely in parks of Singapore . Geese were spotted crossing the Tarmac in Israel ’s Tel-Aviv, as humans are no longer an impediment to them. As pollutant level...

On one of the several cold winter night discussions in the hostel canteen of IIM Udaipur, Himmat Bhaiya, the canteen facilitator asked us a thought-provoking question- “What is that one sentence which can make a happy person sad and a sad person happy?” The answer was more interesting than the question, it goes like this- “This too shall pass”. Indeed, good times don’t last forever nor do bad times and the only permanent thing in this universe is ‘change’. Here are a few scribbles from one of my low phases, and today when I look back to that phase and recall that canteen lesson from Himmat Bhaiya, I fondly smile and whisper to myself- he was so correct that night. Gone, but not forgotten Gone are the days when expectations induced smile, Gone are the days when possessiveness was respected, Gone are the days when distances created void, Gone are the days when complaints invited more attention, Gone are the days when special words and phrases found a place in every ...

I am a Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) aspirant from Tripura in my last attempt. I started my journey in 2016 with the dream of serving the people of my country. With the introduction of Economically Weaker Section (EWS) reservations in education and employment in 2019 for the first time in the country, I was both happy and relieved to be able to enhance my chances of selection by availing the EWS quota. But who knew that this happiness and relief would not last long and soon I found myself in a hapless state running from pillar to post seeking justice and entitlements that flew from the very Constitution of India. Most of the candidates, who have applied under EWS quota are sailing in the same boat as me, facing various challenges such as cancellation of candidature by UPSC, change of status from EWS to General, among others.  Background: On 9 January 2019, the Parliament, in record time, approved the 124th constitutional amendment...

The Honourable President of India gave his assent to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, on December 12, 2019, a day after it was passed by the Rajya Sabha. However, the home ministry is yet to notify the rules to implement the law. We are witnessing countrywide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019. Yet the reason for protest varies with the region, state, political inclination, religion. Some are protesting because the act allegedly violates the secular identity of the country while others fear that it might endanger their linguistic and cultural identity. On the other hand, some believe that it is just another tactic by the Center to divert attention from the stagnant economy and skyrocketing onion prices. Also, few see this as a BJP-RSS propaganda to spread Hindutva and building a Hindu Rashtra. There are several petitions against the Act listed in the Supreme Court of India for hearing on January 22, 2020. Most of the citizens who are taking a stance ag...