After the five-and-a-half year long tech-stint in Hyderabad, next stop was New Delhi. In October-end, 2013, I landed up in New Delhi's Old Rajendar Nagar (ORN) coaching hub with my luggage from Hyderabad. My parents arrived there to find and setup a room for me, as usual.
And so began, the unsuccessful attempt to become an IAS Officer and "serve people" as against being tucked in a blue-white cubicle. Vajiram and Ravi, the number one coaching centre was the obvious choice. A day would comprise 2 classes: 8am (public administration) and 11am (general studies). Thanks to the college life, getting up early had become a task in itself. Add to it, the cold of winters in North India. A run from my rented accommodation to the institute near ORN Metro Station was paused by a hurried poha-plate breakfast. The pub-ad class was hardly interesting, thanks to the stop-gap teachers and my imagination running riot because of some imaginary fears. The classrooms of Vajiram were a congested lot: my both classes were in a basement, one in the main building and the other one, below the Dominos building.
After the first class, I would be back in my room for a light breakfast like milk. After that began the second class of General Studies. Some of the really good teachers: Awadh Ojha sir, Ravindran sir, Minocha sir, Kapuria sir, Sanjeev Verma sir, Shyam Sundar sir- taught us in that batch. They laid the strong base for General studies. Awadh Ojha sir's double meaning jokes, E=E formula, attitude of a bureaucrat, etc. were both funny and showed a practical approach towards the bureaucracy as well as life. Classes, though, packed to the brim were mostly quiet, as most of the students thought they would become IAS sooner or later. However, statistics and sheer competition were always a deciding factor in all the stages of the examination. The lectures were hear-and-jot-down type of classes.
In these classes, I met two of my future friends: Gaurav (who would go on to become an IAS officer) and Aman Sharma (the noble-hearted legend). We met each other while we were sunbathing before the class began. Sharma ji would keep on writing the notes and peep into our notes to see the missed portion of his notes. His steadfastness towards notes would make us believe at first that this guy would really make it. But destiny had willed it otherwise. Gaurav, on the other hand, stayed in Delhi after the coaching ended and made the most out of his chance at interview by securing the 250-odd rank and get posted in his home state. His cool attitude towards things helped him clear the toughest exam in the world. We had loads of fun teasing Sarma ji.
Just like cramped rooms for aspirants in Delhi's coaching hubs of ORN and Patel Nagar, my room was small approx. 12 ft by 10 ft room with a massive pillar in the exact centre of it. A world map adorned the wall above my study table. A single-bed with an extra mattress and a little almirah. And a bathroom so tiny that one could not even fall in it properly. And mostly in that little cosy room, I was not alone. Gopal completed his SSC-CGL course from Paramount coaching centre. His friend Tarun too stayed with us and we used to enjoy our tiffin in the afternoon. We also had visitors in the form of Jasmeet, who used to visit his you-know-who and Sid (rani) Shandilya, whenever they came to Delhi.
The coaching course of around 9 months was interspersed with visits to home. As usual, mom would invite me home, especially after the course was complete. Ironically, home was a distraction and sapped me of competitive environment I would have got in Delhi, had I stayed on after the coaching was complete. But it's all hindsight.
I used to occasionally meet my friends who too were civil services aspirants. Taranjot (future IAS), Madhulika, etc. The ORN market itself was a hub of everything related to IAS. The book shops selling monthly current affairs, the juice shop, the chai-corners, the big park for my morning walks, Vajiram's building, Vision IAS test series, etc.
The lure of the hub brought me to ORN again and again. First, for the Mains test series, I stayed with Attri who was taking coaching then. His room was on the Karol Bagh side of the metro station. I also stayed with Ravi Seth the next year. His room was next to the room of Rohan Botre, the would-be IPS. I also stayed at Gaurav's room for 2-3 days in between. His room was a cute little wooden compartment.
The other places I visited in Delhi included Connaught Place (to meet IIIT-H friends), Mausa ji's place, Chacha's flats in Moti Nagar and Karol Bagh, and once to Hauz Khas. Despite being a polluted city, there is some charm to Delhi, its food, its Metro rail, its multiple Railway stations (New Delhi, Old Delhi, Sarai Rohilla, H. Nizammuddin), fashion sense of its people, etc. I frequented then and even now, its railway stations. Rail journeys are my big time favorites. Despite the fact that I have had harrowing experiences there: missing AP Express to Hyderabad in 2008-09 and losing my Sony Xperia P phone in a busy General bogey of the train I took to Ludhiana from Delhi.
In 2017, I stayed with Chacha's flat in Karol Bagh and studied in Paryatti Library near Karol Bagh Metro Station. I met my fellow DAV batchmate Rishi Saini there, who was managing civil services with his job in Noida. I also met a frwithesher Rakesh from Nasik. Together, we three enjoyed our tea and snack times. And discussed latest current affairs and library 'affairs' in the park adjoining the library. I've remained in touch with Gaurav, Aman and Rakesh since then.
Last but not the least, I appeared for Civil Services Interview twice at the UPSC Bhavan. First interview, in March 2016, in my second attempt, went well. I remember staying at TG's place. Second interview, next year, in March 2017, I went to the UPSC bhavan from Chacha's place in Moti Bagh.
Though the purpose for which I stayed in Delhi didn't materialize, I learnt a lot about myself and life during those years.
