CUTTACK: Two of the highest ranking men from the state have both relied on self study to crack the civil services examinations. Subhankar Mohapatra from Bhubaneswar and Abhinash Mishra from a village in Bargarh district ranked 46 and 65 respectively in the UPSCs.Shubhankar, a 27-year-old from Shree Vihar at Chandrasekharpur, received his MBBS degree from the SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack. He then started appearing for the civil services and focused mainly on preparing alone. He had earlier cleared the Indian Revenue Service exam and is undergoing training at Gurugram. This was Subhankar's third attempt.He said he spent 8 hours studying. "There is no need to spend lakhs of rupees on coaching centres. One can easily do it through self study. Aspirants have to strategise and chalk out a proper blue print for preparations," said Subhankar."I collected study material from the internet. As I studied MBBS, I opted for science subjects," said Subhankar. He particularly warned against spending 18 to 20 hours a day learning answers."Proper planning and dedication will definitely help youngsters from our state to clear the exam," said Subhankar.Subhankar said the inspirations in his journey were father Karunakar and mother Sandhyarani , who are originally from Tihidi in Bhadrak.Abinash, meanwhile, is a resident of Jhungapali village near Melchhamunda in Bargarh district. The IIT Kharagpur MTech holder gave up job offers after getting the degree and instead prepared for the civil services. He opted for history as his main subject and cleared the exam in his fourth attempt."I stayed in a rented house in Delhi while I prepared for the exams, studying for at least 10 to 12 hours a day. The study atmosphere there was conducive to study," said the 25-year-old.When asked about his preparation process, he said, one has cover a vast course to clear the UPSC examination."I started with the basics. I analysed question papers of previous years for my preparation. This apart, Google, YouTube and Wikipedia were of immense help for me," he added. Abinash's father, Debendra Mishra works with LIC and his mother, Satyabhama Dash is a primary school teacher. He attributed his success to his parents and friends."I chose to be a civil servant because it is the only job which provides opportunity to bring transformation in the society and work for the people throughout the day. Moreover, the job also provides the chance to help the people from their birth to death," Abinash said.Three persons from Bargarh district cleared the test. Vedbhushan a youth from Dungripali in Jharbandh Block of Bargarh district, cracked the exam with 293 rank. After completing his BSc in Physics from Ravenshaw University, Vedbhusan did his MSc in physics from Pondicherry University. He cleared the examination in his first attempt. Parul Pradhan, who hails from Gangadhar Nagar area in Bargarh town cracked the UPSC exam with 320 rank.

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